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  • ‘Trust’ Interview: Sophie Turner and Director Carlson Young

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    Opening in theaters on August 22nd is the new thriller ‘Trust’, which was directed by Carlson Young (‘Upgraded’) and stars Sophie Turner (‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘Dark Phoenix’), Rhys Coiro (‘Entourage’), Billy Campbell (‘The Rocketeer’), and Katey Sagal (‘Sons of Anarchy’).

    (Left) Sophie Turner stars in 'Trust'. (Right) 'Trust' director Carlson Young.
    (Left) Sophie Turner stars in ‘Trust’. (Right) ‘Trust’ director Carlson Young.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Sophie Turner and director Carlson Young about their work on ‘Trust’, Turner’s first reaction to the screenplay, her approach to the role, the themes Young wanted to explore with the movie, and the challenges of directing a dog.

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    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview with Turner and Young.

    Related Article: ‘Game of Thrones’ Sophie Turner in Talks to Be Lara Croft for Prime Video’s ‘Tomb Raider’ Series

    Sophie Turner in 'Trust'. Photo: Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).
    Sophie Turner in ‘Trust’. Photo: Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).

    Moviefone: To begin with, Sophie, what was your first reaction to reading the screenplay and what were some of the aspects of your character that you were excited to explore on screen?

    Sophie Turner: I mean, my initial reaction reading the screenplay was like, is there a higher power that has dropped this into my lap? Because it felt like it came at the perfect time in my life to get some anger out, and it was so cathartic. The thing I was so excited to play was, I mean, there are so many elements that she’s so multifaceted, but there’s the motherhood element I was incredibly excited to play, but it was more her journey. I mean, it’s so extensive this arc that she goes on throughout this movie, and I don’t think there’s one emotion that we didn’t explore or one kind of challenge that we didn’t take. Then it was also just the physical aspect of it that I was so excited to play. The fact that I’d never done any sort of thriller in my life. So, that was something that I’d never done before and I was just excited to be vulnerable and bring so much of my own stuff into it. I think that’s what I was the most excited about.

    MF: Carlson, as a director what were the themes you wanted to explore and what did you want to say with this film?

    Carlson Young: I wanted to explore so many things. I wanted to explore how the universe has this way of putting things in front of you and that we will keep colliding with patterns until we change the story. It had this contained survival thriller aspect of it on the surface, but I saw something much deeper. When I met Sophie as a creative partner, it just made sense to me. She had a bravery and a fearlessness and the way that she spoke about the material, I knew that it was a creative kindred spirit, and I could not have made this movie with anyone else. I can say that cosmically.

    Billy Campbell in 'Trust'. Photo: Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).
    Billy Campbell in ‘Trust’. Photo: Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).

    MF: Just to follow up, you said that there was something “much deeper” to the screenplay than just a survival thriller. What do you mean by that?

    CY: That there’s a predator through line and it was important for me to take the power away from them, from that narrative, to tell the full story about what it means to be a mother, to accept that responsibility, to accept a child with someone who is a perpetrator of your deepest trauma. Oh, there was a lot and fighting your way through that, and absolutely facing that challenge and being brave and everything kind of working out in the end because of that bravery. You’re rewarded for that bravery in a sense. There’s a freedom that comes.

    MF: Sophie, can you talk about where Lauren is personally, emotionally and mentally when we meet her at the beginning of the movie? What is her mindset when she arrives at the house?

    ST: When she arrives there at this mansion, we’ve all been in that place where I think, or at least I have so many times where you’re so overwhelmed that you are paralyzed, and you genuinely don’t know what to do about it. I think she’s in that stage where she can’t think in a straight line. She can’t think logically. She can’t see the forest for the trees. It is an existential crisis, basically, her coming and arriving at this place. I think in earlier drafts of the scripts, there was mention of, maybe I just want to walk into the woods and let the woods swallow me up. I think there’s a full chance that she was going to that place to go and commit suicide. There’s a chance that she was going there to just get some rest away from the world. But I think she’s almost inside, totally catatonic. It’s not a good place to be in. But also, again, there’s a relief to be there and a relief to be away from all of this. So, it was balancing all those things at once. I think so many times she’s sitting outside watching the trees blow in the wind, and then suddenly, she gets this feeling of, “Oh my God, I’m so overwhelmed I don’t know what to do with my body.” So, you need to go. I think she’s just all over the place, basically.

    Katey Sagal in 'Trust'. Photo: Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).
    Katey Sagal in ‘Trust’. Photo: Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).

    MF: Carlson, what is like directing a dog?

    CY: I love Georgie. Let’s talk about the dog. It’s such an element of light, I think, in the face of that existential crisis that she’s going through. There’s a friend just before she steps off the edge. Her name was Penga and she was an incredible performer. She was good and it was a joy to work with her. They say don’t work with kids and dogs. We did have both, and I can report a really good experience with that. She was dialed. She could hit her mark.

    MF: Sophie, did you enjoy working with Penga and can you talk about how Georgie helps save Lauren in more than one way?

