Timothée Chalamet / "Beautiful Boy"

sit tight, this is playback. Yeah, we have a breakfast clod More all right, So he's just gonna pop this real fast and you can tell me what you had for breakfast or something. Um this morning was what did I have for someoneing scrambled eggs, baking him? Um, balking up, bulking up. No, I'm not, but I was. I was for I was for the King and uh and uh wow. I literally don't look stress that camera right there almost anyway, it's distracting. Yeah, no, no, but that's a good. How

are you doing? Pretty good? Man? I've always lived another there or now no, well, thirteen years, it feels like always. No. I'm from beck, South North Carolina. Actually we're getting hammered right now, Charlotte. You from the hurricane. Oh sorry, college, No, that's what they are, that's true, but no, yeah, it's uh, the hurricane just just hit right now. Yeah, but the last couple of days or it was like the middle of the night. The I finally hit going really slow.

So that's the problem. It's a slow moving storm. But I've got family on the east side. I hung out on the west, on the west side of the state, grew up over there. I went to phone school over there, and so would you would you kind of school arts? Yes, no way, really, I have a lot of friends who go there. Lucas did. Yeah, Lucas went there for a year. I think a friend of me, Andrew Manning, that went there. It's actually not that cool here. It's fine, right, yeah,

I think it's fine. No, no no, no, sorry, I'm gonna put my phone here. Okay, we're recording everybody. I'm here with Timothy shallow May today, the star of Beautiful Boy, Uh, the star of countless movies. It feels like lately you're everywhere. Do you feel ubiquitous, by the way, do I feel whatsubiquitous? Do you feel like you're everywhere. I don't know what that word means. It means everywhere everywhere. Uh no, not not not right this second, No, not yet. Anyway, it's

a good thing. It's you know, you know, especially at the stage in your career. First of all, thank you very much for coming on the show. I really appreciate thank you for having me. I look through the uh list of who's been on here, and there's a lot of people I look up to. God. Yeah, had Greta insertsch on here last year. That was a fun one. I wanted to actually mention don't you probably don't remember this,

but we met actually on the set of Hostiles. Were actually in the Santa Fe hotel you were staying and you and John Majors came downstairs. You're about to go out for the night. And I was there to do a story like I was the journalist that was kind of walking around on Christian No, it was on just the production story on the movie. Oh my gosh, Wow, I was there for a couple of days. Yeah. Um, that was a crazy hotel or not crazy, but it

was interesting. It was interesting, it was nice, but um, that was like pre Sundance called me by your name that was. That was a great experiencing, a great project to work on. Like I said, Christian was on it. Christian always one of my favorite actors, so you know, I dropped drop a line and seen sometimes just watching him act. And I'm not kidding about that. People that have actually seen the movie will go, but wait a second.

You only have like two speaking scenes in it, and I'm here to say there were more, but they're just not in the movie. Yes, Cooper is a body of mindself. He's absolutely awesome. But I remember that Jonathan like we were. We were like really tight on that thing because um, because you kind of both played similar like inciliary roles to Mr Baale. Did you see White Boy Rick? No? I haven't, and I love career. I wept after my

White audition. Actually I wept after my White Boy Rick audition. Yeah, it was only well know, I've been very upset after things,

but I've never wept after an audition. But that was something where I came in like super charged up, and they didn't want they weren't auditioning anybody in their twenties, let alone actors, because you really wanted to find like you think of seventy one which is Yhon's other movie that I'm really crazy about too, And that wasn't Jack O'Connell's first movie, but it was one of his first movies. It wasn't his first. I don't know. I think Startup

might have been. Yeah, yeah, really've been mentalon yeah yeah, um but yeah not so. I haven't seen an yet, but I'm but I'm dynaste. I'm kinda has in it too, and tell your right. Actually, actually I wanted to start there with, you know, just your year last year. You could take me through it because it was obviously like it was a whirlwind year for you. You had called me by your name, you had Ladybird, you had hostiles as well, and you ended up with the Oscar nomination.

