Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Benedict Cumberbatch about his work on ‘The Thing with Feathers’, his first reaction to the screenplay, how he emotionally prepared for the role, collaborating on set with director Dylan Sothern, and the challenges of working with young actors on a film like this.
Benedict Cumberbatch stars in ‘The Things with Feathers’.
You can watch the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.
(L to R) Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Boxall and Henry Boxall in ‘The Thing with Feathers’. Photo: Vue Lumière.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about your first reaction to reading the screenplay and the way Dylan Southern adapted Max Porter’s book about dealing with grief.
Benedict Cumberbatch: I thought it was extraordinarily magical. It’s a kind of unadaptable book because of its nonlinear narrative, they’re unreliable bits of narration in it where the boys are suddenly old men looking back in time and then there’s a Crow, and the way the words are spaced and how that whole thing is, and he did it. It was this incredible read, and so much of the flavor of the book was there that I forgot that the book wasn’t what I was reading. I was sold on that, and then I was like, who’s Dylan Southern? I watched his documentaries, and I’d seen ‘Meet Me in the Bathroom’ before the LCD Sound System movie (‘Shut Up and Play the Hits’). The point is, it became a friendship and a trusting one and the collaboration came thick and fast after that and away we went.
MF: What was Dylan Southern like as a director to collaborate with on set?
BC: Unfazed in the inevitable onslaught of compromise that a small independent, low-budget film has with children involved, with an animatronic head that went wrong, with a small set, with the crowded crew, and the limited time to shoot. I mean, he just meant it all with a smile. He was a problem solver; he was a best friend and a wonderful first audience behind the camera and he was someone I could trust with my concerns or anxieties about what I was doing and know that he’d be able to create a space for me to get to these vulnerable places. He’s a great director. I’m very excited to see where he goes next.
(L to R) Richard Boxall, Henry Boxall and Benedict Cumberbatch in ‘The Thing with Feathers’. Photo: Vue Lumière.
MF: You have many vulnerable places that you must go to emotionally in this film. As an actor, how do you prepare for those scenes?
BC: Interesting. I just built the world that’s not there. You know, this is a very iterative piece. I’m called Dad. They’re called Boys. Crow is called Crow, and Mum is Mum, and she’s not in it. She’s just a figure in it, a silhouette and a body at one point, but you don’t see her face and that’s the whole point. When she does appear and she’s got a voice, she’s in a ghost costume, which is kind of an irony of that moment because it’s a Halloween scene, a flashback to happy times. The point is, I had to build this world that I could see, that I could access, and the set was helpful for that. Also, we had the boys recording of their voiceover for their section of the film, which comes in and to have that sense of loss from these extraordinary non acting children. You know, they’d never been on a set before, Richard and Henry Boxall, they’re twin brothers. It was an immediate trigger into the space of grief and loss and pain to hear those voices talking about their mum and what they missed, and how they learned their dad had changed and how it was warping him. Then other things would just floor me unexpectedly because they’re so universal, folding boxes of clothes away, taking them off a hanger, the empty space where once a person’s artifacts existed and that thing of holding on and then letting go, just grieving all over again. They were interesting moments, and that was that was one of them, you know, lots of scenes where dad breaks down and weeps, dad howls, and dad cries. You must try and ignore those stage directions and find it. But I often dive deep into my psyche to get something of myself and this one, I was just looking after myself and just making sure I could put it to bed at night.
MF: Finally, can you talk about the challenges of working with children on a film as dark as this one? How did you navigate working with them?
BC: Challenging as a parent, as a producer as well, and as a fellow actor, but that’s what I was for them. I was also a friend and a playmate. It was making sure they had the experiences that seven-year-old children should have on an adult set with adult themes and all the safeguarding, and all the usual things were in place, and having a sense of play. Reiterating that this is just pretend, and “I might get quite angry now, but I adore you guys.” I don’t know what you think about me, you probably hate me, but anyway, I don’t care. “I really like you and I just need to get angry as dad right now, so just be prepared,” you know, that kind of thing. Sometimes, because they are kids, they just didn’t want to do it. Then it was about how do we coaxed them out of that lethargy or that disinterest or boredom or whatever it might have been. Dylan is an incredible director, and as one of the compromises he said, “I can understand you don’t want to get dressed up in your Mum’s clothes, put lipstick on and her earrings and do that hat dressing up thing. Okay, but if I do something that I don’t really want to do, you could do something to me if I if I get that from you, what would you do?” So, they got the lipstick, and they wrote “Poo” on his forehead and called him “Weak Man” in front of the crew. Then we got this extraordinary powerful scene in the film. They turned up with the goods and I’m so fond of them. There was lots of levity and there was lots of gameplay and fun off set as well. There were football and cricket matches, and Lego building and all sorts of fun. They’re terribly sweet children. I’m very fond of them.
‘The Things with Feathers’ opens in theaters on November 28th.
What is the plot of ‘The Thing with Feathers’?
Left to raise two young sons after the unexpected death of his wife, Dad’s (Benedict Cumberbatch) life begins to unravel. Grief is messy and chaotic enough as it is, but when it takes the form of an unhinged and unwanted house guest—Crow—taunting him from the shadows, things start to spiral out of control… but maybe that’s exactly what Dad needs.
‘The Roses’ director Jay Roach. Photo: Dan Steinberg Photography.
‘The Roses‘ tells the story of a couple, Theo (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Ivy (Olivia Colman), and what happens when stress and resentment start to take over their lives.
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Director Jay Roach joined Moviefone for a cooking class at The Gourmandise School in Santa Monica as a celebration of the fact that Searchlight Pictures’ ‘The Roses’ is now available to buy on Digital.
When ‘The Roses’ came to Jay Roach, Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch were already attached to the project. He explains why they were the perfect choice to play this couple.
