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  • ‘A Man Called Otto’ Interview: Mariana Treviño

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    Opening in theaters in wide release on January 13th is the new film ‘A Man Called Otto,’ which is a remake of the 2015 Swedish movie ‘A Man Called Ove.’

    Directed by Marc Forster (‘Finding Neverland‘) the new movie tells the story of Otto Anderson (Tom Hanks), a grump who no longer sees purpose in his life following the loss of his wife.

    Otto is ready to end it all, but his plans are interrupted when a lively young family moves in next door, and he meets his match in quick-witted Marisol (Mariana Treviño). She challenges him to see life differently, leading to an unlikely friendship that turns his world around.

    In addition to Hanks and Treviño, the cast also includes Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Cameron Britton, Mike Birbiglia, and Rachel Keller.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Mariana Treviño about her work on ‘A Man Called Otto,’ what audiences can expect from the movie, her character’s relationship with Otto, what she learned about acting from Tom Hanks, and working with director Marc Forster.

    Mariana Treviño stars in Columbia Pictures 'A Man Called Otto.'
    Mariana Treviño stars in Columbia Pictures ‘A Man Called Otto.’

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Treviño and director Marc Forster.

    Moviefone: To begin with, what would you say to people getting ready to sit down and watch this movie to prepare them for the experience they are about to have?

    Mariana Treviño: Well, I would just say, Go in there, just sit back and try to receive what’s about to happen, because I guess it’s a movie that is going to be surprising in many aspects. I just would say you can’t miss a Tom Hanks movie. Just go knowing that you’re going to get something marvelous because he always delivers that.

    MF: Can you talk about Otto and Marisol’s unusual friendship together and how they really grow to be like family?

    MT: I think they do so in a very beautiful way because it’s not rational, it’s not calculated in any way. It just kind of happens without either of them noticing it, and they start becoming close, because life works like that. There’s a phrase in the book, it says, “Sometimes love comes in a surprising way. You don’t expect it, and all of a sudden it’s there.” I think that’s what happens with these two characters and it’s a beautiful thing.

    Mariana Treviño and Tom Hanks in 'A Man Called Otto' from Sony Pictures.
    (L to R) Mariana Treviño and Tom Hanks in ‘A Man Called Otto’ from Sony Pictures.

    MF: Tom Hanks is known as one of the nicest men in Hollywood, but in this movie he’s playing a really grumpy character. What was it like for you to work with him and work off of that specific energy?

    MT: Well, it was obviously a beautiful gift to be in the project in the first place. I feel so grateful and blessed to have been able to act with him, all my life admiring him, like many people around the world. He’s our favorite actor. So, it was wonderful to be the recipient of all the sensibility of his soul, the contents of love that he delivers in every phrase. To watch him work so closely and how he does everything so specifically, every tone that he delivers was just magic. So, I was in awe constantly and in gratitude.

    MF: Did anything surprise you about the way he worked? Did you learn anything from watching his process?

    MT: Yes, many things, but one of the things was how you never have to let go of the craft, the basics of the craft. You have to keep working, no matter in what part of the scale you are, you have to learn your lines, you have to repeat them, you have to concentrate before you go into a scene, and you have to be willing to be open, no matter the repetitions that you have to do. Tom is all that. It was so inspiring to watch such a big star and such a big actor doing so beautifully the basics of any actor. It was just really inspiring.

    MF: Finally, can you talk about working with Marc Forster and watching him execute his vision for this project firsthand?

    MT: It was an absolute pleasure. He has such a big heart. He has just such a goodness, and he’s an artist in every sense of the word. I think it was a beautiful combination between Marc’s sensibility and Tom’s sensibility, and they were the captains of the ship. They were leading us all into connecting in an amazing way.

    I think Marc is very humble, like Tom is, and we were just working very closely. There was no distance, and Marc did that as well. He was very personable, as well as Tom, from the beginning. We could express everything, and he would listen. You could call him in the night and say, “Oh, my character…” and he would listen. So, this closeness I think helped for the closeness of the characters in general, and the story, of course.

    Director Marc Forster, left, and Tom Hanks on the set of Columbia Pictures 'A Man Called Otto.'
    (L to R) Director Marc Forster, left, and Tom Hanks on the set of Columbia Pictures ‘A Man Called Otto.’ Photo by: Niko Tavernise.
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  • Movie Review: ‘A Man Called Otto’

    Tom Hanks stars as Otto in Columbia Pictures 'A Man Called Otto.'
    Tom Hanks stars as Otto in Columbia Pictures ‘A Man Called Otto.’ Photo by: Niko Tavernise.

    Opening for an awards qualification run in theaters on December 25th before releasing wider on January 13th, ‘A Man Called Otto’ finds Tom Hanks in a grumpy mood as a man who just wants to be left alone.

    The big question that ‘A Man Called Otto’ seeks to answer, at least on one level is: do audiences want to see Tom Hanks be grumpy? He’s certainly deviated from his friendly everyman persona in the past––movies such as ‘Philadelphia’, ‘Saving Private Ryan’ and particularly his gangster turn in ‘Road to Perdition’ have pushed the boundaries of Hanks on screen.

    But we’re more used to seeing a charming, often jovial Hanks on screen, and we’re certainly not used to watching him contemplate, and then attempt suicide.

