(L to R) Billy Crystal and Jacobi Jupe star in ‘Before’.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Billy Crystal and Jacobi Jupe about their work on ‘Before’, how Crystal developed the idea for the series and playing a different type of role than he has in the past, Jupe’s approach to his character and performing in the “scary scenes”, and what it was like for the two actors to work together.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Crystal, Jupe, Judith Light, and Rosie Perez.
(L to R) Jacobi Jupe and Billy Crystal in ‘Before,’ premiering October 25, 2024 on Apple TV+.
Moviefone: To begin with, Billy, can you talk about developing the idea of the series and having the opportunity to play a role different than anything you’ve done before?
Billy Crystal: The first idea was mine. It kicked off the chain reaction that ends up being this series. We had this notion of this pediatric psychiatrist working with a troubled kid who’s presenting in a very specific way, and that was the mystery of what’s he experiencing? It asked questions about, have we been here before? It got mysterious. So, then my co-EP, Eric Roth, who’s a great writer, brought in Sarah Thorp and he said that she can write this. “Listen to the first two beats of this idea,” he said to her, which was a psychiatrist, troubled kid, and where’s he from? She, in 10 days, came in with this notion that laid out Eli, and his journey with Noah. In the middle of it, I said to her, “Okay, I’m going to do it.” I wasn’t looking to play the guy, but I so was taken with Sarah’s vision that I said I’m in. It wasn’t like I want to play something different it was just, boy, this is great. I’ve been acting a long time and I’ve done different things always, and this was just another one of them. But in a world that I had never ventured into before.
MF: Jacobi, can you talk about your approach to playing Noah and what it was like for you personally shooting the show’s scarier scenes?
Jacobi Jupe: Noah on screen is scary and all the things that he sees and does is scary. But I wouldn’t say I did get scared by it because that’s movie magic, to make it look scary when it wasn’t that scary. But I found it cool. It was always exciting and fun, and I would always get to do crazy stuff. I don’t know, just speak in weird, crazy voices and scream. But I’m always kind of calm inside and then I become angry on the outside sometimes. The character is very extreme. He’s very extreme.
(L to R) Jacobi Jupe and Billy Crystal in ‘Before,’ premiering October 25, 2024 on Apple TV+.
MF: Billy, what was it like working with Jacobi and what did you learn from the experience?
BC: The thing about Jacobi that I’m so taken with, being such a young actor, he would always ask the director, why am I saying this? If the truth didn’t line up with what he had to play, like any veteran actor, he would have trouble. So, it always had to be the truth for him, which for all of us is “Why am I saying this?” Then if I got it, then you can play it freely and honestly. His range is fantastic in the show, but it was based in, it had to be the truth. That’s just a basic lesson for any actor. Is it the truth? Then I can do it.
MF: Finally, Jacobi, is Billy fun to work with? What is he like as a scene partner?
JJ: He’s the best. He is hilarious. He’s good at thrillers. He’s good at other stuff too. He’s such a fun guy and so incredibly talented.
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What is the plot of ‘Before’?
A recently widowed child psychologist (Billy Crystal) meets with his next client (Jacobi Jupe), who seems to be connected in some fashion to his past.
Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale in ‘Poker Face.’ Photo by: Evans Vestal Ward/Peacock.
Premiering with its first four episodes on Peacock on January 26th, ‘Poker Face’ marks Rian Johnson’s latest successful stab at the mystery genre.
The filmmaker, who made his name with Sundance sensation ‘Brick’, has often tackled mysteries in his work, most notably with the two ‘Knives Out’ movies, in which Daniel Craig’s smart sleuth Benoit Blanc uncovers dastardly deeds among spoiled rich folk (in the 2019 original) and weird influencers (in last year’s follow up).
Along with an abiding affection for Agatha Christie and other mystery writers, Johnson has often professed his love for TV series such as ‘Columbo’, where Peter Falk’s scruffy, genius detective first befriends and then unmasks killers.
Adrien Brody as Sterling Frost Jr. in ‘Poker Face.’ Photo by: Phillip Caruso/Peacock.
