Moviefone Editorial

Tag: marc-forster

  • ‘White Bird’ Interview: Marc Forster and Renee Wolfe

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    Opening in theaters on October 4th is ‘White Bird’, which is based on the graphic novel of the same name by author R. J. Palacio and acts as both a prequel and sequel to 2017’s ‘Wonder’.

    Directed by Marc Forster (‘A Man Called Otto’, ‘World War Z’), the film stars Ariella Glaser (‘Radioactive’), Orlando Schwerdt (‘True History of the Kelly Gang’), Gillian Anderson (‘The X-Files’), Helen Mirren (‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’), and reprising his role from ‘Wonder’, Bryce Gheisar as Julian Albans.

    Related Article: Mariana Treviño Talks ‘A Man Called Otto’ and Working with Tom Hanks

    (L to R) Orlando Schwerdt as Julien and Ariella Glaser as Sara in 'White Bird'. Photo: Larry Horricks.
    (L to R) Orlando Schwerdt as Julien and Ariella Glaser as Sara in ‘White Bird’. Photo: Larry Horricks.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Marc Forster and producer Renee Wolfe about their work on ‘White Bird’, adapting the source material, connecting it to ‘Wonder’, bringing Bryce Gheisar back, working with Dame Helen Mirren, casting Ariella Glaser and Orlando Schwerdt, their characters’ friendship, and the challenges of making a period piece.

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch the interview.

    (L to R) Director Marc Forster and Producer Renee Wolfe Talk 'White Bird'.
    (L to R) Director Marc Forster and Producer Renee Wolfe Talk ‘White Bird’.

    Moviefone: To begin with, Marc, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and the themes you wanted to explore as a director with this movie?

    Marc Forster: I read the graphic novel and the screenplay six weeks into the lockdown in 2020. When I first read it, literally I got so emotional, and I started tearing up. It never happened to me (before) except when I read the screenplay to ‘Finding Neverland’. So, I felt “Why did that happen?” I said, “If you have such a reaction to something, I felt I have to make it.” Ultimately, you could instantly connect with Sara, our protagonist, who’s being played by Ariella Glaser, who in a larger part of the movie is hiding in a barn. During the lockdown was for the first time, we all could feel how it is not to be able to go outside. So, you could instantly relate to someone who was locked up. It felt much closer to us, and I felt it’s a film about the Holocaust, but at the same time in the center of this is this beautiful teenage love story. R.J Palacio in her book ‘Wonder’, explored the themes of bullying and kindness, and she expanded on those themes here on ‘White Bird’, which I found very inspirational because I felt there’s a lack of kindness today and I felt it was a story we need. It’s also my hope that a lot of young people go and see the film. I see it as a family movie, a four-quadrant movie, but at the same time I hope that a lot of young people see the movie who haven’t studied the Holocaust or haven’t confronted that time of history, and maybe this is a window they can talk about it with their family.

    MF: Just to follow up, was that the key for you with this film, focusing on the love story?

    Marc Forster: Yeah, I felt that that ultimately the kindness and that connection of these two people who didn’t really see one another, who really got brought together through historical circumstances and through the hatred around them. I felt like that grounded the film for me in an emotional part. Someone who is risking their lives and the entire family risking their lives to protect someone else is not just a true act of bravery, but it’s a true act of love and I think it’s so powerful that I felt like this is an important story I wanted to tell.

    Bryce Gheisar as Julian in 'White Bird'. Photo: Julie Vrabelova.
    Bryce Gheisar as Julian in ‘White Bird’. Photo: Julie Vrabelova.

    MF: Renee, as a producer, can you talk about the source material and its connection to the larger ‘Wonder’ franchise?

    Renee Wolfe: Well, as he said during the lockdown, we were both together and read this incredible story. I loved how, although it is a continuum of ‘Wonder’, it’s not necessarily a sequel and the idea that we would now look at it and in a sense try to heal this character of the bully was intriguing to both of us. The only other way that we can transform things is if we have the bravery to look at them. The only way we can transform each other is if we hear each other’s story. This is a witnessing of a transformation of somebody who could have gone on a wrong path. Putting this together just in the logistical part of it was very exciting because it wasn’t necessarily a sequel, it was a different universe and it tapped into this character and offered redemption. So, we both thought it would be a good foundation to use the audience of ‘Wonder’ to get momentum for this yet have its own freestanding world. So that became part of what was exciting as the structure of a story world that could keep going onward and outward. Who knows, there may be another element of this that develops.