    ‘A Man Called Otto’ looks to challenge all that, taking as its inspiration the book published in 2012 by Fredrik Backman. The novel, which followed the titular curmudgeon, a man with high principles, a short fuse, and a reputation as a neighbor from hell, became a big hit for its emotional storytelling and take on life.

    It was, somewhat usurpingly, leapt on as a potential movie, writer/director Hannes Holm bringing it to screens in 2015. The film was itself a success and because this is the way of things, quickly hit Hollywood’s radar.

    Director Marc Forster, left, and Tom Hanks on the set of Columbia Pictures 'A Man Called Otto.'
    (L to R) Director Marc Forster, left, and Tom Hanks on the set of Columbia Pictures ‘A Man Called Otto.’ Photo by: Niko Tavernise.

    Now here comes the American version, adapted this time by the ‘Finding Neverland’ combination of director Mark Forster and writer David Magee. Some elements have been altered––a couple of story points we won’t get into here to avoid spoilers and the setting was switched to Pittsburgh.

    Hanks plays Otto, who shares a near identical persona with his Swedish counterpart––he’s known for being grumpy, refusing to suffer fools gladly (he views almost everyone around him as a fool) and he’s always pointing out problems in the complex where he lives. Pet owners who allow their dogs to soil his driveway are a primary nemesis, and he’s constantly checking to see if parking permits are properly displayed from the rearview mirrors of cars. Woe betides anyone who leaves the gate to the street open.

    As is revealed relatively quickly, Otto isn’t simply grumpy for its own sake. While, as a younger man he was relatively serious (and played to winning effect by Hanks’ son Truman) though more cheerful, a chance encounter with his future wife (played in flashback by Rachel Keller) lit up his life. Her death from cancer has, likewise, shut him right back down, and tipped him even further into Grinch-like status.

    Otto has retreated into himself––friendships in the neighborhood soured and he became increasingly bitter. So much so that he’s seen looking to end it all, first setting up a noose in his dining room and then running a pipe from his car exhaust into the vehicle itself and running it in the garage.

    Mariana Treviño and Tom Hanks star in Columbia Pictures 'A Man Called Otto.'
    (L to R) Mariana Treviño and Tom Hanks star in Columbia Pictures ‘A Man Called Otto.’ Photo by: Dennis Mong.

    Both times, he is interrupted by a new neighbor, a family ostensibly led by Tony (played by Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), but with the brains of the outfit resting mostly in his wife, Marisol (Mariana Treviño, offering the sort of scene-stealing performance that makes you want to seek out her other work). The young family––they have two daughters––has freshly arrived in the street, and Marisol seems undaunted by Otto’s gruff, dismissive attitude.

    Bulldozing her way into his life through food and asking for the occasional favor, Marisol manages to break through the hard outer surface of Otto’s outlook and discover his broken heart. He’s soon helping her learn to drive and even agreeing to babysit.

    The friendship is the typically movie unlikely one, but in the hands of an old pro such as Hanks and a superb actor such as Treviño, it becomes the backbone of the movie, smoothing over concerns about cliché and digging into hoary old truisms.

    Forster and Magee walk an uneasy line, aiming to show the benefit of getting to know people rather than assuming everyone is an idiot, but stopping short of dipping too far into the saccharine side of the narrative, except on occasion.

    Otto (Tom Hanks) is loathe to react to the picture Marisol's (Mariana Treviño) kids drew in Columbia Pictures 'A Man Called Otto.'
    (L to R) Otto (Tom Hanks) is loathe to react to the picture Marisol’s (Mariana Treviño) kids drew in Columbia Pictures ‘A Man Called Otto.’

    A lot works about the movie, even beyond Hanks and Treviño, and a smattering of supporting roles help breathe life into this world. Even the subplot in which Otto adopts a stray cat (or rather, the cat adopts him), which could have been toe-curlingly obvious and cloying, manages to succeed, partly because the cat is worthy of awards attention by himself.

    Other plots, the resolution of which you can see coming several hundred miles away, are less effective, but don’t dimmish the emotional aspect too much. Forster and Magee stumble occasionally, over-egging scenes such as Otto’s encounter with a clown he meets at a hospital while caring for Marisol’s kids as she visits her accident-prone husband. The moment, which is ripe with comic potential, is somewhat ruined by you seeing the encounter, rather than simply hearing about it. Sometimes less truly is more.

    Yet like Marisol, the film will eventually start to creep into your good graces and might even warm your heart a little, assuming it isn’t already an icicle. It’s certainly not going to move the needle in terms of justifying why another version needed to be made, but it certainly pleads its case.

    And at the very least, it’s proof that the Hanks/Rita Wilson performing gene runs strong, with Truman (who had no real aspiration to act, preferring to learn his craft as a camera operator and cinematographer) channeling his father with heart. Good to know there’s another Hanks actor in the family besides Tom and Colin. Sorry Chet, maybe you can play young Tom somewhere else?

    ‘A Man Called Otto receives 3.5 out of 5 stars.

    Tom Hanks stars as Otto in Columbia Pictures 'A Man Called Otto.'
    Tom Hanks stars as Otto in Columbia Pictures ‘A Man Called Otto.’ Photo by: Niko Tavernise.
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