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GMA Network
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- GMA Network
Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone, Austin Butler talk about their film 'Eddington'
For director Ari Aster, who made his Cannes debut with the politically charged modern Western, "Eddington," it was a dream come true to receive a seven-minute standing ovation from the international audience at the world premiere of his film. Starring Joaquin Phoenix as a small-town sheriff Joe Cross who had a standoff with mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) during the COVID-19 pandemic, the movie, set in May of 2020, reveals the story of how a neighbor is pitted against neighbor in Eddington, New Mexico. A beaming Aster said after the standing ovation, "I don't know what you think. Thank you for being here. I feel privileged to be here. It's a dream come true. Thank you so much for having me. This was a great experience. I love all these people around me." Aside from Phoenix and Pascal, the movie also stars Emma Stone (Louise Cross), Austin Butler (Vernon), Luke Grimes (Guy), Deirdre O'Connell (Dawn), Micheal Ward (Michael), Clifton Collins Jr. (Lodge) and Amelie Hoeferle (Sarah). We were able to interview the cast – Phoenix, Pascal, Stone, Butler, Grimes, Ward – and director Aster during the press conference in Cannes and below they discuss more about the Western. How is it working with director Ari Aster? How is it diving into his mind? Luke Grimes: With me? I told Ari this last night. I never felt like I knew what I was doing less than in this movie Anytime that I felt like I had an idea of like, I think I figured this guy out, he'd go, yeah, don't do that. Okay, okay. And clearly my job in the movie is to not know what I was doing. And he was very helpful in that way. I felt very clueless. And I think that's sort of who Guy ended up being. And that's how we found him. But I had no clue what I was up to. Austin Butler: We just had a blast. I had so much fun, and from our first conversations, he told me a sort of abstract thing about thinking of Vernon as the embodiment of the internet, and I just took that and ran somewhere, and we had a blast. The entire group was just a dream to work with. Emma Stone: Well, I've been lucky to know Ari for a few years as a friend and so the opportunity to come and get to hang out with him and this cast and this incredible script that I loved so much. It was just pure joy. I felt very lucky. Joaquin, how was it the second time around? Joaquin Phoenix: Better. No, it was. It was better. He's a rare director. He could be an actor because he just embodies what the characters are feeling in a scene. He sometimes is like pacing behind a camera saying dialogue and it looks like what actors do. So, there are times when you're sometimes lost, and he will come over and you'll start talking about it; and we're both acting like Joe trying to figure out this moment. He always finds something that is interesting and specific. I love working with him. Pedro Pascal: That's exactly what was surprising to me as well. Having been awed by some of his previous movies, I thought he would be more pretentious. And like, meaner somehow. I don't know why. And it was the opposite. He actually made me think of the character as more human and had a very, very empathic relationship with each take. And at one point, I remember, we were happy with the scene, and then you saw me kind of hesitate, but I did not have the confidence to ask for another take. And he was like; do you want another one? And I was like; can I have one more? And he was like, yeah, let's do another. But I thought it was great. And he literally gave me the note that I gave myself. And that was cool. Michael Ward: For me, the whole experience with Ari was just very collaborative, always wanting to have a conversation and talk about the character, the scenes, and stuff like that. And for me, that puts me at ease a lot of the time because it means that we can create something together. So, a lot of it was just down to that. I really appreciate it. Contributed photo Well, Ari, why this movie? Why did you want to do this? And what do you hope that the audiences will take from it? Ari Aster: I wrote this film in a state of fear and anxiety about the world, and I wanted to try to pull back and describe, show what it feels like to live in a world where nobody can agree on what is real anymore. I feel like over the last 20 years, we've fallen into this age of hyper-individualism. We have that social force that used to be kind of central in liberal mass democracies, which is an agreed-upon version of the world. That is gone now. And COVID felt like the moment when that link was finally cut for good. I wanted to make a film about just what America feels like to me and what it felt like