The Brit star plays an FBI agent in Justin Kurzel's new action thriller. Report by Nelsonj. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
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00:00I don't know if stuff like that helps. It feels like it helps.
00:02I mean, he's an interesting guy. I don't want to say he's not an interesting guy.
00:05He's really an insanity at this point.
00:07Lovely to see you, as always.
00:10You were right when you told me that this was a very different kind of film
00:13to the last project I saw you in.
00:15Yes.
00:15Gritty, intense, but great.
00:19Good.
00:20Like, great, great film.
00:21First of all, though, that Tash, your own, it's a strong Tash game in this.
00:25It's my own, yeah.
00:27Good job.
00:28People will be very envious of being able to grow one like that.
00:32I'm just curious, though, is there a nervousness when you make a film like this,
00:37which is based in reality?
00:39I think your character's fictionalized, right?
00:41Amalgamated, yeah.
00:42Yes, but the story itself is true.
00:44Yeah.
00:44And it's oh so relevant right now.
00:48Is there a nervousness to putting out a film like this?
00:50I quite honestly didn't ever feel nervous.
00:53The intention was always to make sure it was accurate and honest.
00:58And we knew that, the clever part to me was that Zach had folded this true crime drama.
01:09It was historical, yeah, it had all this relevance, but into a genre.
01:14So the hardest part really was the task of making sure that the genre element delivered.
01:20Because in a way, that's the sort of sugar that makes the medicine go down.
01:24You kind of watch this propulsive, energized thriller and walk away thinking,
01:28oh my God, that was a true story.
01:30And there are these weird echoes in today.
01:34But those echoes I'm talking about were sort of, they sort of took care of themselves.
01:38It wasn't like we had to draw those elements out and make some kind of reference.
01:44Obviously, we referenced at the end the relationship with the Turner diary,
01:46as a kind of breadcrumb path from then to now.
01:50But otherwise, it was more, tell this honestly and truly.
01:54Right.
01:54I did hear though that you and Nick didn't speak to each other on set to try and maintain.
02:01Is that something?
02:01That was kind of set up more by Justin.
02:06It wasn't like it was a decision made.
02:08It was, so Justin is a, he's a really great director.
02:12And he really understands the story.
02:14He's a really great director and he really understands the process
02:19or helps the process of preparation for an actor.
02:22And he writes up manifestos that are individual kind of guides to maybe
02:27suggestions that might help get into the character's state of mind
02:31or just a sense of feeling the skin.
02:33And when we both got to Calgary, Nick's side of the story
02:40or his character side of the story and mine are kind of separate for a lot of the film.
02:44And it's these two tales that eventually overlap.
02:48And I think it just served, it offered itself up that suddenly
02:52we weren't really going to spend any time together.
02:55And I guess Justin just lent into that.
02:57And then in fact, we didn't meet till we meet in the film.
03:01And I don't, I mean, I don't know if stuff like that helps.
03:03It feels like it helps.
03:05You know, you're suspending belief making a film.
03:09And so anything that adds a sort of detail to that helps in some way.
03:14Was the getting you to tail Nick for a day also in the manifesto?
03:19That was a suggestion of his as well.
03:22Did he do anything interesting that day?
03:24No, not really.
03:24I mean, he's an interesting guy.
03:26I don't want to say he's not an interesting guy.
03:27He was shopping, going to a cafe.
03:30Oh, it's a shame he wasn't buying you anything.
03:35Yeah.
03:35How into true crime are you though?
03:37Like, are you, does this kind of story or these kinds of stories?
03:40Not hugely.
03:41I know it's quite popular at the moment.
03:42Yeah, massively.
03:43That's what I think this will do.
03:44I don't tend to, I don't tend to, yeah.
03:47I don't tend to follow it.
03:48I think, yeah, if I'm honest, I mean, this subject in particular really intrigued me.
03:56And the potential in the script, as I said, the potential in the role
04:02really was the thing that pricked my curiosity.
04:05I don't know.
04:05I feel like stuff like this triggers me so much when I watch it.
04:08And I guess it should.
04:09You should have a reaction, right?
04:10Yeah.
04:11Does it stay with you as well after you've done it?
04:13Making a film like this?
04:14Yeah.
04:15Honestly, the process is like a purge.
04:17So by the time you're done with it, and we worked so hard and over such a short period of time,
04:22I think we were all quite happy to kind of feel the job was done and we could walk away.
04:27Right.
04:27And you leave your feelings in the work.
04:32Yeah.
04:34I don't know whether it's because I'm British though and grown up here,
04:38but I always noticed the amount of gun.
04:40Obviously, there's a lot of gun use in here,
04:42because it's just something that I feel so uncomfortable with because we don't have it here.
04:47Yeah.
04:47How, because you're British, how do you, how comfortable do you feel about like?
04:52I'm not a big fan of guns.
04:54And I've over the years gotten to work with guns a lot and gun experts.
04:59And you have to go through all this sort of procedure and training and
05:02different elements of law enforcement in America use weapons in different ways.
05:07And some people have very healthy relationships with weapons in America.
05:11Some people clearly have very unhealthy relationships with weapons.
05:14I mean, I don't particularly enjoy, I don't get anything out of
05:18firing them or running around with them.
05:19But you're right.
05:20I mean, it's extraordinary.
05:22But I mean, it's no surprise because the number of them that are in use per head.
05:28Yeah.
05:28Is really an insanity at this point.
05:32No, yeah, I just, I think it is because we've grown up here and you're just not.
05:35So I know, like when I'm watching a film, we're very lucky.
05:38Yeah.
05:38You know, it's not to be taken for granted.
05:40No.
05:40And I know, listen, you didn't get to, you say, work with Nick that much until the very end,
05:45but you did with Ty a lot.
05:46And what was it like working with him?
05:48Because he's great.
05:48I haven't, God, I haven't like spoken to him in years now, it feels.
05:53But when did you, when do you know him from?
05:55Ready Player One.
05:56Ready Player One.
05:56Yeah, yeah.
05:57And Mud.
05:58Yes.
05:58He's wonderful.
05:58Many, many.
05:59Yeah, he's so good.
06:00He was wonderful.
06:00I mean, honestly, everyone, I'm looking at this poster behind you.
06:04Every one of the actors, and there are several who aren't on the poster.
06:08Everyone who came to this really brought a sense of emotional commitment and belief.
06:14And, you know, we were lucky enough to be on a, I mentioned Justin
06:19before and our writer, Zach Balin.
06:22It was a very collaborative piece and everyone came with a perspective and a sense of,
06:29a sense of personal kind of investment in their roles.
06:34And they were very well cast, but they really elevated what was on the page
06:38and were allowed to elevate what was on the page because of the collaborative nature of Zach.
06:42Yeah, you, you do a great job of disappearing into your roles in all honesty.
06:46Like this one is, like I said, it's so different to what I last saw you in.
06:50Must be the moustache.
06:51It's clearly the moustache and especially that it was real as well.
06:54Like that's clearly what did it.
06:56But no, your fabulous acting.
06:59Lovely to see you again.
07:00And you.