Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Ralph Fiennes and director Edward Berger about their work on ‘Conclave,’ Fiennes first reaction to the screenplay and his approach to his character, the tone and themes of the movie, and what audience members should expect from this theatrical experience.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch the interviews.
Moviefone: To begin with, Ralph, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and your approach to playing this character?
Ralph Fiennes: Well, I was hooked by the screenplay. It was a page-turner. The character of Lawrence, he’s central to the story as a witness, as a man with complex feelings of inner turmoil, inner contradiction. He’s suddenly a man thrown almost reluctantly into running a conclave. Having a Catholic upbringing, although no longer practicing Catholic, it provoked a massive sort of retrospective. I must unearth all those bits of my mother taking me to first communion and talking to me about the teachings of Jesus. All the stuff that was somehow back in my childhood had to be brought right forward and to be used as a source of, I guess, research or something on which to think about. But it was a page-turner to read, and it was gripping, and I had no doubt that I wanted to do it.
MF: Edgar, can you talk about the specific tone you wanted to create for this film and the themes you wanted to explore as a director?
Edward Berger: I was really drawn to this movie because it dealt with the question of doubt. I was able to sort of visualize whatever is going on, the interior journey that Ralph finds his character is going through, which is a journey of doubt, a crisis of faith, and to visualize that was very interesting. At the same time, it was my opportunity to make a political thriller, and very much inspired by the (Alan J.) Pakula movies from the ’70s, ‘All the President’s Men’, and ‘The Parallax View’. Those movies, how they play with dark, and light, and shadow, and color, and a pace of editing, and a precision was really sort of a Northern Star for us.
MF: Finally, Ralph, what would you say to audience members sitting down now to see this movie in a theater to prepare them for the theatrical experience they are about to have?
RF: Well, you’re going to get a wonderful insight into the workings of The Vatican. You have a central set which is incredibly cinematic, which is a recreation of the Sistine Chapel, and it looks phenomenal. It’s a set. We can’t shoot in the real Sistine Chapel. It’s one of the great wonders of the world. It’s been recreated brilliantly by the people who’ve made the set and by the visual effects crew to finish it on film. But that sort of scale is extraordinary to have. You will fail to appreciate it on a small screen. There’s something about The Vatican and other big locations. We shot in the Palace at Caserta outside Naples, various locations in and around Rome, where Edward found other locations to create this sense of scale. It’s huge, The Vatican. I mean, you look across at St. Peter’s, this huge church, and all the buildings around it. That’s what’s great about film, isn’t it? You have shots that give a sense of the epic, which are juxtaposed against the intimate, and the constrained, and the enclosed, and the close-ups. That equation of the epic scale, visual shots that hold a great sense of space and depth against the human face in close-up. That tension is best experienced in the cinema, and you get it massively in the way Edward has made this film.
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What is the plot of ‘Conclave’?
Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), tasked with organizing the election of the successor to the deceased pope, discovers the former pope had a secret that must be uncovered, concerning one or more of the candidates to succeed to the papacy.
Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes are starring in ‘28 Years Later’
Danny Boyle and Alex Garland are behind the new movie.
Sony is distributing the movie, the start of a trilogy of films.
After many years in the wild weeds of speculation and rumor, director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland finally confirmed that they’re getting back to the world they created with 2002’s ‘28 Days Later’ for a brand new follow-up called ‘28 Years Later’.
And far from just making one movie, their plan is actually to launch a trilogy, with Garland writing all three and Boyle directing the first. The initial round of casting has begun with Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes joining the movie per Deadline.
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What’s the story of the ‘28 Days Later’ movies?
Cillian Murphy in 2002’s ’28 Days Later.’ Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
2002’s original movie saw Cillian Murphy playing Jim, a bicycle courier left in a coma after an accident. He awakes nearly a month later to discover London and the wider world have gone to hell after animal rights activists released a chimp infected with a virulent, genetically engineered plague that has spread to the population, leaving the city near deserted and haunted by roving packs of the rage-driven ‘infected’.
That was followed by ‘28 Weeks Later’ in 2007, which saw Juan Carlos Fresnadillo taking over directorial duties, with Boyle and Garland stepping back to be executive producers. The sequel is set as American forces arrive to help clean up Britain, civilians caught in the crossfire between soldiers and the remaining infected.