‘Poker Face’ channels the latter, featuring Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale, a casino worker with a special gift—she can tell when people are lying. She can’t always figure out exactly why they’re lying, but she knows a falsehood, which has made her an enemy of the gambling boss, represented by casino boss Sterling Frost Jr, played perfectly by Adrien Brody in the premiere.
Despite his casino magnate father wanting Charlie away from the tables, Frost convinces Charlie that they can scam one of the “whales” (a big gambler who is now running private poker games from his suite) at the establishment with a rigged game. It all falls apart when Charlie’s friend Natalie (Dascha Polanco), a member of the housekeeping team, catches the whale with something illegal and goes to her boss, who has his enforcer Cliff Legrand (Benjamin Bratt) to kill the whistleblower and her deadbeat husband.
An impressive pilot sets out the show’s stall, introducing us to Charlie’s world––she lives in a trailer near the casino and tries to stay out of trouble––and then shattering it in the wake of her figuring out what really happened to Natalie. The resulting, potentially lethal blowback sends Charlie on the run, trying to stay one step ahead of Cliff, who is sent to find and silence her.
Benjamin Bratt as Cliff Legrand in ‘Poker Face.’ Photo by: Karolina Wojtasik/Peacock.
Thus the basic premise of the show, which finds Charlie traveling from place to place and stumbling upon liars, cheats and murderers wherever she goes.
As with ‘Columbo’s basic format, ‘Poker Face’ shows the audience exactly how the murder of the week went down before spinning the clock back a couple of days to reveal how Charlie came to be involved. And then it gets down to the meat of the series, to show Charlie investigating and then solving the murder.
In a neat twist, her own fugitive status means that the stories never get wrapped up in a neat bow with Charlie able to call the police. Doing as much as she can to stay off the radar (even getting money from an ATM is fraught with the risk that Cliff will be able to track her down), she accepts odd jobs, which leads to her being drawn into the mystery.
Rian Johnson, Creator and Executive Producer of ‘Poker Face’ at the Hollywood Legion Theater on January 23, 2023. Photo by: Jesse Grant/Peacock.
Because of that trick of showing how the murder plays out, ‘Poker Face’ falls into the category that’s less whodunnit and more “howcatchem”––Charlie rocking up and figuring out what’s really going on. Though the crimes are frequently ridiculous, there are still stakes to be found. And no one is coming to this show for gritty, overinflated “realism” as peddled by so many case-of-the-week shows cluttering up network television. It also looks great––no doubt helped by some of Johnson’s cinematic team crossing over. The mix of classic style and modern sheen works.
Charlie moving on each week like David Banner on TV’s ‘The Incredible Hulk’ means that Johnson and co. (he wrote and directed the pilot but worked on the series with showrunners Nora and Lilla Zuckerman) can rely on a rich field of guest stars.
Across the first six episodes provided for review, the stories include one set amongst a punk rock band (anchored by Chloe Sevigny as the bitter lead singer who is trying to tour again after working for years at a home improvement store), another at a care home for the elderly whose resident roster boasts the likes of former revolutionaries with a score to settle played by Judith Light and S. Epatha Merkerson. A highlight is an episode featuring Tim Meadows and Ellen Barkin as actors looking to revisit their glory days whose shared resentment just might turn deadly.
Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale in Peacock’s ‘Poker Face.’ Photo by: Karolina Wojtasik/Peacock.
Lyonne has found a fertile creative ground in TV, between the likes of ‘Orange is the New Black’ and, more recently, the time-twisting ‘Russian Doll’. ‘Poker Face’ represents her latest captivating turn, playing Charlie with charm and intuition. Despite the constant specter of death (and the threat to her own life), she keeps it fun and light, proving to be a more than disarming anchor for the stories.
Though we’ve all gotten used to serialized shows being held up as the gold standard in the age of “prestige TV”, Johnson and his team definitely find something new in a seemingly old format. Procedural it may be, but ‘Poker Face’ is anything but a bluff. It’s more like a winning hand.
Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale in ‘Poker Face.’ Photo by: Karolina Wojtasik/Peacock.