And you know, people don't realize that when you debut a movie and sun Dance and you're still with it, you know, thirteen fourteen months later promotion wise, essentially, like you know, through the Oscar season. That's a huge haul and this is the start of your career essentially. So what was that year like for you looking at in the hall in the sense of like just the just the workout put the work and just the length of

time that you're with that, you're with a movie. Yeah, exactly. No, that was the not irony any week, because that wouldn't I feel like I'm playing negativeness to it, and it really wasn't. But it was a it was an exercise in keeping it fresh or certainly like when I was talking about the movie, particularly because um, I remember a friend of mine being a movie had I was really league crazy about and like and telling him how much it had affected me. And he wasn't in genuine that's

not a word, well whatever the opposite of genuine. He wasn't in genuine in any way. Um, But he had just heard it so many times that like I always uh not that I heard so many times. But I just remember that moment thinking, Okay, he's not purposefully rubbing anyone in the negative way, but I that you know,

I wanted I never wanted anyone to think that. Um. And to this day, like, there's so much gratitude for that movie and for the for the experience of that movie, for the fact that the movie exists almost in a vacuum, but then the fact that a lot of people, and especially like young people saw it and connected with it. That's really that was that was really a dream come true. And saw him going a little off topic here because you said, what was I like to do, you know,

fourteen fifteen months? And the truth is, like, it was all That's what I was saying at the time. It's really how I feel about it now. It was all just uh so thrilling and so new and uh uh. And I was with the Army and Luca, who I knew very well, um that it it always simply felt like a dream come true. And that's the thing. That's kind of what I was saying last year, but I

wasn't being in genuine again. And but I will say that's you know, we did our first interview I think it was the Wall Street Journal with Felix and Steve Carrell, Felix not going again for Beautiful Boy, and it was really odd not knowing exactly how Army or Luca would have answered the questions. Um. Obviously they were not literally Army and Luca, but um, but it was all very

new and uh um. I think for Army and Luca because they had been on other press runs before, and certainly Army had been on like things like a Lone Ranger press run or alf muncle these bigger things. I think they were aware of how long it was last year, but I'm realizing now, like, oh that wasn't that's not your go around each time, you know, and especially in the way the movie is received, because that's really a UM I would hope that's really a special film. So

disingenuous might be the word you're looking for. The wow man, that's like not a hard word to know. So did you know? I did not know? You you googled your brain? You're like, am I going to bring it out? Like Lady Bird as well? You know, I wanted to talk about Grettaly. That was her first solo stint as a director. I'm just curious what you learned from director like Gretta. You're gonna be working with her again on Little Women, So I don't know. It's it's um got him horribly

rambley sometimes. So I tried for myself a little bit before. But I know what I learned, not even you know, maybe I would direct something some days, So I guess it's not in the context of acting anyway. But her confidence on the set of Ladybird, and that doesn't mean an abrasive confidence, that doesn't mean like stepping on people's toes or I mean it's a movie. She could she could have done whatever she wanted. But um but I mean like like she wanted to describe it. Yeah, she

knew et she she knew what she wanted. It's this amazing thing I found with Luca and Felix who directed Beautiful Boy as well, where they know exactly what they want and yet they it's more about like putting you on the pathway or or or illuminating the bounds for you, whether it's a moment in a scene or what it seems about, than it is like do this exactly, and there's nothing wrong with that other way, but um um.

And certainly sometimes it has to come to bed where where down to a line reading and director will be like, hey, this is just how it has to be. But um but it was really your confidence and and I guess the way I would clarify as like confidence without like an abrasive self assuredness really just like I'm here to make my movie and I know exactly how I wanted to go. And also all making a movie this is a privilege, Like I lived the photos on seat of

Lady Bird. I'm not I'm not in the scene but for prom where Gretta was in a prom dress herself or I think when we were shooting, uh Jenna's character played by Odeya rush Um or O'Day's character Jenna played by Odea rush Um. Um we were shooting in that house, you know scene where I'm reading the book outside I'm smoking a cigarette. Um. I just remember because that house really had a great mc mansion vibe to it. I smoke.

