The big picture
- Collider's Steve Weintraub spoke with Jesse Plemons and Willem Dafoe
kind of kindness
. - Plemons and Dafoe co-star with Emma Stone, Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn, Margaret Qualley and Hunter Schafer.
- The duo discuss what it's like on the set of a Yorgos Lanthimos film, expectations versus reality, and share their own recommendations for the director's films.
After a great awards season with poor thingsthe release of kind of kindness this week, and the announcement of his next feature, bugoniafilm director Yorgos Lanthimos stays busy This means that the actors he likes to work with… Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe — are also reading scripts, rehearsing and returning to production soon. So what is the set of a Lanthimos film? really I like? The Academy Award-nominated director is a visionary who creates upside-down realities that blur the everyday with whimsy or, in the case of kind of kindness, “very dark and heavy themes” and dark humor. During this interview with Collider's Steve WeintraubPlemons and Dafoe give us a behind-the-scenes look.
kind of kindness it's an anthology of “weird sociological horror,” according to us Chase Hutchinson. It tells three contained stories featuring Stone, Plemons, Dafoe, Joe Alwyn, Hong Chau, Mamoudou Athiei Margaret Qualley as a revolving cast of different characters, all grappling with themes of control, connection and power. Given that it's an anthology offering such heavy thematic elements based on Lanthimos' unusual and “precise vision,” even Plemons (who won Best Actor for kind of kindness in Cannes) assumed that the filmmaker's collaboration would be rigid.
In this interview, Plemons and Dafoe discuss their experiences working with Lanthimos. They share insights into the unique process on set and their own expectations for the project. The duo also offer their personal recommendations for those interested in further exploring the work of Yorgos Lanthimos. You can watch the entire conversation in the video above or read the transcript below.
What is it really like on the set of a Yorgos Lanthimos film?
COLLIDER: For Yorgos fans, what do you think would surprise his fans to learn about the making of one of his films?
JESSE PLLEMONS: From the experience of watching one of his films, I would assume, probably, I think I might have, that it's very dark and heavy themes with some very dark comedy mixed in, but the atmosphere and feel of it is not heavy in that way. Sure, there are scenes that are heavier, and days and all that, but overall, there really is a sense of community and gameplay. [The experience] it doesn't necessarily reflect the film that way.
WILLEM DAFOE: One thing that strikes me is his deep curiosity. Although he makes a world, his vision is very precise, and he makes a very specific world. While you're working on the thing, you get the feeling that it's being made up as you go along, which isn't true. But the point is, he is open, prepares you, and then see what happens, and this kind of leads he even to the next step. So I guess that's kind of the definition of a game. It is very clear, it is very specific, but at the same time very loose. So I guess that would be surprising because someone with such a specific vision, I would assume that he gets there and then just directs people to execute, execute, execute. It's not like that. He sets it up, looks at it, and I feel like what he sees, then he reacts like an actor, and then you move on to the next step. So it's pretty organic.
It's so fascinating how everyone works differently but still achieves these amazing goals.
Yorgos Lanthimos Recs by Jesse Plemons and Willem Dafoe
Yorgos has made incredible films. Besides this one, do you have any favorites?
PLUNGES: hound's tooth it's the first thing that always comes to mind because it was my presentation. It's one of those movies where just saying the title brings back some of the feelings of watching the movie. I was so surprised when I saw it. I could list many more, but this is the first that comes to mind.
DAFOE: In my downtime, when I was working on the movie and when I was in New Orleans where we were shooting and I had some free time, I went back to all his stuff because I knew almost everything, even shorts and all that. No favorite emerges, but one thing is interesting: I gained a new appreciation for certain films. I remember The killing of a sacred deer this time it really dawned on me. I think this is one of his strongest films.
For even more from the cast of kind of kindnesswatch our interview with Emma Stone and Dafoe below:
kind of kindness now showing in theaters. Click below for timetables.
Get tickets