(L to R) Arturo Castro, Aimee Carrero, and Mark St. Cyr at ‘The Menu’ Blu-ray release party at the Blockbuster Pop Up in Hollywood, CA. Photo: Dan Steinberg Photography.
The acclaimed movie, which was directed by Mark Mylod, centers around a young couple (Taylor-Joy and Hoult) who travel to a coastal island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the famed Chef Slowik (Fiennes) has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises.
The event was held at a Blockbuster Video Pop Up on Melrose Avenue, and served cocktails inspired by the characters in the film, as well as Chef Slowik’s “To Die For” burger and fries, which were featured prominently at the end of the movie.
‘The Menu’ Blu-ray release party at the Blockbuster Pop Up in Hollywood, CA. Photo: Dan Steinberg Photography.‘The Menu’ Blu-ray release party at the Blockbuster Pop Up in Hollywood, CA. Photo: Dan Steinberg Photography.
In attendance were actors Arturo Castro and Mark St. Cyr, who along with Rob Yang as Bryce, play Soren and Dave, respectively, who are Slowik’s greedy business partners. Also appearing at the event was actress Aimee Carrero, who portrayed Felicity, the assistant to John Leguizamo’s movie star character.
Moviefone had the pleasure of sitting down with Aimee Carrero, Mark St. Cyr and Arturo Castro at the event to talk about their work on ‘The Menu,’ their characters, the ensemble cast, director Mark Mylod, and if they are surprised by the success of the movie.
Aimee Carrero at ‘The Menu’ Blu-ray release party at the Blockbuster Pop Up in Hollywood, CA. Photo: Dan Steinberg Photography.
Moviefone: To begin with, what was it like for you as actors to be a part of this incredible ensemble cast?
Aimee Carrero: Well, it was like a play and we shot it in sequence, which is such a gift and so rare. What’s cool about the cast that Mark Mylod put together is all of us come from theater for the most part. So, we’re all used to being together, doing the same thing many times over, and just the stamina that it requires to do the same thing over and over again, not knowing where the camera is and still keeping the energy up, and still keeping it really fresh. So, I was really lucky to have a partner like John Leguizamo and have Judith Light, I mean a theater legend, Ralph Fiennes, another theater legend, and Janet McTeer. I mean, I could go on and on.
So, it was amazing. The first day I was really intimidated, but then I remember being in my trailer and thinking, okay, the only way you can mess up this job is by feeling intimidated. You got to go in and know you belong here. You can have something to offer the story. So, I gave myself a little pep talk, but nobody made me feel that way. I mean, everybody was just wonderful and so nice. It honestly felt like doing summer stock theater camp or something. It was just so much fun.
Arturo Castro: Even the days that you didn’t have lines, you had to be there. There was one scene where it’s John Leguizamo and Ralph Fiennes and they’re going at each other, and then the lines end and they start improving with each other. I remember being there. I’m like, I wouldn’t have believed you had you told me that one day I would have front row seats to watch these masters go at it. The movie had a few moments of such gratitude that I felt my chest was going to burst. So yes, it was like theater in that sense, but also just for an audience of twelve, it was wonderful.
MF: Was Ralph Fiennes intimidating to work with?
Mark St. Cyr: He takes his craft very seriously. So, when he’s there to work, he is there to work. In a way you end up being very grateful for it because he sets the tone for the whole set. Everybody’s like, “Hey, let’s treat this as a sacred opportunity while we’re here.” Then Ralph is great when he is not on set. He’s very relaxed, very generous and has a lot of fun. But when you’re there, man, he’s locked in.
Arturo Castro: He’s intimidating in the sense that the man didn’t mess up a line once, not once! One time he went, “I’m going to take that back.” He hadn’t even messed it up. He just took it back one time. I’m like, you can’t set the bar that high Dude. You got pages and pages of dialogue, and we’re fumbling like three lines a piece every five minutes. That was the intimidating part. He just said the bar too high.
Aimee Carrero: Ralph is an OBE, Order of the British Empire. He’s a theater actor. So, I was expecting someone very formal, and he’s not at all formal, which is really nice because we were all a little buttoned up when he walked in. I mean, we’d met him at a rehearsal and a lunch and stuff, but everybody’s like, there’s Ralph Fiennes.