Gretta was going for like like wealth, but not with specific not with not with specificity, um uh like the joy and just like walking around that house with Gretta or her confidence. And in addition to I guess and I guess maybe that's why they're so palatable and compatible to each other. Um like search and uh searchers confidence too is a similar like non abrasion and like, I guess that's the best kind of confidence to be around.

It's like when people aren't like flaming you with it and um and yeah, they were just so in sync at all times. Um and not again not with like not like we're so in sync, We're so confident this movie is gonna take off. And but but rather like yeah, we're telling the story I want to tell exactly. I mean even um, I remember UM because I was still shooting Hustles at that point. I think that's why I started later, or it was just simply the manner of

the shooting schedule. But they shot three weeks of Lady Burger before I even got to set it, before I got to l A and and Sacramento shoot it and um, and they basically had shot out Luca's head just u bit. I remember getting set and literally like the first Dad and Gretta being like, God, it's all going so well, We're having such a good time, like ready for you to keep it up kind of thing. I was like, oh God, like this is super scary, and I went

and visited set. In that scene where Lauren mac hapf says my mother was an abusive alcoholic, which I think is one of the most moving lines and most moving scenes of the movie, where Lederberg very valiantly says, like, you don't have to be mad and mean to me

all the time. Her mother says, you know, you don't understand my circumstance, or you don't understand what is you know, your circumstances things difficult but it's not like what mine with something like along those lines, and visited said I was watching that. I like, I went back to the hotel like an anxiety crisis. You know. I was like, oh, man, I gotta I gotta make sure that I don't drop the ball here. You did, all right, thank you. Let's

talk about Beautiful Boy, which is this year jam. You know, this is based on two memoirs by Nick Cheff and his father, and it's about Nick's uh, you know, struggle with substance abuse and addiction, and uh, you know what I what I first wanted to ask was I assume you met Nick, and I'm curious what meeting him did to unlock what you were doing to portray him absolutely well, meeting him wasn't um being introduced to him for the first time, because when I met him, I guess I

had read Beautiful Boy and Tweak already like four months before that or something, and I had the role at that point when I was already I don't know configuring how I I was hoping to play it. And uh, the thing that struck me was he is an extraordinary spirit and a huge warmth of character, if that makes any sense, And that's how he's described and beautiful boy from the lens of David, his father. Um, And I think maybe it's literally in David's writing, but it's an

assumption of the reader too. You might go, like any parent, they may be project, the not project, but you we we not we. I'm not a parent, but I I assume that his parents, like you, see the best in your kids. Right. But in meeting him, I really went, oh, wow, this is really an incredible human being. And like, like I said, the extraordinary spirit and the warmth of his character and his wit and his his his quick way

you can see the machinery in his mind at pace. Um, that was ah enlightening just just to meet him as a person. And then as it relates to the film and playing it, he immediately and hanging out with him said something along the lines of, you know, this is a representation of my family's life and story. I don't expect this to be exactly what it was, and a by the laws of reality it never could be because

we're not them. But um, but to hear that was like, man, um, what a gift because it became about it became about not doing anything that was disingenuous about about it was. It was about not doing anything that'd be disingenuous to him as a character. I think Steve felt the same way as David and him as a human rather um and uh and secondarily to the story and the relationships within the story, but then all things mannerisms and the way he speaks. It was understood that we weren't doing

a biopic. And then to take those two bounds per se uh where the middle hope late after that was in representing h and A universally relatable and that doesn't mean like playing things up the middle, but rather just being and just playing, um, this story out And I'm

not going to a little bit of rambler. I think it's a subject you've probably you might bring up anyway, But um, that's what's apparent to me now and seeing having seen it a number of times, beautiful boy and um, and in talking to people that I've seen it is I know that I had the impression, and I think Steve at the impression. I think a lot of people on the set at the impression that we were doing it like, um, very real. And I know it's a very cliche and actory thing to say but I didn't

know what I meant by that. And certainly I could look at movies like Heaven Knows What and Christiane f And and I could go, but wait a second, that's like raw drug addiction. And I know we didn't. I know we didn't top those movies. Nor was that our ambition um in that regard and like raw depiction of what that experience would be. But then it became clear