While the plot of the new movie is being kept under wraps for now, the title points to picking up the story decades after the original and seeing what has happened to the country since then. We’re guessing nothing good, but with Boyle and Garland involved, it’ll be entertaining finding out.
Who are the new actors playing?
(L to R) Bryan Tyree Henry and Aaron Taylor-Johnson star in Sony’s ‘Bullet Train.’ Photo: Scott Garfield.
As with the story info, we don’t yet know who the three new actors will be doing in the movie –– but they’re interesting nonetheless, since the 2002 entry was largely cast with rising stars and a few veterans sprinkled into the mix.
While Comer and Taylor-Johnson aren’t exactly veterans, they’re well established –– and that goes without saying for Fiennes.
What’s happening with the ‘28 Years Later’ trilogy?
‘The Marvels’ director Nia DeCosta.
With Boyle taking on the first movie, the plan is for him to direct it this year and for production of the second to kick off once the first has wrapped to ensure continuity of storytelling while each director will bring their visual stamp to their movie.
(L to R) Patrick Macnee as John Steed and Diana Rigg as Emma Peel in ‘The Avengers.’ Photo: ABC Television.
Preview:
‘The Avengers’ is returning to TV.
‘Industry’ writers Mickey Down and Konrad Kay are behind the show.
The quirky spy series reboot has yet to find a broadcast home.
When you see word that something called ‘The Avengers’ is getting a reboot, you’d be forgiven for wondering whether Marvel is looking to re-invent itself and bringing in new versions of Tony Stark and co. While in this Multiverse-happy world that’s not out of the realms of possibility, this ‘Avengers’ is nothing to do with the MCU.
(L to R) Diana Rigg as Emma Peel and Patrick Macnee as John Steed in ‘The Avengers.’ Photo: ABC Television.
The original series, which ran between 1961 and 1969 on ITV in the UK and was created by Sydney Newman. It initially focused on David Keel (Ian Hendry), aided by John Steed (Patrick Macnee). Hendry left after the first series; Steed then became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants.
His most famous assistants were intelligent, stylish, and assertive women: Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman), Emma Peel (Diana Rigg), and Tara King (Linda Thorson).
A sequel series, ‘The New Avengers’, ran for one season between 1976 and 1977.
While it began as a more down-to-earth espionage series, it became increasingly fantastical, resembling something like the 1960s ‘Batman’ series or the BBC’s ‘Doctor Who’. In the US, it aired on ABC, one of a limited number of British shows to be picked up for primetime in the States.
A big success, it led to all manner of spin-offs, including comics, radio plays and more. It even became a movie, though the 1998 cinematic offering starring Ralph Fiennes as Steed and Uma Thurman was infamously a giant flop, failing to make back its $60 million budget and generating zero sequels.
(L to R) Ralph Fiennes as John Steed and Uma Thurman as Emma Peel in ‘The Avengers.’ Photo: Warner Bros.
Who is working on the new ‘Avengers’?
(L to R) Patrick Macnee as John Steed and Diana Rigg as Emma Peel in ‘The Avengers.’ Photo: ABC Television.
The new series comes from writers Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, who have impressed audiences via HBO series ‘Industry’. They’re working alongside ‘Sex Education’ veteran Ben Taylor, who serves as co-creator and will oversee the directing side.
Despite the two main writers’ connection to HBO, the cable channel hasn’t picked up the series, which is being produced by StudioCanal. There’s still a chance that Warner Bros. Discovery (which backs one of the companies involved in the new show) or even Netflix could snap this one up.
When will this new ‘Avengers’ be on screens?
That, right now, is impossible to judge as not only has the series not started shooting, but it has no broadcast home at this point. But given the recognizable title, we’d expect plenty of interest from networks and streamers.
(L to R) Diana Rigg as Emma Peel and Patrick Macnee as John Steed in ‘The Avengers.’ Photo: ABC Television.
(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.
‘No Time to Die’ – and yes, we’re getting into spoiler territory for anyone who has yet to watch the most recent James Bond movie – put a definite capper on the Daniel Craig era of the super spy by killing off the character in a giant explosion.