But he was so approachable. He was so funny. He just is a curious person and wants to know about your life. So, he’ll be like, “So tell me about your husband. How did you meet your husband?” I’m like, “Really? You want to know this? You’re Ralph Fiennes, don’t you have other things to talk about?” But I think that’s what makes him a great actor, he’s really interested in people and asks people things. So, he was just a joy.
(L to R) Arturo Castro and Mark St. Cyr at ‘The Menu’ Blu-ray release party at the Blockbuster Pop Up in Hollywood, CA. Photo: Dan Steinberg Photography.
MF: Arturo and Mark, once you were cast, how quickly did you guys get to meet Rob Yang and figure out the dynamics of your three characters?
Arturo Castro: I didn’t meet these guys till I went down to Savannah. But the first day we met, we sat around discussing the script and me, Mark and Rob went out to drink. That was the dynamic, and then we started kicking it from there. We just rode the wave.
Mark St. Cyr: I met Arturo, but I didn’t know who the third Tech bro was at that time. Rob wasn’t there, so we weren’t complete until we did the table read.
MF: Can you talk about the challenge of humanizing these otherwise despicable characters?
Arturo Castro: We all know people like this, and I think there’s more than the two-dimensional factor of it. I think for me it was about people that have made something of themselves, but they come at it from a resentment point of view. Like, “Now I’m on top, so I get to be the guy and you get to feel bad because I’m on top.” These are people that have felt belittled for one reason or another, or that they had imposter syndrome and they are overcompensating on the other end. That’s how I humanize them.
Mark St. Cyr: I think that’s interesting, what you just said about how they feel like they’re on top now. Maybe they were on the bottom before because that table is all minorities, which I thought was interesting as they very easily could have cast all the tech bros as white. So in a way, you kind of get to watch the entitlement attitude that comes with having a ridiculous amount of money at your disposal. I think there are a lot of men that just prioritize money above all else. Money is important, but above all else can do some weird things to you.
MF: Aimee, John Leguizamo has publicly said that he based his “movie star” character on Steven Seagal, who he had an unpleasant experience working with on 1996’s ‘Executive Decision.’ Did you know that was where he was pulling his inspiration for the character from when you were filming?
Aimee Carrero: No. In fact, I thought he was going for a Johnny Depp thing because of the scarf, because he had that little scarf on. But he actually said that during our press junket in November when the movie was going to come out. I remember him being coy about not saying who it was, and finally half way through the junket, he was like, “Honestly, it was based on Steven Seagal.” He just said it. I was like, oh my God.
But no, in fact, I thought he played the movie star with a lot of heart. I actually felt bad for him at times. So, maybe that was his detached, delusions of grandeur kind of thing definitely coming through. But yeah, it’s funny because whenever actors are portrayed in film, it’s always so over the top and kooky. But he chose the route of, this could be an actor or it could just be a guy who’s really full of himself and no one’s ever said no to him.
MF: Aimee, without giving anything away, I felt that both Felicity and Anne, played by Judith Light, did not deserve the outcomes they received. Do you agree with that, or do you think they got what they deserved?
Aimee Carrero: Well, it’s funny because Judith and I talked about that. We talked about the idea of if you’re not making the problem better, then you’re making it worse. I think maybe out of all the people in the restaurant, they deserve to die the least. I don’t think that they were as bad as the other ones. But I think in Felicity’s case, because her mother ran a big studio, she got a job there, she was stealing money, she had no student loans.
I think part of it too, from the writer’s perspective, there has to be a catharsis that the audience feels when they’re having to pay their student loan every month, to watch someone who didn’t have to suffer that meet their end, in a funny way, it has to be cathartic. But I don’t think she was as bad as the other ones. But it does spark a question in my mind, is it okay to just not be that bad or do we have to be good?
(L to R) Arturo Castro and Mark St. Cyr at ‘The Menu’ Blu-ray release party at the Blockbuster Pop Up in Hollywood, CA. Photo: Dan Steinberg Photography.
MF: Finally, what was your experience like working with director Mark Mylod on this project, and were you surprised by the success of the film?