Jay Roach: I could just imagine them as a couple and they each have such specific personal mythologies and coping strategies and somehow Benedict’s enjoyable confidence and his comfort in his own skin, seeing that undermined by the story early and then seeing Olivia who’s so easygoing but then gets a little taste of success. I just somehow, with this great screenplay I got, and at the same time that they had developed and they had never worked together, I had a sense that they might get on and they might also have really excellent battles and conflict and the stuff that keeps you suspenseful like, oh how’s that gonna work out? So that’s how I felt about it. I’m such huge fans of both of them so it was a pretty easy equation to solve.
Jay Roach Explains What The Biggest Challenge Of Filming ‘The Roses’ Was
Jay Roach attends ‘The Roses’ home release event. Photo: Searchlight Pictures
With a movie like ‘The Roses’, there are a lot of aspects that go into it – including big fights that cause the couple to destroy things. When asked what the most important thing to get right was, director Jay Roach reveals it was the food.
Jay Roach: The most important thing for us was to get the food right. I wasn’t that much of a foodie but everybody around me were all foodies like, you can’t mess this up, make sure you get this food right. And so we just wanted to make it seem authentic that she really cared about the food as a whole, her restaurant’s growth and expansion is a big part of the story and so you had to believe that people would want to eat that great food. We had to shoot it in a way that made it seem delicious and we had a great food consultant, Ali Dhabu is an amazing chef in London and we shot in his restaurant. So we always had the comfort that we could pull it off. But I also found it interesting to then turn the food into a weapon sometimes. She throws cake, we have one crazy point, they end up spiking each other’s food, it’s an interesting primal thing. We all love food and we all love the sensation of great smells and great tastes but what happens when that turns into part of the battle, you know? And so that was the challenge.
‘The Roses’ digital release event. Photo: Dan Steinberg Photography.
What’s the story of ‘The Roses’?
Life seems easy for picture-perfect couple Ivy (Olivia Colman) and Theo (Benedict Cumberbatch): successful careers, a loving marriage, great kids.
But beneath the façade of their supposed ideal life, a storm is brewing –– as Theo’s career nosedives while Ivy’s own ambitions take off, a tinderbox of fierce competition and hidden resentment ignites.
In theaters on August 29th is ‘The Roses’, the new adaptation of Warren Adler’s 1981 novel about a married couple whose relationship descends into frustration, deception and all-out war.
Jay Roach and ‘The Favourite’s writer Tony McNamara go a different route for ‘The Roses’, which for much of its running time is a portrait of a seemingly blissful couple whose public façade hides simmering resentments, but is more cold war until it truly ignites in the third act.
McNamara has long shown a talent for writing believably toxic relationships with enough of a farcical edge to keep it all from being too brutal –– except when it needs to be. His screenplay for ‘The Roses’ is the perfect fodder for two British stars (American audiences may sometimes react the way their marriage counsellor does in the first scene, taken aback by the sheer comic vitriol on display) to trade barbs like consummate pros.
And Roach, who has blended comedy and drama to winning effect (but also knows how to make farce serve story), was a solid choice to make this, keeping out of the cast’s way and working with them to develop the dynamics in very funny, sharp ways.
While you do sometimes wonder whether the film would have been better set in the UK, the disconnect between the leads and their American friends/co-workers does add some spice to the story.
This one really works because of its firecracker central pair; Cumberbatch and Colman may not totally convince as a couple deep in the throes of love and family, but when it comes to subversive, scathing dialogue, they are experts.
As Cumberbatch’s character sees his professional architect career (and ego) crumble even as his wife’s chef ambitions flourish, they craft excellent performances, bouncing off one another.
There is a deep bench of comedy performers backing them up, but the standouts here are certainly Andy Samberg and Kate McKinnon as Amy and Barry, friends of the couple whose own marriage has seen better days. Credit also to Allison Janney, who pops up for one scene as Colman’s ruthless divorce lawyer, stealing every moment she’s on screen.
‘The Roses’ may be more a skirmish than a war, but it is also a reboot that justifies its existence with a very different type of caustic relationship clash and superlative performances from its leads.
It may not always be a feel-good movie, but that’s not the intent. And it’ll certainly make you laugh.
Life seems easy for picture-perfect couple Ivy (Olivia Colman) and Theo (Benedict Cumberbatch): successful careers, a loving marriage, great kids.
But beneath the façade of their supposed ideal life, a storm is brewing –– as Theo’s career nosedives while Ivy’s own ambitions take off, a tinderbox of fierce competition and hidden resentment ignites.
It’s fair to say that the Marvel movies, specifically the Marvel Cinematic Universe releases, have reached “cultural event” status. And there’s a strong case to be made that the MCU is a currently a pop culture juggernaut, the likes of which we haven’t since the original ‘Star Wars‘ trilogy hit theaters for the first time.
It is a great time to watch the Marvel movies in order now and you can watch them all on Disney Plus in 4K format. You can even plan virtual Marvel movie nights with your friends using Disney+ GroupWatch feature.
(L to R) Chris Evans and Sebastian Stan in ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’. Photo: Marvel Studios.
During World War II, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is a sickly man from Brooklyn who’s transformed into super-soldier Captain America to aid in the war effort. Rogers must stop the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving) – Adolf Hitler’s ruthless head of weaponry, and the leader of an organization that intends to use a mysterious device of untold powers for world domination.
The story follows Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) as she becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races. Set in the 1990s, Captain Marvel is an all-new adventure from a previously unseen period in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
After being held captive in an Afghan cave, billionaire engineer Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) creates a unique weaponized suit of armor to fight evil.
Scientist Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) scours the planet for an antidote to the unbridled force of rage within him: the Hulk. But when the military masterminds who dream of exploiting his powers force him back to civilization, he finds himself coming face to face with a new, deadly foe.
With the world now aware of his dual life as the armored superhero Iron Man, billionaire inventor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) faces pressure from the government, the press and the public to share his technology with the military. Unwilling to let go of his invention, Stark, with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes (Don Cheadle) at his side, must forge new alliances – and confront powerful enemies.
Against his father Odin’s (Anthony Hopkins) will, The Mighty Thor (Chris Hemsworth) – a powerful but arrogant warrior god – recklessly reignites an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.