So where does that leave Bond going forward, because the movie still also carried the “James Bond will return” tagline at the end of the credits? Those decisions are all up to Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, the producing duo who have overseen the Bond franchise for years now.
And they won’t be drawn on who might be filling the role just yet, as the focus is on how they’re going to re-invent the character and the franchise as a whole in the post-Craig period.
Speaking at a glitzy event in London to honor Broccoli and Wilson as they receive BFI fellowships, Broccoli addressed the question of just who might be filling the tuxedo/combat uniform/whatever Bond feels like wearing going forward.
“Nobody’s in the running,” she told Deadline. “We’re working out where to go with him, we’re talking that through. There isn’t a script and we can’t come up with one until we decide how we’re going to approach the next film because, really, it’s a reinvention of Bond. We’re reinventing who he is and that takes time. I’d say that filming is at least two years away.”
Pierce Brosnan as James Bond in ‘Die Another Day.’
It’s bad news for Bond fans who now face a long wait for more movies, though let’s not forget that it was four years between the end of Pierce Brosnan’s tenure in ‘Die Another Day’ and the start of Craig’s in ‘Casino Royale’.
And figuring out a new Bond is a complicated process, particularly as Broccoli, Wilson and their team have always looked to present a new, evolving take on 007 between each new actor.
Craig’s Bond was considerably different than most of the versions that had come before it, and while the character is one that has resisted too much change back in the past, the current incarnation was a much more modern vision for the man.
And while the event was a star-studded event to celebrate the producing pair, it was also attended by the likes of Ralph Fiennes and Naomie Harris, who played Bond’s boss M and agent Moneypenny in several of the Craig films. “Naomie and I are the people to fix it,” Fiennes joked. “You find him and we’ll train him.”
That, of course, assumes that a “reinvention” of Bond doesn’t mean a change in M and Moneypenny (though Judi Dench’s M, of course, reoccurred between the Brosnan and Craig Bonds).
So yes, it does seem that if there are any villains waiting around to say, “I’ve been expecting you…”, they’re going to have to keep on waiting a fair bit longer. Maybe fire up Candy Crush on your phone?
(L to R) Ralph Fiennes and Djimon Hounsou in ‘The King’s Man’
Opening in theaters on December 22nd is director Matthew Vaughn’s ‘The King’s Man,’ which is a prequel to his 2014 movie ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ and its sequel, ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle.’ The film tells the story of Orlando Oxford (Ralph Fiennes) and how he created the Kingsman during World War I to defeat a collection of history’s worst tyrants, including Grigori Rasputin (Rhys Ifans). In addition to Fiennes and Ifans, the film also stars Harris Dickinson (‘Maleficent: Mistress of Evil’), Gemma Arterton (‘Quantum of Solace’), Djimon Hounsou (‘Captain Marvel’), Matthew Goode (‘Watchmen’), Daniel Brühl (‘Captain America: Civil War’), Charles Dance (‘Game of Thrones’), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’), and Stanley Tucci (‘The Hunger Games’). The result is an interesting premise that fails to recapture the energy and charm of the first movie, but still features some fun action sequences and strong performances from Fiennes and Ifans.
The movie starts pre-World War I and introduces us to Orlando Oxford (Fiennes), a former soldier now working with the Red Cross along with his wife and young son, Conrad (Dickinson). But when tragedy strikes the Oxford family, Orlando swears never to let Conrad near war again. Years later, King George, Kaiser Wilheim and Tsar Nicholas, the leaders of England, Germany and Russia, respectively, are on the brink of World War I, which is being engineered by a mysterious figure who leads a group of evildoers that includes Grigori Rasputin (Ifans), Erik Jan Hanussen (Daniel Bruhl) and Mata Hari (Valerie Pachner). King George eventually asks Oxford to assassinate Rasputin, which he agrees to do, and reluctantly brings Conrad to help. They are joined by Oxford’s staff, Polly (Gemma Arterton) and Shola (Djimon Hounsou), who are not the ordinary servants they seem to be and are actually well-trained fighters who can gather intel from a network of other servants around the world.
