Writer/Director Tallulah H. Schwab and Actor Crispin Glover talk to Fest Track about truth, perspective and detail in regards to their film: “Mr. K,” world premiering in the Platform section of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, Ontario.
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00:00This is Tim Walshbrook from Fast Track Concert TV.
00:29I'm here in Toronto for the Toronto International Film Fest.
00:35We have to mark every corridor.
00:39Enough!
00:42Hurry up, you can't stay here.
00:52You are that nice young man who was looking for the reception.
00:57Did you find it, dear?
00:59I like that you mentioned truth.
01:00And obviously truth is mentioned a lot.
01:02And specifically, obviously, with the chef character.
01:05I know the truth.
01:06Where is the truth?
01:08But truth is a moving target in the real world.
01:11But in the Titan film world, what does truth mean to you?
01:15Is it just seeing into the soul of the character?
01:18Well, in the movie, it's every every department has its own truth.
01:22So the the the sisters, their truth is that they are
01:27they make their their happiness and their truth by pretending that they're French
01:32and that they have this whole world of of the French Revolution behind them.
01:36And that that that makes them happy, although their world is tiny.
01:40And then you have bigger, bigger places.
01:43So where they have different truths that may give them
01:47like a meaning in life, like, OK, that we have to make the best
01:52tour of the century, you know, or or the the
01:56the kitchen, the the most beautiful,
02:00the best egg dish, you know, it's it's like, what what do you make
02:05important in your life?
02:06And and and every character has that.
02:10And Mr. K is looking for his meaning.
02:15Like, what do I what's my place in the world, in this world?
02:19What what do I have to do?
02:21Am I am I important or not?
02:23Not important, because he thinks he's not.
02:26But, you know, you never know before you end your life
02:31how important you are.
02:34Single room, double room.
02:37I'm alone. I have to be here in the morning.
02:43One thing at a time.
02:45Mind you, don't give us any trouble.
02:53We have a new guest.
02:56I'm just passing through.
02:58We haven't been outside for years.
03:04Do you know the way to the exit?
03:06Which one?
03:09You haven't been out at all, have you?
03:12But it also has a question.
03:14Is life choice or is life simply fate?
03:16Where are we going to end up?
03:18Yeah. Yeah.
03:19Well, it is more that's
03:22how do you know anything?
03:24I mean, you know, you think, you know.
03:27So you you you make this truth for yourself.
03:31But there is always more.
03:32So there are always you always have the chance that something comes in
03:35from left field and sort of totally bursts that bubble and makes you see.
03:39I mean, I've had it many times in my own life that I thought I knew
03:42how I would react or how I was.
03:45And then something happens and I find I react totally differently.
03:48Or I fall in love with someone
03:52I didn't know I would fall in love with.
03:54Or didn't need to.
03:55It was a bad idea or whatever.
03:57You know, so so these things
04:00I think is a constant discovery throughout your life.
04:04Like constantly you're rediscovering.
04:07And that is that's very interesting to me.
05:18For you, I mean, in terms of that sort of choice versus fake concept,
05:23you know, because obviously a lot of choices you've made
05:26for characters you've played have done that.
05:28Well, in this particular film.
05:35The character is pretty reactive in the way that I was.
05:44Particularly the way that I ended up playing it.
05:48There was something that I had in my mind that was
05:53had a certain self-determination
05:56that isn't in it.
05:58It's it is different, but the.
06:06I would yeah, I would say it's for the most part reactive.
06:11Something at the end becomes a little more determined, but it's it.
06:16I didn't.
06:19And even in the words, it is there is a clear communication
06:25of unsureness all the way through.
06:29So I like I said, there was something I had in my mind
06:33that had a little more self-determination at certain points.
06:37But I don't think that's in the thinking.
06:41I don't think that's in the film.
06:43But I think it's for you just as playing a certain kind of determination.
06:49But but like I say, the the important thing about the
06:56what was always good about the script was that it was structured
07:00in such a way that it would have it would let audiences
07:06have different interpretations for themselves.
07:09And that that to me is a good, a good thing.
07:13I like that as an audience member.
07:15So the details that I go through
07:18as an actor, whether they're in the film or not, ultimately it doesn't matter.
07:37You're just in time.
07:40We have a new guest.
07:45I'm looking for some children.
07:47I think they came through here.
07:52Here's my little entourage.
07:55My leeches suck me dry, they do.
08:02Relax.
08:03They're quite safe.
08:05Give the man some food. Can't you see he's famished?
08:07Oh, no, I I really need to find my things.
08:10I am running late.
08:13Aurora sent someone to look for this man's children.
08:17He has lost them.
08:18Will you excuse me for a moment?
08:22Aurora, this is for you.
08:24Can you separate yourself as a filmmaker
08:39from the actor working with another filmmaker?
08:41I can, but I'm also
08:47I'm aware of
08:50certain dynamics that make differences.
08:56So, you know,
09:01as an actor, ideally,
09:04you shouldn't be thinking about those dynamics,
09:08but sometimes you can't help it.
09:12Because details are important for you.
09:14You know, you you have to have those in there, even, you know,
09:17if they're on the periphery for him, I mean, the marching band,
09:20the eggs, all the papers that you could do that.
09:24And I'll wrap up.
09:26That is very important for me.
09:27Oh, definitely.
09:29But it's because it's also I mean, but that was also
09:33something of the dynamic of the film, you know, like all these people
09:37that it's it's also about the individual and the and the group.
09:42So how do you you as an individual, you want to be part of something.
09:47You want to be part of the group.
09:48But at the other hand, groups sometimes have, you know,
09:51they they have their own dynamic.
09:53And how do you be an individual?
09:56Like we're like with Fiona, with the hierarchy.
09:59Yeah. Yes, exactly.
10:00So you have you have the groups, you have a certainty within a group.
10:04But at the same time, it can be constrictive and it can
10:07and it can go in ways that that you haven't predicted or, you know,
10:10like the group is now angry, you know, like, but how do you what do you
10:14then you suddenly as an individual, you're you're on the outside of the group.
10:18And, you know, you want to be inside.
10:19But at the same time, you want to be an individual.
10:24Is no one interested in what actually is going on?
10:29Look, look, the hotel is shrinking.
10:34Gamer, you are playing.
10:36You have potential.
10:38You are special.
10:41You're all insane.
10:43You think you know the truth.
10:45But why is your truth better than mine?