When an unexpected enemy emerges and threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins!
When Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr.) world is torn apart by a formidable terrorist called the Mandarin, he starts an odyssey of rebuilding and retribution.
Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos… but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.
(L to R) Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson in ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’. Photo: Marvel Studios.
After the cataclysmic events in New York with ‘The Avengers’, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), aka Captain America is living quietly in Washington, D.C. and trying to adjust to the modern world. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue that threatens to put the world at risk. Joining forces with the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Captain America struggles to expose the ever-widening conspiracy while fighting off professional assassins sent to silence him at every turn. When the full scope of the villainous plot is revealed, Captain America and the Black Widow enlist the help of a new ally, the Falcon (Anthony Mackie). However, they soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable enemy—the Winter Soldier.
Light years from Earth, 26 years after being abducted, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) finds himself the prime target of a manhunt after discovering an orb wanted by Ronan the Accuser.
When Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron (James Spader) emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.
Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Doctor Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.
Following the events of ‘Age of Ultron’, the collective governments of the world pass an act designed to regulate all superhuman activity. This polarizes opinion amongst the Avengers, causing two factions to side with Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) or Captain America (Chris Evans), which causes an epic battle between former allies.
Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) aka Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.
Following the events of ‘Captain America: Civil War’, Peter Parker (Tom Holland), with the help of his mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), tries to balance his life as an ordinary high school student in Queens, New York City, with fighting crime as his superhero alter ego Spider-Man as a new threat, the Vulture (Michael Keaton), emerges.
Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa / Black Panther in 2018’s ‘Black Panther.’
King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) returns home to the reclusive, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to serve as his country’s new leader. However, T’Challa soon finds that he is challenged for the throne by factions within his own country as well as without. Using powers reserved to Wakandan kings, T’Challa assumes the Black Panther mantle to join with ex-girlfriend Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), the queen-mother, his princess-kid sister, members of the Dora Milaje (the Wakandan ‘special forces’) and an American secret agent, to prevent Wakanda from being dragged into a world war.
After his career is destroyed, a brilliant but arrogant surgeon (Benedict Cumberbatch) gets a new lease on life when a sorcerer takes him under her wing and trains him to defend the world against evil.
Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is imprisoned on the other side of the universe and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok, the destruction of his home-world and the end of Asgardian civilization, at the hands of a powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela (Cate Blanchett).
Just when his time under house arrest is about to end, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) once again puts his freedom at risk to help Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) dive into the quantum realm and try to accomplish, against time and any chance of success, a very dangerous rescue mission.
As the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, a new danger has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos (Josh Brolin). A despot of intergalactic infamy, his goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones, artifacts of unimaginable power, and use them to inflict his twisted will on all of reality. Everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment – the fate of Earth and existence itself has never been more uncertain.
After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War, the universe is in ruins due to the efforts of the Mad Titan, Thanos (Josh Brolin). With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers must assemble once more in order to undo Thanos’ actions and restore order to the universe once and for all, no matter what consequences may be in store.
Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization and his father, Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung).
Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and his friends go on a summer trip to Europe. However, they will hardly be able to rest – Peter will have to agree to help Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) uncover the mystery of creatures that cause natural disasters and destruction throughout the continent.
Tom Holland in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home.’ Photo: Marvel Studios.
Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the high-stakes of being a super-hero. When he asks for help from Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) the stakes become even more dangerous, forcing him to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man. Teaming with other Multiverse Spider-Men (Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield), they must now work together to take out the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina), Electro (Jamie Foxx) and other Spider-Man villains from around the multiverse.
The Eternals are a team of ancient aliens who have been living on Earth in secret for thousands of years. When an unexpected tragedy forces them out of the shadows, they are forced to reunite against mankind’s most ancient enemy, the Deviants.
Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), with the help of mystical allies both old and new, traverses the mind-bending and dangerous alternate realities of the Multiverse to confront a mysterious new adversary.
After his retirement is interrupted by Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), a galactic killer who seeks the extinction of the gods, Thor Odinson (Chris Hemsworth) enlists the help of King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg, and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who now wields Mjolnir as the Mighty Thor. Together they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late.
On a dark and somber night, a secret cabal of monster hunters emerge from the shadows and gather at the foreboding Bloodstone Temple following the death of their leader. In a strange and macabre memorial to the leader’s life, the attendees are thrust into a mysterious and deadly competition for a powerful relic—a hunt that will ultimately bring them face to face with a dangerous monster.
Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M’Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Gurira) and the Dora Milaje fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s (Chadwick Boseman) death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda.
On a mission to make Christmas unforgettable for Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), the Guardians head to Earth in search of the perfect present. The special follows Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) as they set out to give Quill the best Christmas ever, after discovering that Yondu (Michael Rooker) ruined the holiday for him as a child.
Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), still reeling from the loss of Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), must rally his team around him to defend the universe along with protecting one of their own. A mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.
Super-Hero partners Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), along with with Hope’s parents Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) , and Scott’s daughter Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), find themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought possible and pits them against Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors).
Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), aka Captain Marvel, has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol’s estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris). Together, this unlikely trio must team up and learn to work in concert to save the universe.
After meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford), Sam (Anthony Mackie) finds himself in the middle of an international incident. He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.
After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap, seven disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.
Against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel’s First Family is forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, while defending Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner).
In director Wes Anderson’s 11th full-length feature film, ‘The Phoenician Scheme,’Benicio del Toro stars as Anatole ‘Zsa-zsa’ Korda, a wealthy 1950s industrialist who somehow keeps just barely avoiding death as he pursues his greatest venture yet, rebuilding the infrastructure of the obscure region of Phoenicia. To make sure his affairs are in order, Zsa-zsa reaches out to his estranged daughter, a nun named Liesl (Mia Threapleton), to join him on his quest and take over if necessary.