    Sophie Turner: You’re so right. Georgie’s like, he grounds her. I think later, when eventually Georgie runs or gets kicked out, literally, then the grounding force becomes her baby, her unborn child. So, it’s nice to have that grounding theme throughout the show and that grounding thing, because otherwise, I don’t know if Lauren would’ve made it out of that room without having that.

    Sophie Turner in 'Trust'. Photo: Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).
    Sophie Turner in ‘Trust’. Photo: Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).

    MF: Finally, Sophie, your character is isolated through much of the movie, and it is a physically and mentally demanding role. Can you talk about the challenges of playing this character?

    ST: I mean, to be honest, it wasn’t a challenge. It really fed into the performance. It was all so useful to basically shoot. I mean, I think there were maybe two or three scenes where, maybe more than that, but most of my scenes were on my own. So that isolation, you do feel it and the set was practical. We were in a very small room shooting that, and I’m really breaking the walls and I’m really scratching at the wallpaper and really being covered in these horrible cockroaches. So, because of the practicality of it all, it made it so much easier to step into that world. But again, it’s a challenge for me. I don’t really do that, or I haven’t really done that much physical stuff in my career before this. So, it was something totally new and different and I loved every minute of it.

    Sophie Turner in 'Trust'. Photo: Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).
    Sophie Turner in ‘Trust’. Photo: Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).

    What is the plot of ‘Trust’?

    After a scandal, a Hollywood starlet (Sophie Turner) retreats to a remote cabin—but she’s not alone. Betrayed by the man she trusted most; she’s trapped in a brutal game of survival. She can hide, but she can’t run.

    Who is in the cast of ‘Trust’?

    'Trust' opens in theaters on August 22nd. Photo: Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).
    ‘Trust’ opens in theaters on August 22nd. Photo: Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).

    List of Sophie Turner Movies:

    Buy Tickets: ‘Trust’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Sophie Turner Movies on Amazon

     

  • TV Review: ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’

    Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'
    (L to R) Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.

    Premiering on Prime Video this week, ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ loosely –– very loosely –– adapts the 2005 Doug Liman movie that saw Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie playing married assassins unaware of each other’s secret job whose stale relationship is re-ignited when they’re assigned by their competing agencies to take each other out (and we don’t mean on a date).

    But the new series shares really only the title and the most basic concept with the movie. Instead, here we have two strangers who apply for a job that sees them partnered up and moving through the various stages of relationships in their fake coupledom even as real feelings develop and the missions become more perilous.

    Related Article: Donald Glover and Maya Erskine are Faux Married Spies in the ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ Teaser

    Does ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ hit its target?

    Maya Erskine in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'
    Maya Erskine in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.

    Back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ deployed monsters as metaphor for teenage angst, body changes, and concerns. ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ tries a similar trick (though hopefully without the problematic future Joss Whedon of it all), utilizing the central couple’s various experiences as a mirror for a developing relationship.

    It’s not a completely 1:1 situation, though some episodes play to that much more than others (episode 5, for example, sees the duo forced into a situation where their charge, played wonderfully by a superbly grumpy Ron Perlman is effectively a substitute child) but in general, the idea works.

    Sometimes the balance of character work to action can be off-kilter, and not everything about the main dynamic works (Donald Glover and Maya Erskine have decent chemistry, though it takes some time to find its groove). Which, we suppose is how all relationships start and end up working.

    But on the whole, it’s an entertaining peek into the various marker points of the relationship and the series format certainly offers more scope to explore the character levels than anything in the movie.

    ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’: Script and Direction

    Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'
    (L to R) Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.

    Though Glover originally developed the show with ‘Fleabag’ creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge, creative differences saw Waller-Bridge depart and Glover instead create the show with his ‘Atlanta’ cohort Francesca Sloane (who runs the show here).

    The writing for the series carries some of the hallmarks of Glover and Sloane’s past work (though none of its experimental, random nature which probably wouldn’t have worked for this). This time around, their focus is on the burgeoning relationships and using the spy missions/job as a giant metaphor for an evolving connection between two people is one that largely works well, even if it does mean there tends to be a larger focus on interaction between the two main characters rather than the action side of things. Jane and John are written decently, though they may end up testing the patience of some audiences.

    As for the metaphors, they run the gamut from excellent to exhausting. One episode, where our main pair meet and spend time with another “John” and “Jane” is at times interminable (no fault of the actors involved). But the mission-of-the-week format means that if you don’t spark to one episode, you may well enjoy another.

    Directors Hiro Murai, Christian Sprenger and Karena Evans (the first two have ‘Atlanta’ experience on their busy resumes, the latter has focused more on music videos and other TV series) bring a fresh, dynamic look to the show, and if the action moments aren’t quite up there with the likes of the ‘Mission: Impossible’ or ‘Bond’ franchises, that’s because it isn’t the main point here. This is a relationship drama with a side of set-pieces.

    ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’: Performances

    Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'
    (L to R) Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.

    With the guest cast almost constantly changing (only one or two people beyond the leads appear in more than a single episode), the weight is very much on Glover and Erskine. As people who have both been the focus of TV series they co-created, they’re both more than able to carry the load of leading roles.