    MF: Renee, can you talk about the choice to bring back actor Bryce Gheisar as Julian Albans from ‘Wonder’ and really connect the two movies?

    Renee Wolfe: Marc and I had spoken at that point we thought for sure he’s going to be a good actor, but there’s a lot of years that have passed and it’s COVID and you can’t meet people in person. So, it was a little bit of like, well, we believe this is going to work, but we’ll find out in person. Bryce was extraordinary. I mean, this young actor was so prepared and had evolved so beautifully and showed up wanting to tell a redemption story for this character. But logistically speaking, it was exciting to think that these kids who had seen ‘Wonder’ could track this actor as he’s now evolved with them arguably the same age. So, it was part of the magic of what we thought would make this whole thing work. I think he carried that obviously not personally, but had a mission to redeem this character, which we both loved, and we thought that would translate into audiences that understood that they were one and the same actor.

    Helen Mirren as Grandmère in 'White Bird'. Photo Credit: Larry Horricks.
    Helen Mirren as Grandmère in ‘White Bird’. Photo Credit: Larry Horricks.

    MF: Marc, can you talk about casting Dame Helen Mirren as the older Sara Blum and having that character narrate the film?

    Marc Forster: When Helen first signed on, we spoke on the phone and on Zoom, and I said, “Look, we’ve already been shooting for a couple weeks.” I said to her, “Look, I think it would be great if you could just watch the dailies, the work Ariella and I have been doing, how I’ve been directing her, her interpretation of Sara, her mannerisms and just get a feel for that.” She watched all the dailies, and I called her back and said, “So how do you feel?” She said, “Oh, don’t worry, I got you.” I said, “Okay, if Dame Helen Mirren tells you that, I’m sure we’re fine.” When she came to Prague and showed up on set, and I’ve never met her before in person, what you expected of Helen Mirren is what you got and more. Just her emotional intelligence, her gentleness, her respectfulness, her kindness to everyone. There’s certain security and thoughtfulness of her interpretation of a role that is so calming. There’s also in all seriousness and drama, a twinkle of humor, which then inspires kindness, which is just extraordinary. Obviously, the speech at the end, she is like that, just watching her act that and directing her in that gave it different shades and the different moments and pauses were wonderful.

    MF: Renee, can you talk about the importance of finding the right actors to play young Sara Blum and Julien Beaumier and casting Ariella Glaser and Orlando Schwerdt?

    Renee Wolfe: It is extremely important. Again, during COVID, normally we would see people in person, and Marc and I spoke about this at length. There were people sending in their tapes from all over the world, and he’s extraordinary at finding these young actors. It’s really about the truthfulness in the performance and not giving a performance. These kids, so many of them were extraordinary, but when we landed on Ariella and Orlando, we knew that they had something that just really grounded them. Ariella knew this culture and knew the nuances that would really make the world of this timeframe and the authenticity of being Jewish and that experience, she knew this with every part of her existence. Orlando, on the other hand, has this fluidity to his performance and to his delivery. You see this character kind of blossom throughout the performance. In the beginning, he’s hunched over and as love and as he’s starting to be seen, he expands even in his chest. He radiates. The two of them together, that was the last question, I think that we both had. But Marc particularly, “Would this chemistry really, really work in person?” It did. But that was challenging during that time that we couldn’t meet in person until the last minute.

    (L to R) Orlando Schwerdt as Julien and Ariella Glaser as Sara in 'White Bird'. Photo: Larry Horricks.
    (L to R) Orlando Schwerdt as Julien and Ariella Glaser as Sara in ‘White Bird’. Photo: Larry Horricks.

    MF: Marc, what was it like working with Ariella and Orlando on set?