Accompanied by administrative assistant Bjørn (Michael Cera), pursued by assassins, and challenged by a business consortium that hopes to foil his plans, Zsa-zsa and Liesl hit the road to meet with Zsa-zsa’s own network of investors and raise the money necessary to cover the shortfall (‘The Gap’) in his funding. Along the way, Zsa-zsa (sort of) rediscovers his own humanity and begins to repair his relationship with Liesl.
As with all Anderson movies, ‘The Phoenician Scheme’ is a mix of whimsy, deadpan comedy, and emotional truth, set in Anderson’s distinctive, colorful, and surreal world, and stacked with a cast of both Anderson regulars and new players that this time includes Scarlett Johansson, Bryan Cranston, Tom Hanks, Riz Ahmed, Jeffrey Wright, Willem Dafoe, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Bill Murray (as God, of course). Anderson, del Toro, Threapleton, Johansson, Cera, and Cranston were on hand recently for a press conference about the film, and Moviefone was there to get the details.
Wes Anderson says that the movie’s protagonist, business tycoon Anatole ‘Zsa-zsa’ Korda, was based partially on his father-in-law, a Lebanese businessman named Fouad Malouf to whom the movie is dedicated.
Wes Anderson: I had a sort of idea of a tycoon, a Euro-tycoon, like somebody who would’ve been in an Antonioni movie or something. I did have this idea that he was probably hurting, that he was going to be in physical distress. Somehow, that was the image, of this guy who you sort of can’t kill, and he has a very expensive watch, something like that. But in the course of time, it started mixing with my father-in-law, my wife’s father, Fouad, who was an engineer and a businessman and he had all these different projects in different places. He was a kind, warm person, but very intimidating, and he had all his business in these shoeboxes. He walked [my wife] through his work at a certain point, because he thought if he is not able to see everything through, she needs to know what he’s got. And her reaction was what [Mia’s character says] in the movie: “This is just crazy.” So it was a mixture of those two things.
2) The Opening Credits Sequence Was Shot In Slow Motion
For the sequence that plays under the opening credits – a single take filmed from overhead in which an injured Zsa-zsa recovers from his wounds in a bath as a fleet of nurses tend to him – Benicio del Toro says that Wes Anderson proposed a strange way to shoot it.
Benicio del Toro: I sat in the bathtub and Wes walked up to me and he said, “We’re gonna shoot this in slow motion.” And I said, “Oh, cool”…And then he said, “But I need everyone to act really fast.” And now I went, “Wait a second, if we’re gonna act fast and you’re gonna be doing it in slow motion, doesn’t that cancel the slow motion? Let’s do it in normal speed.” And he said, “No, no, no, no, it’s gonna be different.” And then I got to see it after he put it together. We were there for a long time ’cause it was all done in one take. We did it, I don’t know, like, 30 times? It was a lot of moving pieces. There’s a lot of nurses, I think six or seven, they’re doing different things…But basically, I think that when you see it, it’s unique.
3) Mia Threapleton Did A Lot Of Research To Play A Nun
To prepare for her role as Liesl, Zsa-zsa’s estranged daughter who has become a nun, Mia Threapleton dove into studying Catholicism before heading to the shoot at Studio Babelsberg in Berlin.
Mia Threapleton: I had, I think, three months from the time of finding out that I had been offered the job to when I landed in Berlin. So that felt like a good amount of time to just get claws-deep into this as much as I can. Which included, but was not limited to, talking to a deacon of a Catholic church, going to Rome — because I had to go there for a fitting — absorbing as much Catholicism that was there, and reading the Bible, chatting with Wes about portions of the Bible…I did send [Wes] my little to-do list of things that I was doing and he said, “Yes, this all looks very, very good.”
4) This Was Michael Cera’s First Wes Anderson Filmmaking Experience
A new member to the Wes Anderson stable of players is ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’ star Michael Cera, who recalled his initial rehearsals with Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, and the director.
Michael Cera: It was really the first time we’d all met, and it was just like developing a sense of our little team, our little unit. We did rehearse and we read the scenes, but I mostly remember our lunches together, and just getting our little rhythm going together. For me, it was sort of the first time saying the lines out loud and trying the accent — kind of like lightly getting in, dipping into it slowly. But it didn’t kind of get up to speed until we started, I feel like. And then we just picked our lane.
5) Mia Threapleton’s Veil Originated With Tableware
While doing costume tests for her role as Liesl, who is a nun, Mia Threapleton says she came upon a very unusual inspiration for her veil.
Mia Threapleton: There was some sort of mock nun habit, and some polite little plimsoll shoes, and it was very nice. But the one thing that was missing was a proper veil. I think all we had were nurse’s caps or something like that and [Wes] just was like, nah, it’s not quite right. It was reaching the end of the day, and we were trying to figure out how to make this work. I looked over to the coffee table and there was a napkin from lunch that was not stained with anything, so I said, “Does anybody have any hair pins?” I quickly pinned this thing to my head, and Wes came over and [he adjusted it], and took a photo of it, and that’s apparently where the veil came from.
6) Wes Anderson Creates Characters With Actors In Mind
Over the years, Wes Anderson has assembled a top-shelf troupe of actors who regularly appear in his movies, from Bill Murray to Owen Wilson to Scarlett Johansson (now on her third Anderson outing) to Jeff Goldblum. Anderson says that he (and frequent co-writer Roman Coppola) wrote several parts in ‘The Phoenician Scheme’ with specific performers in mind.
Wes Anderson: The part for Scarlett we did think, okay, if Scarlett will do this, then we had her in mind for that. Bryan and Tom Hanks together, I think the characters partly came out of imagining them as much as it was the other way around. And Benicio too. So, yeah, many of the roles we sort of cast ’em as we go, and I tend to also, as soon as we have the idea, I tend to send the email and say, “this could be like maybe October” or something like that and try to get on the books if they’ll have me.
7) A Wes Anderson Script Requires Time and Concentration To Read
Bryan Cranston says that Anderson’s screenplays are so packed with details and information that a quick read is not only not possible, but not recommended.
