![]() And I really remember thinking, I really want for him to think of me as being able to really act. I had done “An Education,” and I’d done “Miss Marple” and “Doctor Who” and lots of British things, but I felt like that character and this film and working with you was so high-end. I really wanted Steve to take me seriously. MULLIGAN: But also, she’s about to scream and cry. The guy’s like, “Need any help getting rid of that body?” And she just nailed that nervous laugh. And I was trying my best just to hold it in. Oh, my goodness.įASSBENDER: Those beautiful moments where you really want to laugh - you feel like you’re at school again or something. MULLIGAN: Oh, that scene in the elevator. And she did that scene when we were in the elevator. ![]() When people act really well, it makes me laugh. Oh, my God, she’s so good! She made me laugh she was so good. Also, that actress who plays …įASSBENDER: Kerry O’Malley, that plays the secretary. And then you have these epic, incredibly written scenes with these brilliant actresses. Watching “The Killer,” you’re alone so much, doing so much. But that was actually the only way to do it, was just to do the whole thing. And there’s a real responsibility to their children who are a big part of this process. I thought, “Oh, crikey, that’s playing a real person.” And playing someone who does have this quite interesting dialect. MULLIGAN: When he first offered me the job, he was like, “I want you to do this, but sort of on the proviso that you go and really give it everything.” Which I immediately thought in my head, “Not all in.” And both of you looked super comfortable. It’s one of those things that could really kind of be jarring if you didn’t feel totally comfortable with it. And so there’s a couple of hours of tape of just them talking and being interviewed.įASSBENDER: You nailed it. They were interviewed by this guy called John Gruen who was writing a book about them - about Bernstein, really, but she was interviewed as well. MULLIGAN: We were so lucky because there’s these amazing tapes that exist of the two of them speaking. There was a real kind of mid-Atlantic, kind of Katharine Hepburn thing. Her father was American, but she also wanted to be a New York actress. She did most of her education there, and then she went to New York. Her accent was so specific because she was born in Costa Rica. With yours, there’s a Chilean sort of twist in your accent. Call you back, mate!”įASSBENDER: You should have got him to do story time in the Leonard Bernstein voice. I’d be putting the kids to bed, and I’d get a FaceTime with him as Lenny: “OK. So he was ringing me a year before in full Lenny voice and everything. And I think to be able to direct it and write it and star in it and all that stuff, he needed to get everything out of the way. He prepped to the point where he walked on set and didn’t have to think - like you say. I thought, “How do you go into prosthetics for four hours and then have the energy to direct as well?” What was it like? I called him up after seeing the film yesterday morning, and I was like, “I’m a little bit scared of you.” It’s phenomenal. I’ve known him many years.įASSBENDER: Yeah. Tell me about being directed by Bradley Cooper. I just saw “Maestro” yesterday, and it blew me away. Just the way that animals zone in on something and then focus without any emotional content - pure focus, looking for an opportunity. ![]() MULLIGAN: Anyway, so what animal is your character?įASSBENDER: Oh, I was just looking at animals - like predators so anything from the cat family to even monkeys. But I was devastated.įASSBENDER: You’re like, “Look how that turned out.” ![]() MULLIGAN: They said I should be a children’s television presenter. MULLIGAN: What drama school did you go to?įASSBENDER: I went to a place called Drama Centre. ![]() Like drama school, I remember we used to have to go to the zoo and pick an animal. I find it hard to do, to get to that place where you’re just not thinking - a person that is nonemotionally engaging in something. And then hopefully by the time we get on set, I can just be. I’ll have done a lot of work at home beforehand, looking at the scenes, trying to get an inspiration for the character, figuring out what the character is all about, what their backstory would be - all the homework stuff. If you think about breaking down a scene, how do you do that with just silence?įASSBENDER: I just try to get into a space of not thinking. Most things we hear from you are from an internal monologue. MULLIGAN: It’s such an extraordinary performance because you have these encounters where there’s these enormous scenes with incredible actors - Tilda Swinton! There’s so little dialogue. I remember regretting telling them that I could. I’d do 10 …įASSBENDER: I’m pretty sure I did 260. ![]()
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