to me at that time. And it felt bad. I think it felt bad for everybody. And I'm very worried. What do you hope people take away? Ari Aster: I think we need to re-engage with each other. And that's central for me. How about the Believe in America part? Ari Aster: The film is about people living in different realities. And so, I think every character's idea of, I guess, the answer. This is for the actors, just to get them in on the conversation, especially Pedro and Joaquin. I've read some reviews that sort of talk about feeling like this is a horror story about how America devolved into a partisan political hellscape. And I'm just curious, why did you feel so strongly about making the movie and does it feel different to have made it about a time in Trump's first administration and now be releasing it in his second? Pedro Pascal: I love what Ari said in terms of feeling completely untethered from like a collective Truth I guess or function really and I got to see the movie for the first time last night and it felt like the movie that I read and had to be a part of, as beautifully finessed as it has been between then and now. And I was thinking that I'm so used to kind of lenses on US culture from the outside, because there's so many ways to view issues of politics, sociology, our very, very complex culture. And with Ari's movie, it felt like the first time that we had like a mole, like a whistleblower almost, someone from the inside being like, this is what's happening. And that was powerful to me. And I don't think I understood that until I saw it. And when I read it, I just knew that it was all kinds of courage. And speaking of a world that no longer has a sense of common truth, it felt like so truthful to me in every perspective, all of its nuances and all of its big ideas. They just seemed so truthful to me, and Joaquin feels the same. Contributed photo Pedro, are you worried about these millions of Latin migrants living in America? And do you fear that America will become an absolutely closed country to the world? Pedro Pascal: It's obviously very scary for an actor who participated in a movie to sort of speak to issues like this. It's far too intimidating a question for me to really address. I'm not informed enough. I want people to be safe and to be protected. And I want very much to live on the right side of history. And I'm an immigrant; my parents are refugees from Chile. I myself was a refugee, we fled a dictatorship, and I was privileged enough to grow up in the US. And after asylum in Denmark, and if it weren't for that, I don't know what would have happened to us. And so, I stand by those protections always. While working on this movie, Emma, you have a magnificent multi-dimensional character in it, and I was so curious what drew you to play this character, and what was the crafting process when you were working on the character of Louise? Emma Stone: It was, when Ari sent me the script, I think he's one of the greatest writers that we have, filmmakers as well, but just getting to read his writing is an incredible experience. And so, he and I sat and talked about Louise, about the character for quite a while, and sort of arrived at the word ghost, because she is a bit of a ghost in her own life. At that point, there's so much that she's been through. There's clearly trauma, even though it's not completely spelled out. There's a lot that she's bringing to it. And her marriage to Joe is in a precarious space for her being in this lockdown with her mother there, who's really reading a lot of things, and her mind is being filled with so much. And so, I thought of her as a ghost and then a specter over Joe's life as he's making these decisions. It was a really interesting challenge and something I had never really gotten to access before and then to be there with Ari and with Joaquin and Austin and everybody, it was really kind of beautiful and heartbreaking to find. Joaquin, what was it like playing a character in a satirical film set during COVID-19 and how did it resonate with your own personal experience? Joaquin Phoenix: I think my personal experience felt very different to Joe's experience for sure. What if it didn't? But yeah, it was great to make this film and with Ari about someone who desperately is seeking validation and connection. And during a time when we were all in lockdown and we were physically separated from each other. And so, we sought connection through our online presence, and it just exacerbated the problem. We see this guy who I think is really, for me, I have a lot of love for the character. I have a really warm friend. And to see him kind of spiral out throughout the course of the film was an interesting character for me to play. Contributed photo For Pedro and Emma, we leave everybody the fake news and they come from the lockdown. I would like to know if there is any