Photo by Maarten de Boer/Contour by Getty Images
When we recently put out a call for entries for our preview giveaway, we were inundated with emails from many people who had applied to see the movieUnder the Silver Lake'.
A coming-of-age film that was entered in the 2010 Cannes International Film Festival and won the Special Jury Prize at the SXSW Film Festival, "American Sleepover," a new kind of horror film that has gained a reputation as aIt FollowsThis latest film, directed by David Robert Mitchell, who also directed the film "The Last of Us," will open nationwide on Saturday, October 13.
HOUYHNHNM's conducted a solo online interview with Andrew Garfield, one of America's leading actors in the lead role in Under the Silver Lake.
For those of you who have forgotten who Andrew Garfield is, let me explain. For those of you who have forgotten, Andrew Garfield was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in David Fincher's "The Social Network" (2010). He played Father Rodrigo in Martin Scorsese's "Silence: Silence" (16), which starred many Japanese actors including Yosuke Kubozuka and Tadanobu Asano, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in Mel Gibson's war drama "Hacksaw Ridge" (16).
In other words, he is an actor who is recognized by many well-known directors as an acting talent, as well as an iconic face of America despite his British upbringing, as he played Spider-Man in the "Amazing Spider-Man" series (12 and 14), a reboot of the "Spider-Man" series.
In this film, a unique and intense worldview is blasted through from beginning to end, and Andrew Garfield himself is breaking new ground to match the roller coaster ride.
What does Andrew Garfield, the "Hollywood star" who is supposed to be nothing like Sam, who is smart but a bit pathetic, really mean when he says that he has something in common with Sam? We asked him about the sensitive world of role-playing.
This film felt like a comedy and a suspenseful one at the same time. What was it like to play the role?
Andrew Garfield (Andrew): Indeed, this film is a comedy, a suspense, a mystery and a thriller. It is a film that mixes many elements, but it also has a certain simplicity. If I were to use an analogy, I would say that it is like a combination of "The Goonies" and a David Lynch film. . However, my feelings as a performer are exactly the same as when I act in other genres.
In other words, I wanted to "play it real". This film is very different and crazy, but I wanted the audience to feel Sam as a real person that I played. The "strange but realistic events" that Sam faces in the story are the same as what can happen in real life. The strange things that happen to Sam that we don't understand but have to face anyway overlap with our own lives, and I wanted to make that part of Sam's life realistic. I really enjoyed playing Sam, and I love the work of director David Robert Mitchell.
What was the deciding factor in your decision to appear in the film?
Andrew: I would have to say that it was because this is a David Robert Mitchell film . . and also because the script was wonderful. It was a very unique script. I think it's hard these days to get a story like this made into a movie, and it's rare to find a script that has such a very clear creative vision. . I love the director's vision, and I really wanted to work with him. . On the other hand, I can't really explain why I wanted to do it. I feel that the mysteriousness of not being able to explain the decisive factor is somehow connected to the mysteriousness of this film.
I know that empathy is not always necessary, but what do Sam and Andrew Garfield have in common?
Andrew: I think Sam and I are very similar in some ways. For example, I love conspiracy theories (laughs), and I'm very interested in things that I can't see, but I can sense something, and I think that's the same with Sam. Just as Sam wants to be at the center of the mystical world of Los Angeles, I want to connect with things, be at the center of everything, explore, and know something. We both love to think, "What does this mean?", "What is the meaning of life?", "What should we do?" etc.
I think that the character of a role is created not only by the role itself, but also by Andrew's curiosity about various things. What kind of communication did you have with the director to create this role?
Andrew: We didn't really talk much about the role, because it was all written in the script. We didn't talk much about why the director portrayed the character of Sam, or how he felt about writing the story. I think Mitchell probably wanted me to play the role in my own interpretation. We had a lot of conversations, and there were many great ones. . I don't think it was about the characters, but rather mostly about trusting each other and finding common ground. However, there is not much about his background in the script or in the room that Sam lives in during the play, and the director talked to me about that. Knowing Sam's background was very important to me .
. Indeed, we don't get to see what kind of life or character Sam had before the circumstances depicted in this film. I thought the director might be a geek, since the film is a condensation of various cultures such as NES and music...?
Andrew: Director Mitchell is a nerd, or rather, a very particular person. Whenever he disagrees with a vision, a plot, or a set design, he goes back and forth to perfect his vision. I was very impressed by his uncompromising attitude, and I was very inspired by it.
Why is Sam so obsessed with Sarah, the heroine with whom he spent only a few hours?
Andrew: I think it's because Sam is a child . So I don't think it's really adherence, but adherence to his own ideas about love that are immature and childish.
Like Sam, do you have a particular thing that you, Andrew, are obsessed with? (Laughs)
Andrew: I'm 35 years old now, so I try to be as mature as possible, because such immature adherence is not a pretty sight from the side (laughs).
Which would you rather play, a third-person role like this one, or a second-person role like Spiderman's?
Andrew: I don't have a preference. I think it changes every time depending on the mood. I think breakfast also changes depending on the mood, right? Like, "I want bacon and eggs today," or "I'll have granola today," or "I'm not very hungry today. In the same way, I think, "This time I want to play a hero," or "This time I want to play a villain," or "What aspect of myself do I want to explore? Acting, in a sense, is a profession that allows me to explore various aspects of myself, and I always feel very lucky to be able to do so.
While facing a role, Andrew Garfield tries to find a tunnel that leads to the role by digging into new aspects of himself, perhaps with more inquisitiveness and curiosity about himself and the world than most people. And this desire to know everything may be the source of something new. This interview made me feel that way.
Text_Shinri Kobayashi
Under the Silver Lake.
Oct. 13 (Sat.) in theaters
Director: David Robert Mitchell ("It Follows")
Cast: Andrew Garfield , Riley Keo and others
http://gaga.ne.jp/underthesilverlake/
