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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
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