to me. If you have like Heaven Knows What on one side of spectrum, and you have a movie like Train Spotting on the other side of spectrum, one that doesn't necessarily glorify but whatever treat you know, there's there's quick cuts. Yeah, it's heightened. I don't even knows what. Like I said, it's really raw. I think I stand by that real thing because I think and I think this is what um You know, audience has been having

a very positive reaction to it. But some it is a it is a A it's it's it is what it is, what it is, it's about what it is. And I guess that's my point, is like that's where I feel we found Our realness is um um or, our our authenticity is um in that we didn't tragify,

nor did we glorify. And that goes down to the relapse structure of it where I think some audiences maybe go, wait a second, this doesn't match a three part arc or three part narrative um or or like other movies, or like like especially movies on a bigger scale UM. But I feel that's the point. That's the reality of addiction.

And and similar to the way Tweak is written Mick Chef's book and UH in a distinctly present tense sense where everything is moment to moment and there's no conception of the future of the past, I think that's the reality of the movie. Is like down to not really foreshadowing things, which is slightly foreshoinding them. It's like, that's the reality, or you know, I gonna be cavalier or anything. I don't want to you got a turn, But that seems to be the reality of what this thing is.

That actually speaks to what I was going to ask next, which is you know, And I guess I should say, you don't have to answer this because it's a personal question, but I'm curious if there was anything personal in your life that you drew on for this, I mean the immediate context being a son and a family. Um. And that's not a dodge because like first and foremost, I

feel like this movie is about family and uh. And that's why I think audience members that aren't related to however, don't have an experience related to this in any way, can still tap into it because it's about what makes us family members. It's about what makes us a father, if we are a father and a family, or a mother or a stepmother brought into a family dynamic, or a son, what it means to be a son, what

it means to be a sibling. And these are universally relatable questions and themes um uh that I'm presenting maybe like not boring, but I'm just like listening them right now. But truly, like, I really hope people see this movie because, like I said, independent of addiction, that's this is some of the strongest um themes around it. And then more specifically to what you're alluding to, my experience in life doesn't come close to Nick's. And yet I am twenty two.

I was born Um, I was gonna say I grew up in New Rope, but that's actually irrelevant because the drug crisis in this country right now, in particular the opiate crisis. I need to be better researched as far as like exact areas or demographics. But I know Staten Island, for instance, in New York um in large part because of the great health insurance of unions there, I don't

see in large part. But that's just what I've read in an article somewhere um or that I hope is legit and uh and uh and just across the country, the easy access to opiates. Um. You know you read it's not like you know, you don't get it on a like a corner of the street somewhere. It's uh, I've read somewhere too. It's like often family members or family friends, like that's where it begins. And I don't I don't want to make this, you know, it's so

it's associated. I mean. And also I really want to be educational about this, not in the name of not being born, but simply like I don't want to be cavalier and acting like I'm the I would never have any sort of Yeah, let me tweak it. Let me just say, like, you know, just you as a craftsman, as an as an artist. Is it easier for you to personalize or is it easier to conjure what you're doing? That's a really a great question. I feel like, um,

I think it's a fine line. I think like being in drama school, you think of like Stanislavski or whatever, and you get this impression like I must be of one technique or one way of doing this, and I think like I had this amazing freshman year a teacher at my high school that was all about like, you know, tearing yourself down and getting rid of bad habits and

when have you? And then this amazing self when your teachers got Harry Shipman that actually got beamed into the Occars last year you did like a short video and uh, and he you know, he was all about truth as well and breaking bad habits, not you know, not reverting to tricks and you're acting. But he was also about like making it live. And I really like that because to me, I would take a bad movie or like

an insulting movie any day over a boring movie. And uh, and I'm sorry I'm giving a long winded answer here, but like as it relates to um, as you put it, like ah, accessing parts of yourself or channeling or whatever,

or immersing into something else. I think I've I sit somewhere in the middle with my biggest focus always being that whatever my process is cannot become a distraction other people on set because that would be um unprofessional, But secondarily cannot be a distraction to yourself and to myself. And truly I am not one of um the proponents of like having to uh we've your flag of struggle to validate your work in any way. And I think that's actually a I want to see dangerous because this

is an awesome industry. We're all right, like it'd be working, and they're like actually actual dangerous things out there. But I believe that. Ah. I don't even know if masochistics right word, but um, I think Christian Bale would like this answer, by the way, I think it's it sounds a lot like you know, I'm just reminded of speaking of him earlier, and I had him on the show last year and he had similar things to say. Essentially, he boiled down to I don't even know what I do.