Bryan Cranston: Until you see the cartoon, as Wes puts it, the animatic — the full animatic film that he voices all the characters on — until you actually see that, it’s not always clear where he’s going, because the scripts are very dense in detail. There is no skimming in a Wes Anderson-Roman Coppola script. And oftentimes, I go, wait, what was that? If you miss one little bit, it’s not going to track, so you have to really read them carefully to understand. That’s probably why you read it three or four times.
8) Benicio del Toro Wanted To Cut Dialogue – But Couldn’t Figure Out What To Cut
Benicio del Toro is in just about every scene in ‘The Phoenician Scheme’ and delivers reams of dialogue as Zsa-zsa Korda. But when he tried to reduce the amount of lines he had to say, he couldn’t make it work.
Benicio del Toro: There were a couple moments where I went up to Wes and I said, “Well, maybe we can take this dialogue out.” And then I went back to it, and it wasn’t as good. So I had to go up to him and go like, “I think you need to put it back, ’cause we’re passing information that I think you need.” But that’s why I couldn’t join these people every day for dinner. I had to go up into my room and talk to myself, you know?
9) Wes Anderson’s Films Are Not As ‘Calculated’ As They Look
Even though Wes Anderson’s movies all share a look and stylization that makes them easily recognizable as his work, Scarlett Johansson says that within Anderson’s carefully composed framing and designs there is still lots of room for the actors to experiment.
Scarlett Johansson: The blocking may be specific, and the camera moves are specifically what they need to be, and there’s sometimes a timing element to it, which is a little bit more, I don’t want to say restrictive, but it’s just particular, I guess. But then the performances, I think [Wes is] very playful within that, because he’s just enjoying it and encouraging variety. I’ve gotten some questions when we’ve done press for Wes’s films, and it seems that it comes across that everything is so calculated. But I think the actual process of it doesn’t feel that way at all. Maybe, again, because the camera moves are very calculated, and sometimes there’s specific props and all of that stuff, and the edit is very sharp, it gives it a feeling that it’s so calculated, but I don’t think the performances are. If it becomes so calculated it doesn’t work, because then it feels like a schtick or something.
Wes Anderson says that he doesn’t always know what he’s trying to say with his movies, and that it sometimes takes seeing the completed film for him to understand what it’s about.
Wes Anderson: After making the movie and seeing it when we have it all put together, then I think sometimes you realize what you had in mind, but you’re not totally conscious of it. I told my agent my theory, and he was like, “That’s obvious — of course that’s what the movie is. I don’t understand, how could you not know that?” But I didn’t realize it was obvious. I think the whole story of the movie, this whole mission that [Zsa-Zsa] goes on in our movie, he’s being confronted with the possibility of his death again and again. And what he thinks he has is a business plan that he wants to make sure goes through. But I think maybe from the beginning, in a way, his whole business plan is really a mechanism for him to get back together with [his daughter]. He’s acting like he’s making her his successor, and really, it’s more about what’s going to happen between the two of them right now. The business plan almost becomes like a ritual for him to be reunited with his daughter, and in that sense, his plan goes great.
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What is the plot of ‘The Phoenician Scheme’?
Wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro) appoints his only daughter, a nun (Mia Threapleton), as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists and determined assassins.
(L to R) Benicio Del Toro, Mia Threapleton and Michael Cera star in ‘The Phoenician Scheme’.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Benicio del Toro, Michael Cera and Mia Threapleton about their work on ‘The Phoenician Scheme’. Del Toro discussed his experience reuniting with director Wes Anderson and what he enjoys about working with him, while Cera talked about what it was like to join Wes Anderson’s company of actors and explore the unique worlds he creates on screen, and Threapleton discussed her character’s estranged relationship with her father and why she accompanies him on his journey.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews.
Moviefone: To begin with, Benicio, can you talk about reuniting with director Wes Anderson after ‘The French Dispatch’ and what do you enjoy about working with him?
Benicio del Toro: Well, I enjoy everything, especially the final product. But the character for ‘The Phoenician Scheme’ is a much more challenging character, full of contradictions, with a hell of an arc that it required a lot of motivation to say the least. It kept me up at night, put it that way, to make sure that I deliver what needs to be delivered day in, day out. But I think that Wes’s foundation as a filmmaker, aside from the fact of the visionary he is, also, he’s an incredible writer. He really is. We were talking about this. The script reads like a novel. You could publish it and it would read like a novel. Usually, I get many scripts, I’ve done many movies, and in many of them, I create the backstory of my character. Here, I think you get the backstory of all our characters that have arcs. Michael’s, Mia’s and me, we all have arcs, but we also get the backstory, which it reads like a novel would do that. So, I think that’s the thing that makes Wes’s projects for me so powerful, beyond just a comedy or a beautiful story. Something that his movies always have, is that you can touch them, but the foundation is a story and the writing, and I think that’s really one of his strengths.
MF: Michael, what was it like for you to join Wes Anderson’s company of actors and have an opportunity to explore the unique worlds he creates on screen?
Michael Cera: It’s such a wonderful group to join. Wes just populates his productions with the most amazing people you can think of, and Mia included in that. It’s so much fun to come in. It’s always an exciting thing about jumping into a project that has this caliber of people working on it, and yeah, the worlds are just so much fun. This movie is an anthology in a way where it’s like the three of us are this unit that hop from story to story, and each one of those was brought to life by the various guest players that would come in for that week or two weeks to work on their sequence and inject a whole new energy and atmosphere into the movie. It was just amazing, and it’s great seeing those people show up and bring that character to life in front of your eyes too, and see what they look like suddenly, and sound like.
MF: Finally, Mia, can you talk about Sister Liesl’s estranged relationship with her father and why she decides to help him on his journey?
