Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Friday 27 OctOber 2017

Q&A: Kidman, Farrell on the

surrealism of ‘Sacred Deer’

By JAKE COYLE talk to the big talk. I’m not “I’m embarrassed. Don’t
AP Film Writer a big talker, am I? do that.”
TORONTO (AP) — Greek Kidman: He’s quiet. He’s an Kidman: I think I embar-
director Yorgos Lanthimos’ introvert, but not in his film- rassed him a lot.
movies aren’t the sort that making. Farrell: It takes habituated
typically attract a stam- AP: Nicole, how did you first behavioral responses and
In this Sept. 9, 2017 photo, writer-director Yorgos Lanthimos, pede of Hollywood A-listers. connect with Yorgos? pushes them to the side. It
background center, and cast members of “The Killing of a
Sacred Deer,” from left, Barry Keoghan, Nicole Kidman and His films, which he writes Kidman: I pursued him re- kind of presents subtext as
Colin Farrell pose for a portrait during the Toronto International with Efthymis Filippou, are lentlessly and he finally reality and so you don’t
Film Festival in Toronto. deadpan, midnight-black gave in. have to play subtext at all.
Associated Press comedies that carry out Yorgos: You like saying It feels to me to be a really
grim allegorical absurdities that. I turned her down for honest world.
to extreme ends. Charac- 50 films. AP: Yorgos, the title refers to
ters speak stiltedly in cli- Kidman: We had met. We Euripides’ “Iphigenia in Au-
ches while an intensifying had food together and lis.” How related to Greek
menace envelopes them. chatted. That was a nice tragedy do you consider
Things get weird and then meeting. Then we had sort the film?
they get brutal. And yet of a texting relationship. Farrell: He had a genetic
Lanthimos is not only a reg- I was doing a play in Lon- disposition to arrive there
ular on the festival circuit don. He told me about the and he couldn’t avoid it.
(his latest, “The Killing of a script. I said, “That sounds Lanthimos: These are mat-
Sacred Deer” premiered interesting, Yorgos.” ters that we’ve been con-
at the Cannes Film Festival) AP: How did you describe cerned with since ancient
but he has earned an Oscar the film to your cast, Yor- years but they’ve actu-
nomination (for the script to gos? ally become more taboo.
“The Lobster”) and drawn Farrell: “It’s 104 pages of I get a sense that this film
eager stars like Nicole Kid- joy!” I loved it. It was re- upsets people because of
man, Colin Farrell, Rachel markably different from the themes and the story.
Weisz and Emma Stone. “The Lobster,” in tone, but It did puzzle me in the be-
“The Lobster,” a warped also existing in a grossly id- ginning how much people
comedy of single life, was iosyncratic world. It was a are scandalized by being
even a surprise box-office mystery to me, as “The Lob- shown certain situations.
success, earning $9.1 mil- ster” was. It’s very seldom It’s even more impres-
lion in 2016 — pretty good for me that you get to read sive when you realize that
for a low-budget movie in writing that is so remark- similar stories used to be a
which loners are hunted in ably unique. The only other more common thing.
the woods or turned into time that I had a similar AP: Why do you think that
the animal of their choos- feeling was with Martin Mc- is?
ing. “The Killing of a Sa- Donaugh (“In Bruges”). Lanthimos: I think we’ve be-
cred Deer,” which stars Keoghan: It was a weird come very conservative.
Kidman and Farrell and film, a weird script, but I We elevate as important
features the breakthrough loved it. It’s a different kind certain things and then
performance of Irish actor of acting, you know? You others we consider them
Barry Keoghan, opened don’t act in it. It was just a taboo and we don’t touch
last weekend with similarly challenge. I think he hates them. There’s a facade in
packed art-house theaters. actors, as well. general that we try to use
Farrell and Kidman play the AP: Is it acting? It’s certainly to seal ourselves from cer-
parents of a suburban fam- a different kind of perfor- tain things. I don’t have
ily terrorized by a young mance. answers but just to poke a
man (Keoghan) who’s a Kidman: He doesn’t like certain nerve.
vague figure of comeup- “acting,” am I right? He al- AP: Did the experience of
pance come to force Far- ways says, “Stop acting.” making the film mimic the
rell’s heart surgeon to kill Lanthimos: What do you story’s trajectory from com-
one of his two children as mean? There’s a lot of act- edy to bleakness?
retribution for an earlier sin. ing everywhere, all over Farrell: If you scream into
Earlier this fall at the Toronto the place. (Laughs) the wind for 12 hours with-
International Film Festival, Kidman: He says, “You’re out anyone around, you’re
Lanthimos, Kidman, Farrell doing too much. Stop it.” going to be a little bit in-
(who also starred in “The Farrell: The best direction sane for at least another
Lobster”) and Keoghan in 20 years of doing this 12.
gathered to discuss their job I’ve ever heard is him We almost shot in continu-
surreal and divisive film, screaming from a monitor ity so it got darker and it got
and the peculiarities of act- to an actor: “Stop trying to bleaker and it got weight-
ing in a Lanthimos film. be so naturalistic!” ier the closer we got to a
AP: I’m guessing from your Lanthimos: Because that’s decision that’s made in the
films, Yorgos, you don’t the worst! You see the ef- film. I was depressed by the
much care for small talk. fort of someone trying to end. It got under my skin for
Lathimos: I prefer the small be like real life. You go, sure.q