personal experience during this period for you that you brought to mind preparing your character in this movie. Pedro Pascal: I was afraid to go back, really. I was isolated and in relationship to my algorithm and feeling very similarly to Ari, at least after I read his script, I felt like he wrote something that were all of my worst fears and realized as far as what that lockdown experience was and what it promised to deliver in all of its sort of like fracturing of an already fractured society, but still kind of like what Ari had said was that this building towards an untethered sense of reality and then finally going into a chapter that becomes a point of no return in a way, like there's no going back. I definitely was overwhelmed by that fear and it's lovely to have it confirmed by Ari. Emma Stone: I think that was beautifully said and I feel the same way. The only additional thing that scared me a little bit in the algorithm system was looking into some of the things that are in this film that hadn't been in the algorithm system was looking into some of the things that are in this film that hadn't been in my algorithm, unfortunately added them to my algorithm because once you start Googling it, you start seeing more and more things that really, so it just gets, it's a real rabbit hole very quickly. So unfortunately, I'm still getting fed some crazy shit from here. So, it's talking about rabbit holes and algorithms and stuff that happened in 2020. Because we're talking about crypto bros and cult leaders in the movie as well. I want to know during the lockdown, what's like the weirdest rabbit hole you went down? Or like a quirk you picked up like sourdough bread or tarot cards or weird-for-you pages on TikTok? Pedro Pascal: I started to watch the only thing I could watch I remember for a period because to protect myself I guess from the algorithm for some reason I got I started to watch everything that Lara Flynn Boyle was in. I started and so that there were like several seasons of like David E. Kelly's The Practice and it was all on Hulu, and I just watched that and reality shows about like Airports, I think there was like old A&E like people just losing their shit at the airport or trying to move their house in boxes but using Southwest Airlines instead of a shipping company and stuff like that. I was educating myself. Austin Butler: I was in Australia working on Elvis so all I was thinking about was that at the time I was trying to think of anything that wasn't that. I wish that I was watching Southwest Airlines moving videos. How do you see the future of America? Ari Aster: I don't speak English. (laugh) I think we're on a dangerous road, and I feel like we're living through an experiment that is going, it's gone wrong, it's not going well, and it feels like there's no way out of it. Suddenly, there's like this bad, bad power out there. It's always been there, but right now it's chaos. It feels like we're living in an experiment that probably should be stopped or paused, because it's not working. I think people feel very powerless and very fearful. And I think that's part of being in your bubble, right? —MGP, GMA Integrated News
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
After ‘Eddington:' 7 Offbeat Westerns to Watch Next
We've got some movies that'll scratch that itch Ari Aster's 'Eddington' is here. The movie, which pits a small-town sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix) against his mayor (Pedro Pascal), set during the early days of the global pandemic, is fierce and raw. Considering this is from Aster, the director of 'Midsommar,' 'Hereditary' and 'Beau is Afraid,' it is also confrontational and strange and deeply funny, with the action set at the precipice of the complete breakdown in communication that accompanied lockdown. (Indiewire called it 'the first truly modern American Western.') More from TheWrap After 'Eddington:' 7 Offbeat Westerns to Watch Next 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' Post-Credits Scenes Explained: Who Was That? Jamie Lee Curtis Watched Her Parents' Success 'Slowly Erode' as They Aged: 'That's Very Painful' 'Coyote vs Acme' Takes Digs at Warner Bros., 2026 Release Date Announced And if you come out of 'Eddington' looking for more offbeat westerns to watch, we've got seven that should fill that void nicely. 'Bad Company' (1972) In the 1960s and 1970s, there was a slew of what were referred to as 'acid westerns' – westerns that were set in the distant past but that embraced the counterculture of the period, including, of course, recreational drug use. (Hence the 'acid' in 'acid western.') These parallels are made explicitly clear in 'Bad Company,' which is one of the very best movies from that era and one of the more underrated. The movie stars Jeff Bridges and Barry Brown (who tragically took his own life before the decade was up) as two young men who dodge the draft during the American Civil War. The movie has an episodic structure, with the pair getting into misadventures along the way, gorgeously shot by legendary cinematographer Gordon Willis, as their wayward drifting transitions to out-and-out lawlessness. If you've seen it and are a fan of it or want to check it out now for the first time, Fun City Editions put out a terrific Blu-ray edition recently that is very much worth checking out. 