That's absolutely I don't you know, if I could put it very simply in a way that I wish Christian. I don't know what I do, but I know when it's not working. Yeah, let's talk about Steve Carrell briefly. You know, I'd love to hear just about working with him. He's a huge source of the emotion in this movie. Obviously. I can't remember how many scenes you have together. I mean quite a few, obviously, but just talk about working

with him in the movie. What a joy I mean, Um, I've said this in interviews with him, I have said it to him, and it's really true. Like, I was a huge fan of the Office before I started working with them, and like I think any actor in New York in that time period, like as he was doing Fox Catcher and the Big Shore movies like that, we were all like, I'm so excited that he was doing

such amazing work. And uh, I think like with Army, with Matthew McConaughey, with Sersha, with Greta, Like when you work with people you're fans of prior to UM, I guess theres a little bit nervousness because you want to get over that you don't want Like my favorite thing I've heard about the Beautiful Boy posters, it just looks like you're happy to be in a picture of Steve Carroll and I don't disagree, Like, I think that's not wrong, but U but you want to like you know this

or that as much as you can. And yet the joy of like working with someone that you're already a fan of, or someone who's like in the public eye or something, is in a scene with them, you don't really ever go into your own head because you're so

locked into what they're doing. And uh. And certainly with Steve, maybe he would, you know, contradict me in this regard, but I've said this to him, but I truly believe like um, as a result of the fact that he is, you know, like a total master of improv and like a legend of the improv scene in Chicago and New York Second City. He I believe, like like myself, has

like a yes and approach to acting. And UH for this kind of movie that was such a gift because it was the same thing will call me by her name with Army Like, UM, that's what turns me on as an as an audience member. When I watched movies watch plays. It goes back to a Joaquin Phoenix quote. They had an interview magazine, I think like four years ago, five years ago, and if I got that publication wrong,

forgive me. But he said, um, I'm not as interested in wearing different scarves as an actor and as much as I am chasing a certain feeling and I don't know what that feeling is, but I'm chasing it. And that's not the exact quote, but that's it was something along those lines. And I love that because, um, I like character work and I like I like, okay, you know,

taking your process seriously and all that. But at the end of the day, like I said, it was a lesson with shiftman and sophomore of high schools like make it Live and I think the Master the scene with Joaquin Phillips and the Master with the opposite each other and there's like that long take and Lakin, he's not allowed to blink and You're like, you know, he wasn't in his hotel room the night before, Like you know, this is how I'm not going to blink, like so

to study how to Yeah exactly, so yeah and Steve so sorry. Point being that Steve is like a total master at that and uh and really doesn't you know you can really throw anything at him, and it's funny now doing these interviews, doing some interviews with him, like having you engage in quick wit with him sometimes like I can't, I really can't keep up and uh, then yeah he's practiced. Um, you wrapped the King right with David me showed, Uh, you're playing Henry the Fifth and

that is that what the haircut is? That is That's what I assumed. I was. I was wondering if they would actually do the hair that we were seen in the art, with the fact that it made me so uncomfortable before doing it, and h I don't know, maybe it's not a good quality of character, but it was like, you know what, this scares me so much, like let's do it and you gotta die you're scared. And also like that it felt like okay, you know to me, Um,