Arturo Castro: We were just talking about it and we feel like it comes in waves. When it came out in theaters, then it came out on HBO Max, and now that it’s on Blu-ray and DVD, so we’re just incredibly grateful. If I may say about Mark Mylod, every morning he would get to set, he would have a team meeting and he would have such humor and grace to what we were going to do for the day. He just set the tone really early in the morning for what the day was going to be. It helped tremendously for morale. So, now that people actually like it, it’s just incredible.
Mark St. Cyr: I would say about Mark, to me, he’s the most incredible director I’ve worked with, and I don’t say that to flatter him. But one of the things that really stood out for me was that he learned the name of every background artist we had and he called them by name. There were takes where they had an important storytelling moment, whether it was crossing or they had to do something. He would check in with them by name and be like, was that good for you as well?
I’ve never seen that on any set that I’ve ever been on. He really invited creative collaboration and there were times when the background artist would let him know, “Hey, there was this thing that didn’t go according to the plan, just want you to be aware of it.” It made the project better because everybody felt like they had a sense of contribution and ownership.
Aimee Carrero: He’s a dream come true. So, I knew his work. I’d never met him, but I watched all of ‘Succession,’ even before I knew I was auditioning for this. So, I’d seen that and lot of the ‘Game of Thrones’ he directed. What I didn’t know about Mark was that he started in comedy, so he did a lot of comedy before he moved into that prestige TV. That was really cool because I knew from jump that it was important to him to bring out the levity in the movie, which is a dark, black comedy. But he was amazing because I think he also was really honest. Being a TV director helps you just be like, “I’m not going to beat around the bush, this is what I need,” which is so helpful.
But also aside from that, he’s a deeply talented person, and he kept the set super light and just really supportive. So we’d get the takes as written, and then he’d always give us a freebie take. So we’d improvise, and a lot of the improv made it in. That whole bit with John and I, when he was like, “I gave you a bad recommendation to Sony.” And I said, “I know, you CC’d me on it.” That was improv. So, they kept a lot of that, which is so cool. Sometimes you don’t have the space to do that, especially if you’re on a tight budget. This was not a huge movie as far as budget goes, so time is money and he would always take the time to make sure that everybody got to do what they felt good about.
What I’m surprised by is how many people were interested in seeing it. We obviously knew we were in a dark comedy, but you’ve got to play it for real. For some reason I thought we were making this art house thing. But people were so excited to see this movie. What surprised me more than the theatrical release was when it hit the streamers. There were all these people that maybe didn’t feel comfortable going to the movie yet because of COVID, or maybe have young children. So, many people saw it on streaming, and I’ve seen more of that now than when it was in the theater. So, that was really cool.
Listen, it’s always a surprise when anything you do, people like. I’ve done a lot of clunkers, so it’s amazing anytime you get it in a movie and then you like the movie, and then people like the movie and you have a good time, that’s lightning in a bottle.
(L to R) Arturo Castro, Mark St. Cyr and Aimee Carrero at ‘The Menu’ Blu-ray release party at the Blockbuster Pop Up in Hollywood, CA. Photo: Dan Steinberg Photography.
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The new dark comedy ‘The Menu,’ which was directed by Mark Mylod (‘What’s Your Number?’), opens in theaters on November 18th. Produced by Adam McKay (‘Vice’) and Will Ferrell (‘Spirited’), the film takes an exaggerated look at celebrity chefs and “Foodie culture” and in doing so, serves up one of the best movies of the year!
The story follows Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Tyler (Nicholas Hoult), a young couple that travels to a private island to experience celebrity chef Julian Slowik’s (Ralph Fiennes) acclaimed restaurant, Hawthorne. The restaurant specializes in molecular gastronomy, with everything grown on the island, and treating the food more like conceptual art.
Other guests at the dinner include food critic Lillian Bloom (Janet McTeer), her editor Ted (Paul Adelstein), a wealthy couple (Reed Birney and Judith Light), a movie star (John Leguizamo) and his assistant (Amiee Carrero), and three “Wall Street-type” investors (Arturo Castro, Mark St. Cyr, and Rob Yang). But the dinner soon takes a terrible turn when the guests realize that they were all invited for a nefarious reason, and that Chef Slowik plans to take make an example out of all of them.
