Talking of studying issues, you have spoken up to now about the way you watched Heath Ledger slip out and in of character between takes on “The Darkish Knight” and the way that type of disabused you of this romanticized concept of actors making issues all about them to allow them to get to this excessive place to ship a sure sort of efficiency. In case you might assume again to your expertise taking pictures that film, I’d love so that you can inform me in case you had some other behind the scenes observations that you simply seen whereas engaged on that movie, if the rest caught out to you.
For me, the factor that stood out was getting the chance to watch one of many nice masters of cinema, Christopher Nolan, be capable to orchestrate a set with 1000’s of performers and a whole lot if not 1000’s of crew members and intensive gear setups beneath the unimaginable strain of getting to shoot in a downtown, thriving, working metropolis like Chicago and make that Gotham Metropolis. Seeing him accomplish that with nothing however confidence and readability and the talent of an awesome chief and communicator. That simply affected me on this deep means, seeing an artist at that stage function in such a way, and since then, has been the bellwether illustration of the captains that I like to embark on journeys with, the individuals who I’ll observe into the craziest waters, probably the most unknown locations, probably the most darkish chasms to leap with leaps of religion as a result of any individual simply has that form of self-discipline and coronary heart for cinema. And I noticed it once more. I received to see it on the set of his latest movie. I am unable to await individuals to see.
I am very enthusiastic about that. You advised /Movie in a earlier interview that one in every of your profession aspirations is to play a villain in a Bond film. I used to be curious in case you’ve ever had the chance to really have any conversations with the oldsters at Eon about probably doing that.
It begins proper now. So whoever is studying this, take it as an indication. You had been meant to be studying this line at this second as you are fascinated by the way forward for what you guys are doing with the franchise. Belief me once I say that I can deliver one thing to an enemy of 007, whether or not she or he or they be performed in a means that nobody has ever seen Bond delivered to life earlier than, which is in fact the way in which that you simply guys at all times do it. I feel there is no one to push Bond to the boundaries of their capabilities the way in which that I might, and I’d like to do it. So there’s my pitch to them. I am unable to await them to learn this. After which I’ll owe you when or if I ever get that position, I assume 10%.
Implausible. So lots of people, together with us, have seen that you’ve formally type of develop into a horror man in 2023, and “The Final Voyage of the Demeter” is the most recent instance of that. What do you consider that label?
I find it irresistible. I find it irresistible. I feel style is such a ravishing and particular place for us to discover all of the magic that cinema has at its capabilities whereas wrestling with actually intense, massive questions, and but, your viewers, as a result of they’re so caught up within the emotional journey of the film, they are not even acutely aware typically of the methods through which you may get in and contact individuals’s hearts and rip out their guts. I feel it is so vital to succeed in hearts and minds by storytelling. And I feel we’re at a time in historical past the place bigotry and racism and homophobia and issues which are simply so exhausting to wrap our minds round are nonetheless permeating the day-to-day lives of so many individuals. I imply, if anyone thinks that misogyny is a factor of the previous, they should get up and open their eyes.
We now have lots of people dwelling beneath a number of risk. It is a scary time proper now. And with the ability of style, you possibly can wrestle with massive concepts and open individuals’s hearts to the significance of searching for each other and being there for each other, and why we’re all linked, and the way a lot we have to begin getting over our bulls*** and being there for one another. And you would do all that and nobody even must — you are not hitting anybody over the pinnacle with a mallet of messaging, as a result of it is simply within the nature of those sorts of tales. It reminds us how a lot we’re all the identical. Regardless of how a lot you assume individuals could look in another way than you or could specific themselves in another way than you, they deserve the identical rights and therapy and love as you. All of us do. And within the style house, we are able to try this. I’ll by no means be an actor who raises their nostril or poo-poos the ability of style. Do I really like doing impartial drama and dealing with auteur filmmakers in that house, the Michel Francos of the world? Sure, and I really like going into that place. And I really like making motion pictures like my microbudget indies and off the grid movies like “Animals” or “All Creatures Right here Under,” or I really like interval items and dramas. I really like all types of storytelling and cinema. However horror and style, it is like, man, what a strong medium. And science fiction, as properly.