Mia Threapleton: I think when we meet her, she has her own reasons for agreeing to meet with him, which are not just because she’s been invited, but she has a lot of unanswered, long time burning questions. Because he’s invited her, I think she realizes, “Okay, he wants something from me. Well, I will acquiesce to this, but I can also get him to give me the answers that I want as well.” So, it’s a little bit like a business negotiation initially, and then by the end of that conversation, I think she realizes, “Okay, actually this is a lot larger than I thought that it was going to be, and maybe he can give me more answers over time. Maybe I’ll find out more information.” I think because of her upbringing within a convent, she literally says it. “I forgive you. We’re taught to.” So, I think there is this forgiving side of her, but I also think that she sees that he is very complex and complicated and wants to understand that more. But perhaps that’s one of the many reasons why she decides to stick it out with this rapscallion, if you will.
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What is the plot of ‘The Phoenician Scheme’?
Wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro) appoints his only daughter, a nun (Mia Threapleton), as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists and determined assassins.
After being disappointed by his last outing, ‘Asteroid City’, I’m happy to report that director Wes Anderson has returned to form with ‘The Phoenician Scheme’, which is awkwardly funny and gives off ‘Royal Tenenbaums’ vibes. The movie takes full advantage of Anderson’s unique and quirky humor and is beautiful to look at. Each frame is meticulously designed, and is so breathtaking, it’s like watching at a moving painting.
Benicio del Toro gives a commanding performance as notorious businessman and family patriarch Zsa-zsa Korda, while Mia Threapleton is wonderful in her role as Sister Liesl, Korda’s only daughter and heir to his empire. But its actor Michael Cera that gives one of the best performances of his career as the mysterious Bjørn Lund. Cera is perfectly cast in the role and seems born to be in a Wes Anderson film as his own quirky persona fits the filmmaker’s aesthetic like a glove.
The film begins by introducing us to Zsa-zsa Korda (del Toro), a notorious businessman who has survived several assassination attempts. Fearing that his enemies will eventually be successful, Korda summons his only daughter Liesl (Threapleton) who has recently joined a convent and suspects him of killing her mother. Despite having nine young sons, Korda has chosen Liesl to be his heir and take over his empire. Korda believes that his risky new enterprise, will provide for his family for generations to come.
Korda and Sister Liesl embark on a journey to secure the rest of the funds they’ll need for their venture by visiting acquaintances like Leland (Hanks) and Reagan (Cranston), Marty (Wright), Cousin Hilda (Johansson), and eventually Korda’s brother Uncle Nubar (Cumberbatch), who may be Liesl’s real father. They travel with a mysterious young man named Bjørn Lund (Cera), who becomes Korda’s personal assistant and has feelings for Sister Liesl. Along the way Korda survives several attempted assassinations from an opposing group led by Excalibur (Rupert Friend), each time having a near death experience where he goes to heaven and eventually speaks to God (Murray).
Wes Anderson’s quirky brand of humor is not for everyone, but it is my favorite type of humor. I love absurdly bizarre situations played dead serious, and no one does that better than Anderson. ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ is my favorite of his films, although I really enjoyed the recent ‘The French Dispatch’, and ‘Phoenician Scheme’ is very similar to ‘Tenenbaums’. Both revolve around an eccentric, arrogant, rich patriarch who struggles with being a father and has delusions of grandeur.
Anderson is a unique and singular director. No one else before him or after has ever made a movie that looks like a Wes Anderson film. Everything you see in a Wes Anderson movie was thought out and meticulously placed. Each frame of his movies is like watching a beautiful moving painting. The gorgeous over the head shot of Korda in a bathtub that runs during the opening credits is a perfect example. Congratulations to Anderson and is production design team for their attention to detail, which makes this film and Anderson’s work in general a visual delight.
The three leads completely carry the film including del Toro, Threapleton and Cera. Benicio del Toro, who first worked with Anderson on the criminally underrated ‘The French Dispatch’ fits in to Anderson’s world exceedingly well. Here he is commanding, purposely over-the-top at times, but also measured, playing deadpan at the right moments and he has excellent chemistry with Threapleton.
In fact, Mia Threapleton is a revelation in this film, not surprising as her mother is the iconic Kate Winslet, and obviously the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. She adapts to Anderson’s style and pacing impressively well, and brings heart and humor to the ridiculous situations her character finds herself in.
Michael Cera, who’s dry delivery was on display in ‘Arrested Development’, ‘Superbad’ and ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’, perfectly fits Anderson’s aesthetic as if the actor was born to be in one of the director’s films. As Bjørn Lund he creates a character that is as likable and sympathetic as he is completely ridiculous. And without giving away any spoilers, the actor is also believable in the character’s surprise turn in the third act.
The returning cast of “Wes Anderson Players” were all welcomed, even if most of their roles only amounted to glorified cameos. Bryan Cranston and Tom Hanks are quite funny as the basketball playing Reagan and Leland, respectively. Jeffrey Wright is equally funny as Marty, electing to adopt a very strange characterization.
Scarlett Johansson, marking her third outing with Anderson, shines like an old school movie star and is excellent in her limited role. Playing the pivotal character of Uncle Nubar, Benedict Cumberbatch is fine but perhaps not as intimidating as the role calls for. Richard Ayoade is very funny as revolutionist Sergio, and Anderson mainstay Bill Murray gives a very dry but hilarious performance as God, of course.
While Wes Anderson’s movies might not be for everyone, ‘The Phoenician Scheme’ is one of his better recent films and is reminiscent of perhaps his greatest movie, ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’. Benicio del Toro, Michael Cera, and Mia Threapleton all give excellent performances, surrounded by a marvelous cast of frequent Anderson collaborators. If you like meticulously beautiful and absurdly funny movies, then this one is for you.
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What is the plot of ‘The Phoenician Scheme’?
Wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro) appoints his only daughter, a nun (Mia Threapleton), as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists and determined assassins.
Benedict Cumberbatch in ‘Doctor Strange’. Photo: Marvel Studios.
Preview:
Benedict Cumberbatch has addressed the future of MCU character Doctor Strange.
He confirms a new film featuring Strange is in development.
And he’ll sit out one upcoming ‘Avengers’ movie but feature prominently in the other.
If you’ve been patiently waiting for news of the next steps for popular Marvel Cinematic Universe character Doctor Stephen Strange, then you’ll have to go on being patient for a while yet, at least in terms of official announcements.