'Walker' (1987) After making 'Repo Man' and 'Sid & Nancy,' British director Alex Cox turned his sights on a one-of-a-kind western. The movie stars Ed Harris as William Walker, an American physician, lawyer and mercenary who organized military expeditions into Mexico and at one point made himself president of Nicaragua. Like 'Eddington,' 'Walker' leans into the events of recent (and current) history – it was actually filmed in Nicaragua during the Contra War, a conflict that would have major implications for American politics. (Just Google Iran-Contra.) What makes 'Walker' really bonkers is Cox's use of historical anachronisms – there will be a Zippo lighter or a Coke can in scenes, and, if you don't know this going in, it can make you feel like you're going insane. Incredibly, Universal Pictures released the movie, selling it as a more straightforward western (in the trailer you here but never see a helicopter) and it promptly tanked. Since then, it has caught a second wind, and Criterion put out a killer Blu-ray that is very much worth your time. 'Unforgiven' (1992) Aster has openly stated that he was influenced by 'Unforgiven' in making 'Eddington,' and it's both easy and somewhat difficult to see. There is a meandering quality to the story in both 'Unforgiven' and 'Eddington,' and we mean that in a positive. If it's been a while since you've seen the Best Picture-winning Clint Eastwood film, there's a whole section of the movie where the wronged prostitutes hire an assassin named English Bob (Richard Harris), who totally punks out and leaves them high and dry, before they even find Eastwood's 'Will' Munny. There are so many narrative left turns and surprises, which translate to 'Eddington' (we don't want to give anything away), even if 'Unforgiven' is a much more traditional Western in tone and look. But hey, if you were looking for an excuse to rewatch 'Unforgiven,' consider 'Eddington' the reason. 'Lone Star' (1996) John Sayles' masterpiece, set in modern times and starring Chris Cooper as a sheriff who investigates the murder of one of his predecessors (Kris Kristofferson) years earlier, investigates time and how the past impacts the present. (These are things very much in 'Eddington.') What was striking about 'Lone Star' at the time – and what's still striking now – is how much iconography and narrative convention from a classic western could be grafted to something that would be considered a 'contemporary' film. These are themes and characters and even shot compositions that would not be out of place in a classic western, but dealing with modern concerns and moral ambiguity. (We don't want to ruin anything if you've never seen 'Lone Star.') Just watch it; it has a handful of award-worthy performances and a script by Sayles that was nominated for the Oscar for original screenplay. It also has a must-own 4K from Criterion. 'The Proposition' (2005) 'The Proposition' is bleak, even bleaker than 'Eddington' and with fewer jokes. But they do share a connective tissue in their desire to showcase a particular moment in time and the people who inhabit that moment. In 'Eddington,' it's 2020, and the breakdown of law and order around the pandemic is evident. In 'The Proposition' it's the 1880's, when criminals populated the Australian bush (like famous outlaw Ned Kelly) and English were brutally exterminating Australian Aboriginals. Like we said – bleak. Chances are you've never seen this one, which marked the breakthrough film of Australian director John Hillcoat, working from a screenplay by Australian musician Nick Cave, so we'll spare the details. We'll just say that Guy Pearce and Ray Winstone enter into a truly screwed up agreement that has dire consequences. Just watch it. It's worth it. Even if you have to close your eyes occasionally. 'The Counselor' (2013) Both more straightforward and more bonkers, Ridley Scott's underrated masterpiece 'The Counselor' is the perfect chaser to 'Eddington.' Like 'Eddington,' it is set in modern times, with deeply conflicted characters occasionally bumping up against and colliding with one another. In the only original screenplay written by the great Cormac McCarthy, Michael Fassbender plays a lawyer who gets in deep with some underworld types and attempts to save himself and his new wife (Penelope Cruz) from damnation. It's heady, for sure, but also extremely pulpy, with some of the best dialogue this side of the Rio Grande. (Most of it is too filthy to directly quote here.) Javier Bardem, Cameron Diaz and Brad Pitt all offer up superb supporting performances. And if you really want to feel the full power of 'The Counselor,' which we would put in the top 5 Ridley movies, watch the extended version. It gives everything more time to luxuriate. We are desperate for a longer 'Eddington', too, for that matter. 