After the war begins, Conrad desperately wants to join the army and fight for England, but his father refuses, hoping he will keep fighting in the shadows by his side where Oxford can protect him. Eventually, Conrad defies his father’s wishes and joins the army, and is eventually sent to the frontlines. Meanwhile, Oxford, Polly and Shola work to crack Germany’s code and discover who is the sinister mastermind orchestrating the war. After Conrad risks his life to recover the intelligence needed to crack the code, Oxford and his team have new motivation to track down the mysterious villain and put a stop to the war, which in turn creates the Kingsman.
I really enjoyed ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ and ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ and was really excited about the prospect of seeing an origin story about the Kingsman, but the film falls flat and doesn’t have the same fun and charm as the first two movies. The characters are strong, and the action scenes are good, but there’s not much else to pull it together. The second act of the film basically becomes ‘1917’ or the “No Man’s Land” scene from ‘Wonder Woman’ and ceases to be a ‘Kingsman’ movie for about 20 minutes. It’s an odd turn in the film and doesn’t fit the tone of the rest of the movie. Without giving anything away, there is a specific choice made that affects a pivotal character before the beginning of the third act. While I understand it was done to motivate other characters, I disagree with taking the film in that direction and wish they had done something different with that character’s storyline. The film also blurs the lines between fiction and history, and the plot becomes confusing at times when you are unsure what is factual and what is made up.
There are also some pretty big-name actors including Stanley Tucci and Aaron Taylor-Johnson who make appearances but have very small parts, possibly signaling larger roles in future sequels, but it’s unfortunate that we have to wait for an additional film in order to see Oxford’s new team together. What does work in ‘The King’s Man’ are the characters and the performances from the impressive cast. Daniel Brühl is well cast as Erik Jan Hanussen but does not have enough to do in the role and is too similar to characters the actor’s played before in ‘Inglorious Basterds’ and the MCU projects. But it’s really Rhys Ifans as an unrecognizable Grigori Rasputin that steals every scene he is in. Ifans plays Rasputin as a Goth madmen, part psychopath and part con-man. Ifans is clearly having fun in the role and chews up the scenery in every scene he’s in. Matthew Goode is solid as Herbert Kitchener’s righthand man, but the character’s not-so-surprising turn in the third act could be seen from a mile away.
I’m a big fan of Gemma Arterton and am very happy to see her back on the big screen. As Polly, she gives a sweet and strong performance, but doesn’t have enough screen time, something that would perhaps be rectified in a possible sequel. Djimon Hounson is also quite entertaining in the thankless role of Shola, another interesting character that does not get enough screen time and is relegated to having a larger role in a sequel that may or may not ever get made. Harris Dickinson is really good as Conrad Oxford, and as an audience member you really relate to his struggles, which is why the character’s twist at the end of the second act is so unwelcome. Dickinson has great chemistry with Fiennes, and the two actors make a fun onscreen father and son pair.
But if the film works on any level, it is because of the commanding performance of Ralph Fiennes as Orlando Oxford. In many ways, ‘The Kingsman’ franchise is a spoof of James Bond movies, and in that way, it’s great to see ‘No Time To Die’s M in the “James Bond” role. Fiennes has the perfect attitude and personality for the character and shines as the first Kingsman. Unfortunately, Fiennes’ strong performance is at times undermined by the film’s confusing screenplay and unclear tone. In the end, director Matthew Vaughn has delivered an interesting concept of a prequel, with strong characters and terrific performances, that is lost under the weight of its own ambition and omits the fun and charm demonstrated in the rest of the series.
Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, and Djimon Hounsou are here to give us a look at the origins of Kingsman, the world’s first independent intelligence agency.
This prequel to the ‘Kingsman’ series looks to be set around the time of WWI, although at this point, the official synopsis is predictably short on details:
As a collection of history’s worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions, one man must race against time to stop them. Discover the origins of the very first independent intelligence agency in “The King’s Man.”
Matthew Vaughn, director of the first two ‘Kingsman’ films returns to direct this latest entry. Joining Fiennes, Arterton, and Hounsou is a pretty impressive cast, including Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Daniel Brühl, and Charles Dance.
‘The King’s Man’ will open in theaters on September 18, 2020.