Yet British actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who has played the role since 2016’s ‘Doctor Strange’ properly introduced him into the MCU, is now speaking up about the future of the character.
Here’s what Cumberbatch said about the movie and Marvel:
“They are very open to discussing where we go next. Who do you want to write and direct the next one? What part of the comic lore do you want to explore so that Strange can keep evolving? He’s a very rich character to play. He’s a complex, contradictory, troubled human who’s got these extraordinary abilities, so there’s potent stuff to mess about with.”
And that wasn’t all; Cumberbatch also addressed Strange’s potential role going forward within the wider MCU, revealing that the character currently won’t show up in the next ‘Avengers’ movie, ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ as his character reportedly “doesn’t align with that part of the story.”
That’s partly because of the changes wrought by Jonathan Majors’ firing as Kang in the wake of his assault charges. The shift from ‘The Kang Dynasty’ to Doomsday has seen a change to Dr. Doom becoming the chief antagonist, with Robert Downey Jr. returning to the Marvel fold to take that role.
(L to R) Charlize Theron and Benedict Cumberbatch in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.’ Photo: Marvel Studios.
At the end of 2022’s ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,’ we saw Strange developing a mystical third eye power (a result of contact with the dangerous magic tome the Darkhold) and being whisked away from New York by Clea (Charlize Theron), who informed him that his activity had led to an incursion between universes, one he’d have to help fix.
With zero plot details on a potential third Strange outing, we’d figure this may well play into a future outing, especially since it seems a waste to introduce Theron and not explore her character (though that’s not without precedent –– see the end of ‘Eternals,’ which introduced more than one character that has yet to make any further appearance).
And while Sam Raimi directed that movie, and has indicated his willingness to return, we don’t yet know who might make the next ‘Strange’ film.
‘Secret Wars’ would draw from (through the usual Marvel movie filter where changes will be made) a pair of 1980s comic book series focused on an all-powerful antagonist known as the Beyonder, who in the first installment pitted Marvel’s heroes and villains against each other on a planet known as Battleworld.
In a 2015 revival by Jonathan Hickman, the resulting conflict left the multiverse collapsed, the survivors living on a single planet ruled by classic villain Doctor Doom.
What else does Benedict Cumberbatch have coming up?
Benedict Cumberbatch promoting Marvel Studios’ ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.’
In addition to putting the cloak back on as Strange, Cumberbatch has a typically eclectic mix of projects in the works.
He’ll next be seen in movie ‘The Thing With Feathers,’ adapted from Max Porter’s 2015 novella ‘Grief Is the Thing With Feathers,’ which Cumberbatch has been trying to bring to screens for a few years now.
It follows a father struggling to hold his family together after his wife dies suddenly. He starts to imagine that he and his children are being terrorized by a monstrous crow.
Then there’s a reunion with director Wes Anderson (for whom the actor starred in a set of short films last year) in ‘The Phoenician Scheme,’ a dark tale of espionage following a strained father-daughter relationship within a family business.
Here’s what Cumberbatch says about working with the filmmaker:
“I feel like, ‘Why hasn’t this been happening for years and years?’ I just wish I could build a time machine and go back and work on all those other films with him.”
Along with those, there are the myriad movies and TV shows he’s involved with as a producer and a role in Guy Ritchie’s next movie, ‘Wife and Dog,’ a based-on-truth story of a scientist discovering that a leading pesticide is a toxic threat to human life.
When will ‘Doctor Strange 3’ be in theaters?
There is no set release date for the third ‘Doctor Strange’ movie as of yet, which is not surprising since neither Marvel nor Disney has confirmed anything about it yet.
We do at least know that ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ will be on screens on May 1st, 2026, followed by ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ on May 7th, 2027.
Benedict Cumberbatch in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’. Photo: Marvel Studios.
Other Movies and TV Shows Featuring Doctor Strange:
Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman will star in and produce ‘The Roses’.
Jay Roach is directing the new take on 1989 comedy thriller ‘The War of the Roses’
‘Poor Things’ Tony McNamara is aboard to adapt the William Adler novel.
Back in 1989, Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner starred as the Roses –– Oliver and Barbara –– who seemed to be living the perfect life. But, as it turned out to darkly comic effect, that wasn’t exactly the case in ‘The War of the Roses’ the movie directed by Danny DeVito.
That story –– which was adapted from William Adler’s 1981 novel –– is headed back to our screens in a new incarnation. And this time, British actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman are starring.
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What’s the Story of ‘The Roses’?
(L to R) Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner in ‘The War of the Roses.’ Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Here’s the official logline for the movie: “Life seems easy for picture-perfect couple Theo (Cumberbatch) and Ivy Rose (Colman): successful careers, great kids, an enviable sex life. But underneath the façade of the perfect family is a tinderbox of competition and resentments that’s ignited when Theo’s professional dreams come crashing down.”
With Colman and Cumberbatch on board to produce as well as taking the lead roles, the new movie will be directed by Jay Roach, best known for the ‘Austin Powers’ films, though more recently applauded for the politically-minded likes of ‘Bombshell’, ‘Recount’ and ‘Game Change’.
Tony McNamara, who most recently wrote ‘Poor Things’ for director Yorgos Lanthimos (and also penned the director’s ‘The Favourite’, which saw Colman scoop an Oscar for her performance), is aboard to adapt the book.
“The Roses is a wildly funny, bigger than life, and yet deeply human story. With Jay at the helm, and Benedict and Olivia and Tony, we have a dream team bringing it to life.”
And this was the statement from SunnyMarch, Cumberbatch’s production company:
“We are thrilled to be working on this very special film with such an incredible team. We have been long admirers of Jay’s work and his vision and passion to tell this story is incredibly inspiring.”
Finally, this was the comment from Colman’s team at South of the River:
“We have been cooking this up with our friends at SunnyMarch for some time, and it has been an absolute thrill to see it spring into life under Jay’s passionate and thoughtful guidance. He and Tony are a match made in cinematic comedy heaven.”
