The Phoenician Scheme stars share what Wes Anderson is really like to work with

Yahoo

23-05-2025

The Phoenician Scheme is Wes Anderson's latest whimsical tale, introducing a host of new actors to his famous troupe including Mia Threapleton and Michael Cera who tell Yahoo UK how much of a joy it is to work with the prolific director.
Anderson is known for his meticulously designed shots and for having very specific performances from his actors, but for Threapleton, Cera and Benicio del Toro it was a freeing experience. His latest film follows billionaire Zsa Zsa Korda (del Toro), who reconnects with his daughter Liesl (Threapleton) after surviving his sixth assassination attempt, the would-be nun isn't interested in joining the family business but agrees to travel with her father across Phoenicia temporarily to help him with his latest business venture.
Threapleton admits that she was grateful to the director for not making her feel "othered" on set, despite being the newest member of the troupe and this being her first big movie. Saying it is "beautiful" to work with Anderson, the actor said: "He leads with a lot of love, and I think it really makes an impact on everybody that's working with him because we will trust in his vision.
"It's so clear and he's so calm and precise, and wonderful, and he never made me feel like I was walking in for the first time — because I was, Michael and I had never worked with him before. But, for me, this was the first big thing I've ever done and he never made me feel othered in any any way. So he was wonderful."
Cera, who plays Norwegian teacher Bjorn in the film, hails Anderson for being "so inclusive" with his cast, particularly newcomers like himself and Threapleton: "You just feel folded right into the group right away. He's amazing at that, and it's kind of legendary that he hosts these group banquet dinners every night with chefs that he's personally selected from Berlin, these wonderful women."
He adds: "I mean it's like having the most amazing party thrown for you every night. But you are working very hard, it's very rigorous work and you're all very dedicated to what you're doing but he's a wonderful host."
Del Toro says the director is "very disciplined" with his creative projects, admitting "you have to be to do this kind of work."
"There's a sense of anarchy in a way, in the exploration of the character and how the characters behave. There's a control and a chaos at the same time happening that makes it what it is for me."
Regardless of that perceived sense of anarchy, del Toro and Threapleton found it interesting to try and create a familial bond with one another on screen. And del Toro admits he knew it would be easy to do that the moment he met Threapleton.
"We read together and I do remember one moment in which we sat there and [Mia] and I, we have this moment where we looked at each other and she didn't blink, she held it, and she walked out. I remember I turned to Wes and I said, 'I think that's what Zsa Zsa needs', that's going to be his compass. And then she is very strong young actor that is fun to work with."
"I only found that out about three days ago so it's still funny to hear about it," Threapleton says. "It was amazing to get to unpack and unfold and unwrap all of these many familial layers with [him]. It was great, it was a lot of fun."
The trio are supported by a great ensemble cast full of A-listers like Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston and Scarlett Johansson, as well as fellow newcomers like Riz Ahmed whom Threapleton names her favourite co-star on the shoot. But for del Toro the actor who stands out is Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays Zsa Zsa's half brother, Uncle Nubar, the main villain of the piece.
"He's exactly what we needed at that moment an antagonist," del Toro says. "And he came in with that look, a kind of detached evilness. I think in a way Liesel is the good angel and then Benedict's character is the bad Angel to Zsa Zsa. Our scene was one of the last things we filmed, so we were looking forward to having that confrontation."
Said confrontation will likely come as a surprise to fans, because of the way Anderson allows himself to break away from his structured cinematography he's so well known for.
For del Toro it was incredibly fun to film: "We knew that he had the beats, you know we're going to be here, we're going to run that way and you're going to fall, you're going to lie down, and everything was pretty much planned out in a way with the stunt people. We just worked on it so no one would get hurt, but it was kind of like you just had to go for it. It was exhausting."
Anderson may be meticulous but Threapleton says the cast have a lot of freedom on set when it comes to how they interpret a character: "There is such a clear plan. There is quite a lot of scope to throw things at the wall and see what sticks. It's a lot of fun, and he'll spot small humanisms.
"He wants natural, he wants human, he wants real, and he'll see little moments of us existing as us and he'll want to bring that in in some capacity, Many, many times he did do that while we were working."
Threapleton adds: "Wes is so good and amazing at guiding in exactly the way that he wants, along with what it is that you are contributing as a performer."
The Phoenician Scheme is out now in cinemas.