    Of the two, Erskine comes off better, getting to show more development than the slightly more disconnected Glover. She’s excited for the opportunity to begin with, but you can really see the weight settle upon her as the season moves on. Keeping the metaphor of the relationship going, she becomes more and more disenfranchised as she realizes she’s holding up more of her end in terms both missions and personal life.

    Which is not to say that Glover is bad –– his John Smith is a man who seems far less willing to leave his old life behind (a nod towards the usual commitment issues found more often in men than women) –– and he has some superb moments as the relationship develops and, at times, sours.

    Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'
    (L to R) Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.

    Neither of the main pair are natural action stars, but they do their best, aided with a decent stunt team.

    Around them is an ever-changing roster of others: Paul Dano is a good-looking neighbor who Jane takes a shine to, while Wagner Moura and Parker Posey are the other John and Jane who share the double date that ends awkwardly (and dangerously). Again, as mentioned above, the actors are perfectly fine in their roles, they’re just let down a little by the episode’s script.

    Perlman, meanwhile, is wonderful in his role as the mysterious man that John and Jane are assigned to protect.

    ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’: Final Thoughts

    Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'
    (L to R) Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.

    If it sometimes stretches the concept a little thin, ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ is an effective mix of spy thriller and marriage drama with the emphasis on the latter.

    Those seeking the next ‘Atlanta’ won’t find that here, but then, that wasn’t the point –– and as adaptations of movies go, this at least has the confidence to truly be its own thing.

    ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ receives 7.5 out of 10 stars.

    Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'
    (L to R) Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.

    What’s the story of ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’?

    Two lonely strangers land jobs working for a mysterious spy agency that offers them a glorious life of espionage, wealth, world travel, and a dream brownstone in Manhattan.

    The catch? New identities in an arranged marriage as Mr. and Mrs. John and Jane Smith. Now hitched, John (Donald Glover) and Jane (Maya Erskine) navigate a high-risk mission every week while also facing a new relationship milestone.

    Their complex cover story becomes even more complicated when they catch real feelings for each other. What’s riskier: espionage or marriage?

    Who is in ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’?

    The series cast also includes Paul Dano, Billy Campbell, Ron Perlman, John Turturro, Sharon Horgan, Wagner Moura and Parker Posey.

    Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'
    (L to R) Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.

    Other Donald Glover Movies:

    Buy Donald Glover Movies On Amazon

  • First Teaser for ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’

    Preview:

    • Prime Video’s ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ has launched its first trailer.
    • The show stars Donald Glover and Maya Erskine.
    • The series launches on February 2nd.

    Once upon a time, ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith‘ were Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, playing married assassins whose relationship had begun to feel stale. But when they discover their shared, hidden sides, things spice back up –– even if neither might survive it.

    In taking that idea, ‘Atlanta’ creator and co-star Donald Glover has given it a slight twist (see below), recruiting Maya Erskine to play Mrs. Smith to his Mr.

    From the looks of the first teaser, the show certainly manages to bring both the funny and the action levels, so this is one we’re anticipating.

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    What’s the story of ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’?

    Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'
    (L to R) Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.

    While it has a similar basic concept to the 2005 Doug Liman movie (famously the project where Pitt met and ended up married to co-star Jolie), the new series puts a fresh spin on the story.

    Here, Glover and Erskine play two lonely strangers who land jobs working for a mysterious spy agency that offers them a glorious life of espionage, wealth, world travel, and a dream brownstone in Manhattan.

    The catch? New identities in an arranged marriage as Mr. and Mrs. John and Jane Smith. Now hitched, John and Jane navigate a high-risk mission every week while also facing a new relationship milestone. Their complex cover story becomes even more complicated when they catch real feelings for each other. What’s riskier: espionage or marriage?

    Who also appears in ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’?

    Maya Erskine in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'
    Maya Erskine in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.

    ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’s cast is full of solid character actors and people known for blending comedy and drama. The ensemble includes Alexander Skarsgård, Eliza González, Sarah Paulson, Sharon Horgan, Ron Perlman, Billy Campbell, Úrsula Corberó, Paul Dano, Michaela Coel, John Turturro, Parker Posey and Wagner Moura.

    Related Article: Donald Glover To Write Lando Series With His Brother Stephen Glover

    Who has made ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’?

    Donald Glover in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'
    Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.

    Glover co-created the series with Francesca Sloane, one of his ‘Atlanta’ colleagues. Christian Sprenger, a fallow ‘Atlanta’ veteran, is the main director.

    Originally, ‘Fleabag’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge was aboard to co-write and co-star, but because of creative differences, she left the show in 2021.

    Here’s what she told The Hollywood Reporter about it:

    “I worked on that show for six months fully in heart and mind and really cared about it — still care about it. And I know it’s gonna be brilliant. But sometimes it’s about knowing when to leave the party. You don’t want to get in the way of a vision. Creative collaboration is like a marriage, and some marriages don’t work out.”

    When will ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ be on our screens?

    All eight episodes of the show will debut on Prime Video on February 2nd.

    Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'
    (L to R) Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
    Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'
    (L to R) Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
    Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'
    (L to R) Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.

    Other Donald Glover Movies:

    Buy Donald Glover Movies On Amazon