When Will ‘The Roses’ Be in Theaters?
‘The Roses’ is still in development, so it has yet to find a spot on the packed Disney release schedule. And given that both Cumberbatch and Colman are in-demand actors, it may have to wait until their availability opens up.
(L to R) Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner in ‘The War of the Roses.’ Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Coming off the success of the fantastic ‘The Harder They Fall,’ director Jeymes Samuel’s has crafted another epic and entertaining movie, which boasts commanding performances from LaKeith Stanfield and Anna Diop. While the film will no doubt spark controversy in the fundamental bible community for its depiction of the “historical Jesus” versus the “real Jesus,” the filmmaker’s original vision and execution is hypnotic for those religiously openminded and results in a fun and though-provoking theatrical experience.
Script and Direction
Jeymes Samuel attends a Special Screening of ‘The Book of Clarence’ at Pacific Design Center on December 11, 2023 in West Hollywood, California. Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for Sony Pictures.
‘The Book of Clarence’ is a reimagining of the biblical story of Jesus. We are first introduced to Clarence (LaKeith Stanfield), a hustler living in A.D. 33 Jerusalem whose identical twin brother is Thomas (also played by Stanfield), who is one of the twelve apostles. Down on his luck, and owing money to Jedediah the Terrible (Eric Kofi-Abrefa), Clarence believes if he can become an apostle, Jesus (Nicholas Pinnock) can protect him from Jedediah. But when Clarence is denied membership in the apostles because of his lack of faith in Jesus, he decides to create his own following and along with his best friend Elijah (RJ Cyler), claims to be the Messiah himself.
This soon draws the attention of Pontius Pilate (James McAvoy), who will execute anyone claiming to be the Messiah, which also includes a homeless man (Benedict Cumberbatch) with mysterious powers. Also complicating Clarence’s problems is his love for Varinia (Anna Diop), who is the sister of Jedediah. What the film, and director Jeymes Samuel does well is tell us a familiar story from a new point of view. Even though we all know the story of Jesus, we’ve never seen it like this before and that leads to exciting and innovative storytelling.
In my opinion, Samuel had a fantastic directorial debut with ‘The Harder They Fall,’ which was an exciting and entertaining Western. With ‘Clarence,’ Samuel firmly establishes himself as a fresh and competent filmmaker and crafts an epic version of the biblical story. The director has gone on the record saying that he grew up loving classic biblical movies like ‘Ben-Hur’ and ‘The Ten Commandments,’ and his inspiration from those movies is apparent in every scene of ‘Clarence.’
But what is most important is that Samuel has injected the movie with his own personal point-of-view, which is what makes the movie really pop. The use of modern music, fantastic action sequences and a great cast certainly helps, but make no mistakes, Samuel is an auteur director not unlike Quentin Tarantino or Wes Anderson. While some audience members own religious views may be at odds with the ideas of the film, the originality and strength of Samuel’s screenplay cannot be denied.
LaKeith Stanfield is one the finest actors we have working today and is best known for his supporting work in movies like ‘Get Out,’ ‘Knives Out,’ ‘Uncut Gems,’ and ‘Judas and the Black Messiah,’ for which he earned a Best Supporting Oscar nomination. But ‘Clarence’ really marks the actor’s first major starring role, and Stanfield is mesmerizing as both the title role and his brother Thomas. The actor gives not one but two commanding performances, which at times are as comedic as they are emotional and dramatic.
Also excellent in their comedic roles are RJ Cyler as Clarence’s loyal friend, and Benedict Cumberbatch as Benjamin, who eerily looks like the historical representation of Jesus. Alfre Woodard, who plays Mother Mary, and David Oyelowo, who plays John the Baptist, both have fun comedic turns as well. But what really grounds the movie and some of its new ideas about the classic bible story is the romance between Clarence and Varinia, thanks to a lovely performance from Anna Diop. The actress is probably best known for her role as Starfire on Max’s ‘Titans,’ but based on this performance should be appearing in more big screen films very soon.
Unfortunately, the one performance that doesn’t quite work belongs to James McAvoy and his role as Pontius Pilate. McAvoy is a fine actor, but the character is never really fleshed out and ultimately just becomes a generic advisory.
For many, the reimagining of the bible is a taboo subject, and especially in America, people take their Jesus very seriously. We’ve seen many retellings of Jesus’ story met with criticism and controversy over the years such as Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Last Temptation of Christ’ or Mel Gibson’s ‘The Passion of the Christ,’ and I fear the same may happen to ‘The Book of Clarence.’
While I personally have no problem with the idea of a black Jesus, (let’s be honest, if he did exist, he most likely was not white), I’m afraid many people will. Which is another reason I’m so impressed with Samuel’s bold take on the biblical story, it’s a big risk for an up-and-coming filmmaker to make with his sophomore movie.
But another issue some may have, which again I didn’t, is the depiction of the long haired and bearded version of Jesus that many people believe in. Played by Cumberbatch, he is nothing but a false profit, a homeless man who is touched by the “real Jesus,” granting him powers he does not understand. The film reveals Clarence to be the true Jesus talked about in the bible, and Cumberbatch’s character is just the physical representation that history recorded. This is a fascinating idea to explore, which Samuel’s does exceedingly well, but again, it could be very controversial for many religious audience members.
Controversies aside, ‘The Book of Clarence’ is an extremely original, fresh, bold, and exciting reimaging of the story of Jesus. Director Jeymes Samuel firmly establishes himself as one of the most innovative and exciting directors working today, while LaKeith Stanfield giving a commanding lead performance.
‘The Book of Clarence’ receives 8.5 out of 10 stars.
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What is the plot of ‘The Book of Clarence’?
A struggling down-on-his-luck man named Clarence (LaKeith Stanfield) living in 29 A.D. Jerusalem looks to capitalize on the rise of Jesus Christ (Babs Olusanmokun) by claiming to be a new Messiah sent by God, in an attempt to free himself of debt and start a life of glory for himself.