While not a mystery per se, ‘The Menu’ reminded me a lot of ‘Knives Out,’ which is ironic since that sequel is being released next month on Netflix. But instead of being a “Whodunit” it’s more of a “how will it be done” type of story since we know from the beginning that something is not right about this island restaurant and Chef Slowik’s intentions. The tone of the film is dark, but it is also quite funny, with the humor coming out of the awkwardness of the social situation the characters are in.
The film also has a lot to say about class, wealth, and the social media enhanced celebrity worshiping world we all find ourselves now living in. While the lead characters have names, you will notice many of the other characters are only known by their titles like Leguizamo’s “Movie Star” character. I would imagine this was done on purpose by the writers to establish the idea that what they represent is more important than who they really are.
Originally set to be directed by Alexander Payne (‘Sideways’), Mark Mylod ended up making the film and it’s by far the best of his career, making him a director that I would keep my eye on. He balances the different tones of the film masterfully, and moves the camera around the restaurant and kitchen with ease, as if we were actually there, adding to the mystic of the film. The set design is also impressive, with a fantastic modern tone and colors popping off the well shot and gorgeous looking food.
However, it’s the characters and performances that really make the movie worth watching. The supporting cast is excellent, even in their somewhat limited roles. John Leguizamo perfectly captures the insecurities of a falling movie star, while Aimee Carrero pulls a lot of sympathy as his assistant, Felicity. Arturo Castro, Mark St. Cyr and Rob Yang also portray their “Wall Street Bros” characters well and add to the drama of the film. Veteran actress Judith Light (‘Who’s the Boss?’) also shines as a wealthy wife just realizing that her husband is a cheat.
But of the dinner guests, Janet McTeer is absolutely unforgettable as food critic Lilian Bloom, and deserves Oscar consideration for Best Supporting Actress. McTeer brings just the right mix of upper-class snootiness and superiority to the role. Veteran actor Paul Adelstein (‘Prison Break’) is very funny as Bloom’s editor and yes-man, Ted. Actress Hong Chau from ‘Downsizing’ also gives an Oscar-worthy performance as Slowik’s bossy assistant Elsa, who will do anything to please the Chef.
Nicholas Hoult’s role as Tyler is the weakest spot for me, but I don’t think it was the actor’s fault. The character is not as well written as the others and struggles at times to stay as interesting as the other characters in the scene. But ultimately the character is revealed to be not as nice as he seems, and the actor does his best to layer that throughout his performance.
In the end, it’s Anya Taylor-Joy and Ralph Fiennes performances that make the film work, and the exploration of their characters’ interesting relationship. Taylor-Joy gives one of her best performances to date as the over-her-head Margot, who’s only chance at survival is to show the Chef her authentic self.
Fiennes is absolutely commanding in the role and carries the movie’s dark comedic tones and pacing with ease. While his actions could easily be labeled “crazy,” the actor is almost able to convince the audience that the Chef is in the right, which is quite impressive given his motivation and actions. Fiennes also has great chemistry with Taylor-Joy, and the connection between the two characters really resonates.
Without giving anything away, I did have an issue with how the film ended up treating a few characters that I felt didn’t completely deserve their outcome, namely Light and Carrero’s characters, who seemed more like ignorant accomplices than the actual “terrible” people Slowik wants to punish. Yet it seems like that was the point, that someone can be held responsible for someone else’s actions just by being complicit themselves.
In the end, ‘The Menu’ is a fun and fascinating movie that explores class, wealth, and the strange social media and celebrity driven society that we all live in. With stunning directorial work from Mylod, and excellent performances from Fiennes, Taylor-Joy, and the supporting cast, ‘The Menu’ should have a good shot at several nominations this coming awards season.
The movie stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Margot and Nicholas Hoult as Tyler, a young couple who travel to a remote island to eat at an exclusive restaurant run by celebrity chef Julian Slowik (Ralph Fiennes). Chef Slowik has prepared a lavish molecular gastronomy menu, but his approach to cuisine has some shocking surprises for the wealthy guests.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult about their work on ‘The Menu,’ their first reaction to the screenplay, the tone of the film, food, their characters, and working with director Mark Mylod and the rest of the impressive cast.