I'm I can't not know. I felt that now I'm not doing that going third person Jesus um the Uh. It felt like it felt like a nice test of like, Okay, you're you're claiming to be a serious actor, Like really you're scared of the haircut because that was the factual accuracy the period was. I don't know why. I don't know what people are thinking in the thirteen hundreds. But you know what I can bury to say, I doubt

people are gonna be rock And bowl cuts. That was like my least favorite, Like even before I got it, I was that's like the one everyone's you know, always like it's like the funny cut. It's a bowl cut. So oh god, I'm just happy now it's it's stunned. How about playing that Shall Pass? It was so wonderfully challenging, and um, the young man and me and the young actor and me that's still learning, um and is soaking

up information and studying up people around me work. That was the best thing I could have done for myself was that movie. And I think it's even like Call Me by My Name or something. It's a hallmark of a hopefully uh a good story in a good film or something when you feel a little out of you know, out of your comfort zone. And that's I need more

as a professional. There was more anxiety in that regard because I feel like I could have done something that it was more expect expectant or something after last year. But I really when I read that script, I thought, oh wow, this isn't this is like an actor's actor's role and in the legacy of it, Kenneth browna playing at Lawrence Olivier, the fact that I, as an American, I get to go over there and playing playing English king. It was all, um, it was all really really beautifully challenging.

And then also when we talked about Christian Um, it was really good to play a role where as opposed to Elo would call me by her name, who's on the precipice of like understanding himself in some way and having a sexual awakening, and as opposed to Nick Cheff, who is like moment to moment just trying to get by somebody like um good prince how and not even necessarily specific to his character as represented in the Shakespeare plays or as it is understood that he was in

real life, but simply as a consequence of being in that kind of position as a king and went alone at a young age, at a very young age, required like a channeling of stoicism and a muted nous that is not very close to me as an actor, and that's not I don't mean like proprove myself in any way there, because when you're auditioning, it's not my instinct and also not that you're trying to be entertaining or anything, but if you've been auditioning for things for years, it's

like how to make this live? But that's an amazing thing about hostiles. Like I remember there's a scene with Rosmin Pike by the fire at night and I was there because I am cleaning my gun in that scene, and and I wrapped that night and I hadn't looked at the monitor of the entire shoot, but I was like, Okay, maybe I'll watch like two or three takes of Christians coverage and uh, And it was just I was so floored by the fact that he didn't reach for anything.

He was stoic. He was what have you? And that's

kind of insane. And and I really believe it's a consequence of you know, being in these lead role for years with strong dramatic integrity, because it's about what the reality of the situation would be for that character, and that would I would guess maybe I'm totally riffing here, but like playing something like that man would help in that regard to because the aesthetic and the nature of it is so um I want to say commercial, but but beloved that you don't have to worry about spicing

it up in any way. And that's what was so amazing on Hostiles, and that's what that's what ultimately I was like for the King and playing Henry the Fifth. I thought, Okay, that's gonna be so challenging to channel that thing. But that's exactly why I should do it, because because in the vacuum it is challenging. But then be as I progressed in my career, you know, a

role like knick Chef and Beautiful Boy. Again not in the name of being entertaining, but simply by the fact that scenes sometimes where he's using or he's agitated, it's way more electric and something like that, especially like male roles as you think they get older. You know, I don't want to say stoicism, but like a certain rooted nous is uh not key. I mean in any way you can, I can shoot whatever, people can play whatever

they want. But but anyway, yeah, I guess yeah. And then if there's anything to say about it yet, I'm curious about Dune with the new Villa Noeuve. I mean, that's a big role in a movie. I mean I like the way I like the way you said that, and like, I wish people listening to this can see the smile on my face right now because I'm just so so deeply excited to do that and big fan

of the book, A big fan of the book. And um, I'll admit I wasn't I it's not like something that I had read before I was aware of the project. But you know from my uncle, and it's a lot of people I know, I know through their youth and Deny himself and just like parents and friends have been saying it to me now already. It's just like that

was the book of my youth. And I'm not revealing anything here, and I'm thinking I think I actually read Denise said in an interview, but he said this to me, which was like, if I could make one more movie and that's it, it would be this. And when you hear that, like, that's a big thing for me now, and I got I pray, like, um, I'm able to stick to this mode of thinking. But I'm gonna speak horribly self referentially here, so people listening to this might