'Hell or High Water' (2016) What a movie – aesthetically 'Hell or High Water' is probably closest to 'Eddington' in its attempt to replicate the feeling of the old west in contemporary context. The movie, which people forget was nominated for four Academy Awards (including Best Picture), follows Chris Pine and Ben Foster, who are robbing banks to save their family ranch. Jeff Bridges is the Texas Ranger on their tail. They both tackle current-day social issues (the pandemic vs. the country's abysmal economic condition) but do it in an incredibly entertaining way, with Scottish director David Mackenzie upping the tension and Nick Cave and Warren Ellis delivering a beautiful, elegiac score (they also scored 'The Proposition,' see above). While 'Hell or High Water' might be more outwardly entertaining, it is still very much of a piece with 'Eddington.' Again: with fewer jokes and conspiracies. The post After 'Eddington:' 7 Offbeat Westerns to Watch Next appeared first on TheWrap.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Joaquin Phoenix Says a Director ‘F—ing Pissed Me Off' by Calling Me a ‘Character Actor': It Was Code for ‘You're Never Going to Get There' as a Star
Don't tell Joaquin Phoenix he's not a star. The Oscar winner recently appeared on Theo Von's 'This Past Weekend' podcast (via Entertainment Weekly) during his 'Eddington' press tour and remembered a director telling him on set early in his career that all he would ever be is simply a 'character actor.' Phoenix's co-star at the time compared him to a higher-profile actor, to which the director butted in and shot down the comparison. 'It's kind of code for like, 'You can't really, like, you're never going to really get there, but you'll work,'' Phoenix said of the director's 'character actor' dig at him. 'And that fucking pissed me off.'But Phoenix added, 'I ultimately appreciate it because it made me go like, 'Well, how do I find that way? Like, how do I find more?'' More from Variety Ari Aster on Gruesome 'Eddington' Ending, Full-Frontal Joaquin Phoenix and Soothing His Notorious Anxiety Box Office: 'Superman' Still on Top as 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' Hooks $5.8 Million Opening Day Ahead of 'Eddington' and 'Smurfs' Micheal Ward on Finally Having His Cannes Moment With 'Eddington,' What He Learned From 'Cool Cat' Joaquin Phoenix and Why His Next Film Should Excite 'Top Boy' Fans The actor would go on to be nominated for four Academy Awards, winning the best actor trophy for 'Joker.' He's also been awarded the best actor prize at Cannes for his leading turn in Lynne Ramsay's 'You Were Never Really Here.' Phoenix has fronted major studio films like 'Walk the Line' and 'Signs' while also headlining acclaimed indies like 'Her' and 'The Master.' Phoenix's latest is 'Eddington,' a COVID-era Western from his 'Beau Is Afraid' writer-director Ari Aster. Similar to their last collaboration, 'Eddington' is proving divisive among film critics and moviegoers. The film struggled in its box office opening but is sure to gain a cult following. 'The movie is about the center not holding, and you feel that refracted through every pleading stammer of Phoenix's alienated, sad-sack performance,' Variety's Owen Gleiberman wrote in his review. 'It's not one of Phoenix's mumbly showboat performances. There's a bitter poignance to Joe, who's in way over his mussy-haired head. When he finally takes matters into his own hands, you keep rooting for him even as he does something indefensible.' 'Eddington' is now playing in theaters nationwide. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? Final Emmy Predictions: Talk Series and Scripted Variety - New Blood Looks to Tackle Late Night Staples Solve the daily Crossword
News18
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Joaquin Phoenix Says He Isn't A 'Go On Vacation' Person: 'I Have That Fantasy…'