(L to R) Nicholas Hoult and Anya Taylor-Joy star in’The Menu.’
You can read our full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Taylor-Joy, Hoult, Hong Chau, Aimee Carrero, and John Leguizamo.
Moviefone: To begin with, Anya, what was your first reaction to the screenplay when you originally read it?
Anya Taylor-Joy: I’ve become very good, just due to the sheer amount of scripts that I read and the cinema that I consume, and I can usually tell where something’s going to go, or I can guess a line. In this one, absolutely not. I don’t know how anybody guesses that ending in any reality.
I was so excited by the prospect of doing something that original. Then as the cast started filling out, it just became more and more exciting because I wanted to go and play with these really talented individuals, and I was a huge fan of Mark’s work. So, it all kind of came together really beautifully.
MF: Nicholas, can you talk about the challenges of navigating the movie’s different tones?
Nicholas Hoult: Yeah, it really bounces around all over the place. That was something reading it where you’re like, “I think this is funny,” but then you’d be like, “But also horrific things are happening at the same time, so maybe it’s not funny.” That, again, was just something that Seth (Reiss) and Will (Tracy), the writers, did a really great job of creating this world that is extreme and hyper real, but also satirical and poking fun at all these extreme characters.
So, it was like a fun place to play because you could play the characters very authentically, but at the same time, they’re all larger than life characters and slight stereotypes in a way. You see them in really fun ways. So yeah, it was just great writing.
MF: Anya, Margot has a different connection to Chef Slowik from the other guests, can you talk about their relationship and why Slowik takes an interest in her?
ATJ: It’s a bizarre intimacy to explain because it’s not easy to categorize, but I think they recognize something in each other and that begins a kinship. I think for Chef it begins as desperately wanting to categorize her and then bizarrely feeling like he enjoys her pushback. He enjoys being told no, or he enjoys the fact that someone’s not being as reverential as everybody else is being.
It sounds crazy because of what happens in the movie, but I think she recognizes a wounded artist and someone who’s genuinely hurt and upset. That’s how she starts figuring him out. Those scenes were an absolute joy to play.
MF: Nicholas, can you talk about Tyler and his obsession with food?
NH: He is a real foodie. So, that was part of the research for this, which was very nice. I just got to watch food shows, go to nice restaurants and pretend to be a bit of a foodie. But I had to do it. I did it and took it upon myself and then it’s fun. It’s actually a great thing about the writing as well because a lot of the time things are so over explained, and I find as an audience member you kind of fill in the blanks or you can imagine and create your own storylines for all these people.
So, obviously sitting down with Mark and beginning this process, it was creating the relationship between these characters and how that unravels. But also, Tyler’s ideas and thoughts about Chef Slowik and what brought all these characters, I guess, to that restaurant that evening. So, it’s kind of fun to leave it in the actual film, but more up for interpretation. Then as actors to have all this backstory that when you turn up on day one and walk into the restaurant and fill in those characters, you kind of have a lot to bring to it that kind of doesn’t ever have to be said.
MF: Finally, Anya, this is one of those rare films where almost every cast member is on screen at the same time. What was that experience like, having the opportunity to work with all of the actors in this movie?
ATJ: Completely. It was amazing. Mark had told all of us that he wanted to shoot the film in a 360 degrees kind of way, and he wanted us all to be mic’d and on set the whole time because you never really knew when the camera was going to be on you. It was, I think, like a Robert Altman-style quality that he wanted to bring to it.
But what was really beautiful is, oftentimes if it’s not your scene or your closeup, you’ll go to your trailer and rest, or hang out somewhere else other than set. We just spent all of our time on set because if you weren’t acting opposite somebody as lovely as Nick or Ralph, you had front row seats to these incredible performers, and you just got to enjoy them. People would clap after takes. It was just a really beautiful, supportive environment.
Perfectionist chefs are everywhere in the media – you’ve got the likes of Gordon Ramsay on seemingly half the TV channels, and Hulu’s ‘The Bear’ cooks up tension by turning up the temperature on a trained chef trying to run a Chicago sandwich shop.