be bored or something. But like, when I think of miss Stevens, that's Julia Hart that she wrote that she had written that five years earlier. It is based on her experience as a teacher and uh and fostering like helpful relationships with some of the students she had. And for me, the role was playing it couldn't you know, finding drama as a medium of expressing and therapeutically revealing himself in high school. So that was like her spirit

maybe interest in that, and mine was too. Then I think of like Hot Summer Nights, which I did right after that lasta behind this movie that took him three years to write or or the three year process to get it made, and that was like his baby too. And I think of Prodigal Son, which is playing I did in New York, like John Patrick Shanley, that is

his life story for him. That is like, uh, either the third or second party to either the it's it's it's it's supposed to be direct, it's supposed to be right after doubt in his kind of like cannon of works about himself were inspired by his life. And then after that was Call Me by Her Name, which Peter Spiers, a producer, took eight years to make. It was shot

in Lucas Town. Like I believe, there's so many elements of that movie that Luca expressively and masterly masterfully put in, and I also believe it was a beautiful consequence of just being in an environment that was an extension of him.

And I think of A Hostiles, But then I think of Ladybird, where it was regret his life story, you know, And then I and and not not not literally your life story, but deeply inspired by And then I think A Beautiful Boy that Felix had worked on for six years, and that Jeremy Kleiner, the producer, has been trying to get made for ten years. And then I think of Dune and like I want to keep and then the

King to elements of that tune. But I think a Dune like I want to work on these things that people are or the directors rather are like not directing with like cool ideas they have, but added like their

spirit or something. Um. And that's the impression I had when I met with Denny I remem at the Camp Film Festival this year, like uh uh a. I had the impression I was speaking with someone that was like way smarter than I am, and which is like whatever, may I feel that a lot, but like but especially with him and uh, and also that thing like I said that he said about being so passionate about it. I just thought, I always like The Dark Knight made me want to act. I've said that many times before.

But um uh, I've loved working on these behavior based character dramas. That's what really got me into acting was seeing Death of Sales and Broad Up by Philip si more Offman and Andrew Garfield, or a movie like James White, a movie like Punched on Glove, like these are real intimate things. But ultimately was The Dark Knight. You know, like I want to make a big thing and I but I always told myself, like, that's gonna totally come

down to director. And if it was something like Cristopher Nolan, that would do it in two seconds, never something like Danny. You know, it's like such a no brainer. And I was gonna say one more thing in that regard, which is simply that um that in reading the book too, and the fact that not only is a piece of sci fi literature, but almost as like American literature, it's so well respected and regarded, like you can find it in like school libraries kind of thing. Um. In combination

with Denny in the ways approaching it. I don't I think that. I think that's scary for actors in green screen and all that is. I don't think. I don't think my intelligence. I don't think my I don't think

I'm ever gonna feel like silly doing it. I don't think I'm gonna like look at a space suit and be like, you know, I won't feel like Michael Keaton the way the character is playing in Birdman as it relates to like Birdman um simply because like I said, it's that the book itself is such a literary pedigree. And also Denny is like really one of my favorite filmmakers, and I hope I can bring some sort of like,

um whatever good energy to it. And and yeah, I'm like just so tremendously excited to get going on that. What does that star that's March at this point in February, February or March or even a little bit later. I don't think they exactly know yet either. Cool, good luck

on that when it comes. And then I wanted to close, I guess, you know, on on a more serious note, I guess, but I just wanted to talk about the me Too movement and you know, you donated your salary from the Woody Allen film that's upcoming to a number of causes around that realm. And I just what I'm curious about is if you feel like there's a sense within your generation. I mean, you're part of this young

generation coming up in this business. Is there a sense to be proactive like that to that that that it's a house that needs cleaning in any way? Does that does that feel certainly? I don't know if the house is show business um, showing more like the world or the United States right now. UM. I think that was the curse and maybe the blessing of the last election we had is I think people are invigorated politically in