Joaquin Phoenix spent this summer promoting his new movie Eddington. The Joker actor said that both he and his wife Rooney Mara are not 'going on vacation' kind of people. Joaquin Phoenix is not a 'vacation" person. The Hollywood actor has confessed he rarely ever goes on holiday when he's not working and has spent this summer doing promotional work for his new movie Eddington instead of taking time off – and he admits he probably should find more time to relax. During an appearance on the This Past Weekend podcast, host Theo Von asked what he's been doing this summer and Joaquin replied: 'What did I do? When did the summer start? No nothing fun. I have this movie coming out so … I started … press in LA and London. Nothing super-exciting." Joaquin – who is married to actress Rooney Mara – went on to add: 'We're not like those kind of 'go on vacation' people … No … I mean maybe I should. Maybe that's what missing? But no it's not … I mean I have [been on vacation before] but it's not a regular thing. It's definitely not like, here's summer time, let's do that summer experience. I have that like fantasy sometimes. I see myself in slow motion jumping off a pier into a lake … But I haven't done it yet." During the interview, Joaquin was also asked about his career and if he could ever see himself stepping behind the camera to direct a movie in the future. However, Joaquin admitted directing might not be the right job for him. He explained: 'It's probably the hardest job [when making a movie] … I don't like to delegate and I'm really indecisive. Particularly under pressure … You're constantly under pressure as a director so I don't know." He continued, 'What's appealing about it, the idea [of directing], is the collaboration with all the heads of the different departments. As an actor you're collaborating with costume, hair and make-up, props and stuff and the director. But the director is like everybody and that sounds nice and appealing, but I don't know it might be a pain." Joaquin also opened up about an early experience with a director on a film – revealing he was left furious after the moviemaker called him a 'character actor". He said, 'It's kind of code for like: 'You can't really, like, you're never going to really get there [be a star], but you'll work'. And that f****** p***** me off." However, Joaquin admitted the dig actually spurred him on to work harder and make his movie dreams come true. He added, 'I ultimately appreciate it because it made me go like: 'Well, how do I find that way? Like, how do I find more?'" Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
New York Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Watch Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal Fight to Katy Perry in ‘Eddington'
In 'Anatomy of a Scene,' we ask directors to reveal the secrets that go into making key scenes in their movies. See new episodes in the series on Fridays. You can also watch our collection of more than 150 videos on YouTube and subscribe to our YouTube channel. This article contains spoilers for 'Eddington.' Things come to a boil between a sheriff and a mayor in a small town during this scene in Ari Aster's pandemic satire 'Eddington.' The sheriff is Joe Cross, played by Joaquin Phoenix, who has long had a rivalry with Mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal). Cross is now running for mayor and has said some damaging things about Garcia. At this moment, Cross arrives to address a noise complaint at a fund-raising party Garcia is throwing. The party — an outdoor, masked event complete with bottles of Purell and infrared thermometer guns (since the movie takes place in mid-2020) — includes music playing on a loudspeaker: the Katy Perry song 'Firework,' which Cross turns down. The scene primarily consists of an extended Steadicam shot. 'One thing I like about long unbroken takes is that you can follow the actors around and really just allow them to like live in a space,' Aster said during an interview in New York. 'I find Joaquin's body language here really great, especially when you're just on his back for so long. Joaquin's one of those physical actors where, sometimes his back tells you even more than his front.' Although the song 'Firework' blares through the scene and becomes a telling soundtrack to the narrative, it wasn't the director's first choice of music for this moment. 'The original song that we tried to get was 'Empire State of Mind' by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys,' Aster said. 'I found that to be a very funny song to be playing here, given that it's a fund-raiser in a small town in New Mexico, and that is a New York anthem. It felt like exactly the kind of song that this character, Ted Garcia, who's kind of a dweeby politician, would be playing. But 'Firework' also works in that regard. I just needed the song to really sound like the culture.' A standoff between the two characters ultimately leads to a moment in which Garcia slaps Cross. 'Pedro was nervous about the slap, he didn't want to hurt Joaquin. And [Pascal] also had a bad shoulder at the time of shooting this,' Aster said. 'And so the first couple of takes, he kind of went easy on Joaquin. Then Joaquin confronted him saying, '[expletive] hit me!' And so this is one of the takes where Pedro is giving it.' Read the 'Eddington' review. Sign up for the Movies Update newsletter and get a roundup of reviews, news, Critics' Picks and more.