    Marc Forster: It was extraordinary. I think Orlando, who plays Julien. First, he never brought a cell phone to set. So, he’s a 15-year-old who doesn’t come with a cell phone to set. He leaves it in the hotel room, completely focused, and there’s a laser sharp focus to character himself. He doesn’t mingle and doesn’t joke around. I asked him, “So why do you leave your cell phone in the hotel?” He said, “Look, this is a chance, an opportunity of a lifetime. I really just want to focus on the character and my performance.” Then Ariella, on the other hand, is very lively and comes from a very smart, educated family with an extraordinary historical knowledge of the time and really understands the responsibility also of the role. I think when I first met them, because as Renee mentioned, we cast them on Zoom, and I felt in a love story that chemistry is everything. So, I thought hopefully that chemistry would translate also in front of camera, not just on Zoom. When I met them and we started rehearsing, I had this moment of doubt, “What am I going to do if that chemistry is not going to land and I’m not believing that love story,” because I never casted on Zoom before. So, when I met them the first time we started rehearsing and instantly there was just this beautiful chemistry that they had and we rehearsed a lot of the scenes.

    MF: Renee, can you talk about the challenges of producing a period piece, particularly one set in this specific time in history?

    Renee Wolfe: It has budgetary constraints. We didn’t make this movie on a massive budget, but we had a crew that we had worked with historically. So, we had this second language together that was effortless. We shoot a mixture of location and stage. We were very lucky because the resources in the Czech Republic are impeccable. People put their very best into the equation. So, between locations and being able to build, once we all got there and working together in the past, we were able to do this on a relatively short amount of time and modest budget.

    Ariella Glaser as Sara in 'White Bird'. Photo: Larry Horricks.
    Ariella Glaser as Sara in ‘White Bird’. Photo: Larry Horricks.

    MF: Finally, Marc, what did you want to do visually with this movie in general and specifically in the cinema sequences?

    Marc Forster: I think you have in the movie; a part of the storytelling is magic realism. Once you deal with magic realism and metaphors and a little bit of a fairy tale aspect, you make sure that the movie grounds itself and you’re connecting with all the characters before you go into the metaphorical aspects and the magic realisms of the storytelling, so you don’t lose the audience and you have freedom to maneuver them. Usually that’s the transitions. Regarding the movie theater scenes, I was a big fan of ‘Cinema Paradiso’ because I love movies and ultimately that always has a nostalgia and romance in my heart being in a movie theater. So that was one aspect I was very fond of. Then the magic realism part of it’s the key. How do we portray that when she says to him, “Let’s go to Paris,” and ultimately taking him on this journey and how we visualize that. There’s a mixture between the movie we see in the movie theater and then the movie we see in their head, so to speak. Then ultimately, he brings the movie to her into the barn, because ultimately what they have in their heads and the movie they see themselves in is being informed by the film they saw in the movie theater.

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    What is the plot of ‘White Bird’?

    In ‘White Bird’, we follow Julian (Bryce Gheisar), who has struggled to belong ever since he was expelled from his former school for his treatment of Auggie Pullman (Jacob Tremblay). To transform his life, Julian’s grandmother (Helen Mirren) finally reveals to Julian her own story of courage, during her youth in Nazi-occupied France, a boy (Orlando Schwerdt) shelters her from mortal danger. They find first love in a stunning, magical world of their own creation, while the boy’s mother (Gillian Anderson) risks everything to keep her safe.

    Who is in the cast of ‘White Bird’?

    • Ariella Glaser as young Sara Blum
    • Orlando Schwerdt as Julien Beaumier
    • Bryce Gheisar as Julian Albans
    • Gillian Anderson as Vivienne Beaumier
    • Helen Mirren as Grandmère (older Sara Blum)
    Gillian Anderson as Vivienne in 'White Bird'. Photo: Courtesy of Lionsgate.
    Gillian Anderson as Vivienne in ‘White Bird’. Photo: Courtesy of Lionsgate.

    Other Marc Forster Movies:

    Buy Tickets: ‘White Bird’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Marc Forster Movies on Amazon

     

  • ‘A Man Called Otto’ Interview: Mariana Treviño

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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