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PEOPLE & ARTS Monday 22 May 2017
With Bong leading the way, Gyllenhaal goes big in ‘Okja’

JAKE COYLE Take their meeting in New Tilda Swinton.) He’s a high-
AP Film Writer York in 2011. From the win- strung cocktail of neuroses
CANNES, France (AP) — dow of the apartment in cargo shorts. His voice,
Jake Gyllenhaal says he where they were talking, Bong suggested, should
was motivated by one they could see a couple mimic the highest, unplay-
goal above all others making out on a rooftop able registers of a guitar.
while shooting the fantasy below. “It was such a wide “There are a plethora of
“Okja”: making his Korean open space,” said Bong, these kinds of television
director giggle. laughing. “We put our mo- hosts and the oddity of
“It’s legitimately fun to get bile phones together.” how they behave, which
him to laugh off-camera,” The two were inevitably is speaking to children and
Gyllenhaal said in an inter- drawn together by their af- getting a certain amount
view alongside “Okja” di- finity for the strange and its of attention from that, and
rector Bong Joon-ho who intersection with comedy. being this broken child him-
was, naturally, chuckling “Okja” is a disturbing kind of self,” Gyllenhaal said. “So I
as Gyllenhaal spoke. “You fable in which a young girl think he misunderstands
know when you get the (An Seo Hyun) has raised a how he talks to people
giggle we’re going to print massive, genetically modi- because he’s so used to Actors Devon Bostick, from left, Jake Gyllenhaal and Lily Col-
it and move on.” fied pig named Okja. getting attention from be- lins pose for photographers upon arrival at the screening of the
The collaboration between Ten years on, the New York ing like (in kids-show host film Okja at the 70th international film festival, Cannes, southern
Bong and Gyllenhaal was conglomerate that manu- voice) ‘Hey!’ It’s sort of a France, Friday, May 19, 2017.
long in the making. They factured the animal comes performance on top of a Associated Press
had met occasionally since to the remote South Ko- performance all the time.” in a breathless high-pitch rector had his own ambi-
2007, shortly after Bong’s rean mountains to retrieve Recalling his direction to after climbing a mountain, tion: to be part of the can-
debut, “The Host,” intro- its invention, one intended Gyllenhaal for a scene in Bong cringes a little. “Sorry, on of wild, unrestrained Gyl-
duced him as a filmmaker to provide a new profitable which he wheezes heavily Jake,” he says. But the di- lenhaal performances.q
capable of singular genre source of genetically modi-
creations. fied food.
“So many strange things Gyllenhaal, in a perfor-
happen whenever we’ve mance that will rank along-
met,” Gyllenhaal said short- side any of the actor’s
ly after “Okja” premiered in previous extremes, plays a
competition at the Cannes television zoologist work-
Film Festival. (The film will hit ing on behalf of the com-
Netflix and some theaters pany (which is run by a pair
on June 28.) of sisters, both played by
country star Toby

Keith’s Saudi show

In this April 3, 2011 file photo, American country singer, Toby
Keith performs at the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music
Awards in Las Vegas, CA.
Associated Press
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) cert showing Keith playing
— American country sing- guitar in a duet with an
er Toby Keith held a con- Arabian lute player.
cert in the Saudi capital, Trump caught a glimpse of
Riyadh, on the sidelines of the concert with First Lady
President Donald Trump’s Melania Trump when, in a
first overseas visit. golf cart, they rolled past a
The concert was free and screen broadcasting it live
open to men only. Saudis in Saturday evening before
attendance have posted having dinner with Saudi
videos online of the con- King Salman.q