a way that um, is it natural. I remember taking a government class and school and they were telling us that in Australia's and there's a requisite to vote, and that was very surprising because in the States, I think some and then more specifically of what you're talking about, I think certainly like um um, I've heard things like activist generation before um and uh. And it's exciting to be a part of that moment and to be an

ally to it. And I think of like a Maggie Nelson quote where she says, like it's something along these lines are really do not want to butcher it in any way, but like, how convenient It's something along the lines of how convenient do social progressive movements find there ah voice piece with a straight white male or something like that is. And so I'm weary of in that regard because I don't want to ever make it seem

like UM to be cavalier in that regard. But certainly like, yeah, that's a there's a cleaning house feeling within here, But also like for America in general, let's not end there. Let me actually ask, let me ask how I call me about you? Okay? Is that is this happening? Is this is this man happen? Or I want it happened so badly, And I think armies into UM finally, in like I believe, you know, Luca really wants to do it too, and Andre is really open to it. The author,

I really see no reason why it wouldn't happen. And I really have all the faith in Luca and Andrea that they could I was gonna say, cook up, it's almost like crass or something like that they will be able to devise something that is really special and uh, you know that really really excites me. And and certainly I think would be years away, and I think it's probably a smart thing. Um. Otherwise you gotta what play, you gotta play up you would play every something. I

don't think that would be good. And also um also um, like it just seems like a gift or something. I mean I talked about this with Luca. I'm not gonna stay here. I really want to say it here. There's a there's a musician. Let's just say that there's a musician that I really have a fondness of maybe playing. And my idea would be to do a bit now

and is it a musician that you resemble? Yes, absolutely, um and um, and to do a bit now, shoot a bit uh maybe two three years from now, and then shoot another bit to three years from the boyhood was so awesome. And I don't believe we really have seen something uh uh pabomash that formula yet except Link Ladders other movies with Ethan Hawk movies, Yeah, exactly, the before movies. So for trilogy. So that's really excited me.

That like what I think of I don't want to reveal on my trick here, but like I think of that project and I think after done, I have an idea of my sleeve too, And I you know, this is like so perceptious or something, but I'm having like putting together an email the PTA over like the last month.

I'm just like gathering all the reference points and I want to send it to the staft you brothers, to like of something that like after Dune, that would be really really like raw and uh, because that's the irony of working on The King and Dune, and um is not the irony because I'm really grateful to have worked on both and I can't wait for people to see The King and do them so excited to work on But those are epic arcs and epic stories, and uh, the irony being in a way that maybe in the

late nineties it couldn't have happened. But I did like two indies that were like very small, intimate behavior based traumas, and those were the launching points of sorts. So I don't want to Like The King was like a great acting role, so I want to do that, And Dune it's just like, oh, on what we didn't you want to work on a big movie. I want to. I want to. I want to work on that book and play the deep, but but I don't want to, like

straight too far from the raw thing too. Um. I think like Adam Sandler or something, and he's gonna work with his half you brothers right now. And he called uncut Gems. It's it's just like the script so crazy. Um. And he's like the great example to me of he's in a lot of comedies that we know of, but when he taps into that punch rung g love like

we can do it. He's meerwos Merwood Stories. My friend Graceman Patten was in that played played his daughter U. So yeah, all I'm thinking about is who this musician can be. I don't think it's Jeff Buckley because he doesn't have a long career. Honestly, obviously, I'm thinking about Bob Dylan. Okay, I think I've got a silent answer there. Well, good luck with that Manefit it's not Bob Dylan, but it's not not him because I don't want to. It sounds very Todd Haynes. Okay, now I'll let you off.

I think it's actually even I think it would be less surprising to you than this. Okay, maybe a little maybe a little off the rector's talk. We'll talk about the record, but for now, everyone should go see A Beautiful Boy. I think it'll be out by the time this comes out, and all these other projects you got lined up. Looking forward to all of it. Man, I'm good luck with you. Thank you again for coming on

the show. Now, thank you liking. Uh really, if anybody still listening to this, I'm sorry that I don't know this. I don't know how to do this. So it's perfect, okay, and you're gonna get better Okay. Thanks again, dude. Shot