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This article was originally published in May out of the Cannes Film Festival.
We are recirculating it now, timed toStrange Way of Lifes theatrical debut.
I got an email this morning that youre doing moreStrange Way of Lifescreenings.
Did you ask for that to happen?Yes, I asked for that.
Cannes director Thierry Fremaux said to me that he would try, and now its real.
I was very sorry for the people outside, and for the journalists.
Because it was in the rain, and the French character is very rude.
They are famously rude at this festival.
Youve been coming here forever.
Has it gotten worse?They treat me very, very nicely.
But I see the way they treat the others.
And they are very rude!
Now, they are very angry in general in France.
They are protesting, and they have a right to, and they have a lot of problems.
But the French character is very angry.
I studied French when I was a child, but I dont dare to speak any French here.
Not a single word.
Because they look at you like that [makes an exaggeratedly mean face].
Outside of the kerfuffle, how are you feeling about the reception in general?The response was great.
For a director, this first screening is really important.
I thought it was not so funny, but they were laughing!
People already want you to make a full-length version, and you wondered about it onstage after.
Will you?They all wanted more.
But I deliberatelywanted to make something very abstract.
They are there to fuck, but theres another intention.
But as for Silva, hes the exact opposite.
Its a long story, but I wanted it to be very concentrated.
But that was not my idea.
The character of Ethan is very angry and hes wounded, so hes bound to Pedro temporarily.
Theres a kind of peace hes watching the sunset, the horses but he isnt going to stay.
Jake would then go to Mexico to look for this crazy guy with a gun.
I know how it would go after that, but I wont make it, not for the moment.
Im working on something different.
Very deep and intense, and dangerous.
Its an incubated story in New York, with these two women and one man.
I cant say anymore.
This is too little time to shoot.
And the two leads are busy until August.
So were making the locations now and I think well have to wait until March to do it.
Which theme would you slot this new film into?Its about something very important: death.
And friendship, a deep feeling of friendship.
Death is one of the protagonists in the film.
How does your process differ when youre writing in English?
Sometimes it sounds too literal in translation.
Im very insecure about languages.
And this is a contemporary movie, so I wanted it to sound contemporary.
I suppose that happens in English, too.
Not in the sense of whats happening, but in terms of production.
The Blanchett movie became a big production, and I didnt think I could do such a big project.
And that gave me a lot of insecurity, because I couldnt control it; its not my culture.
I felt very weak in front of these things.
Most of the movie would be shot in a big studio, and Im an artisan.
I do everything with my hands.
And in this case, I couldnt.
When I was making this western, I was thinking all the time about the Cate Blanchett project.
Even though wed make the interiors in one studio, it meant a lot of traveling.
Its silly to say that thats why I cant make a movie, but a movie is very physical.
I prepare like an athlete to be in good shape.
And this new one is much smaller.
It doesnt mean it will be easier.
But for me, I can manage it.
Because I specialize in working with two or three characters deeply.
I am very sorry for Cate.
She was very generous with her house of production, and within the sale.
The script is there; they have it, and I wrote it, and I was very glad.
But I had to be honest and say that I couldnt do it.
But youll work with her again?I hope so.
I dont know if shes very angry or not.
you’ve got the option to see her here and ask!I know, shes here.
Im tempted just to give her a call.
I want to see how she is reacting.
At the beginning she was devastated, but she is intelligent and she understood.
I want to talk a bit about the casting ofStrange Way of Life.
You first met Pedro Pascal after he didKing Learin New York, right?
What was that conversation like?Yes.
I hope to see you somewhere.
And that place ended up being in New York when he was working with Glenda Jackson onKing Lear.
We became very close.
He immediately said, This is one of my dreams, to work with you.
Thats something actors often tell you.
Id really like to work with him.
And Ethan was the same.
They respect each other very much.
At the beginning, we had to do a week or so of mutual adaptation.
Both of them are not typical Hollywood actors; theyre adventurers.
I got this feeling that they did it because I asked them to.
So we needed to adapt, the three of us.
How specifically did you adapt?I explained every single line and what was behind it.
Sometimes things arent so obvious as they are in your mind.
I wrote a new script, saying exactly what was behind every single line.
It was a lot of work to do.
But I prefer it.
I cannot be misunderstood.
And I saw that it was good for them, because they were then much closer to my intentions.
Ethan, when he was concentrating, he needed to be in silence.
Thats impossible when youre shooting, because there are many people working around you.
And Pedro understood everything.
He doesnt speak good Spanish.
He couldnt make a movie in Spanish, but he understood.
When we were shooting, they grew up a lot their performances were much bigger than in the rehearsal.
In rehearsals, I tried to get the maximum, but rehearsals are always imperfect.
But the difference between rehearsals and the set, they were incredible.
We now have a good relationship and we trust each other, the three of us.
And I think I will work with them again.
I got that feeling.
You made a joke onstage at the premiere about the films younger cast, specifically, being beauties.
The whole cast, even down to the sheriffs deputy, is hyperbolically hot.
Did you cast it that way purposefully?Its true.I was, at first, surprised.
There were two casting directors looking for young Spanish actors who also speak English.
The lighting of a casting video is always awful.
You are so hot!
[Laughs loudly.]
We all felt like the hunchback of Notre Dame.
The casting directors made wonderful decisions.
When you see the young actors together, all of them, its like a beauty contest.
Some friends of mine afterwards sent me a message: Pedro, this is like the cover ofPlaygirl.