Yet ‘The Menu’ promises to be a different dining experience, this one featuring Ralph Fiennes as the imposing Chef Slowik. He’s a respected, talented maestro of the menu, who specializes in crafting stories with his culinary choices. But he’s also not one to suffer fools gladly, ensuring absolute order in his kitchen.
He’s holding an exclusive event on an island to which rich and famous types have secured a much-sought-after invite.
Along with them are Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) and Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy), with the former excited to try the Slowik team’s experimental use of fancy cooking techniques such as foam, all harvested from local produce. Margot, meanwhile, isn’t quite as convinced.
Yet as the night goes on, Slowik’s real agenda is revealed: he’s lured the wealthy diners here for more than just tasting his latest creation. They’ll soon be forced to run for their lives in what looks like a version of ‘The Most Dangerous Game’ where humans are hunted for sport. In this case, might they end up on the menu?
Ralph Fiennes in Searchlight Pictures’ ‘The Menu.’
Margot, who despite her connection to Tyler, is seemingly going to have to choose whether he’s with “them” (the diners) or “us” (Slowik and his crew). It’s enough to put your off your dinner.
Originally set up as an Alexander Payne project – he’s no stranger to picky gourmet choices after ‘Sideways’ wine country critique – the movie has since made its way to Mark Mylod, one of the key directors on HBO’s ‘Succession’, and the comic looks at the world of the well-heeled certainly appear to be of a piece.
Even if the Roys rarely face a situation where they are the subject of a crazed chef’s machinations (they’re shooting Season 4 as we write this, so there’s still time for that to factor in).
Will Tracy and Seth Reiss wrote the script, while Adam McKay (who is also behind ‘Succession’) is among the producers. The theme of those who have to cater to the whims of the wealthy deciding that they can take a little creative revenge is certainly a timely one and is also part of Ruben Östlund’s Cannes award winner ‘Triangle of Sadness’, which is set aboard a luxury yacht and sees annoyingly rich cruisers facing a bad trip.
Rest in peace to Katherine Helmond, best known for her roles on “Who’s the Boss,” “Soap,” and several Terry Gilliam films, including “Brazil.”
The actress passed away at 89 on February 23 of complications from Alzheimer’s, according to The Wrap. In her five-decade career, she won two Golden Globes and was nominated for seven Emmys and a Tony.
Former costars and friends shared their fond memories of her
Alyssa Milano tweeted, “My beautiful, kind, funny, gracious, compassionate, rock,” Milano wrote. “You were an instrumental part of my life. You taught me to hold my head above the marsh! You taught me to do anything for a laugh! What an example you were!”
Danny Pintauro, who played Helmond’s grandson on “Who’s the Boss,” told The Wrap that Helmond was “the best TV grandmother a boy could ask for… I’m just as devastated as I was when I lost my real grandma. A beautiful soul has left us for the next chapter, may you make them laugh Katherine!”
“Katherine Helmond was a remarkable human being and an extraordinary artist; generous, gracious, charming and profoundly funny,” said “Who’s the Boss?” co-star Judith Light in a statement. “She taught me so much about life and inspired me indelibly by watching her work. Katherine was a gift to our business and to the world, and will be deeply missed.”
Fellow “Who’s the Boss” star Tony Danza said, “She was such an influence on me. No matter what problem I had, I could go to her. Very few people could match her. She was a consummate professional. She never made a mistake and she always got the laugh. She was the sexy older lady who could keep up with the young people. She just had a way about her.”
“Who’s the Boss” aired on ABC from 1984-1992. Helmond was nominated twice for a Golden Globe (winning once) for her role as Mona Robinson. She was won a Golden Globe for her role on “Soap” and was nominated for four Emmys for the sitcom, which ran from 1977-1982.
She also played Patricia Heaton‘s mother on several episodes of “Everybody Loves Raymond,” which earned her another Emmy nomination.
Helmond also appeared as a plastic-surgery obsessed socialite in Gilliam’s dystopia “Brazil” and “Mrs. Ogre” in “Time Bandits.”
