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Universal Pictures releases Seventh Son nationwide on February 6th, 2015. NYC MOVIE GURU: To what extent have fate and destiny played a role in your life? Julianne Moore: I don’t know if I believe in destiny and fate, but I do believe in desire and luck. I always tell my children that I remember when I was 10, I would say I was going to have 2 children---a boy and a girl. I’d line up my dolls to show that. I always tell them that I got what I wished for, so I had a desire for something I knew that I wanted. So I feel lucky that it happened, but I can reframe it now, and say it was destiny. When we get what we want, we say it’s destiny and fate in retrospect. Ben Barnes: I think it’s discomforting to think about living life with fate, and not having a freedom of choice and will. But I also think it’s unsettling to think of a life where the way you behave and treat other people doesn’t come back around and earn you something in return. You can certainly put that in the category of something other than chaos. I think it’s certainly a question that affects every element of your life, so I think it’s an interesting theme to be exploring in the subtext of any film, whether it’s set in the Dark Ages, or the future in space. Jeff Bridges: As "The Dude" [laughs], this is my opinion. You have the whole universe and everything you don’t know about, and everything comes out of the universe. So it’s destiny and fate that we are here, and all of our challenges and dilemmas are fate. They can be wonderful lessons for all of us. NYC MOVIE GURU: What was it like to be together again 17 years after The Big Lebowski? JB: Not many people know this, but I think we just let this out of the bag, that this film is actually a prequel to The Big Lebowski. [laughs] There are some kinds of weird parallels. I think of Maude flying [in The Big Lebowski]. The Dude liked to smoke and drink, and I’m sure Gregory has some kind of smoking mixture. There are probably some similarities. I haven’t really thought too much about it, but now I will. JM: It’s just so great to be with Jeff again. Not only do we kind of drag our relationship along as people and as actors, but I think the audience does, too. So there’s that sense of "Oh, I know those guys! They were in a movie together before." So that comes along with you, and it was something I hadn’t really anticipated, but it’s cool. JB: It’s positive baggage. Even doing what we’re doing here now, it’s kind of the same thing. We had the pleasure of doing a lot of interviews together, and it’s like performing together in a way. You’re riffing off each other and being inspired by each other. NYC MOVIE GURU: How comfortable were the costumes? BB: They were so thoughtful with the costumes. I remember having a first fitting, and trying on these toeless sandals and jumpers with holes in them. We started off with really simple costumes, but even those subconsciously did the work for you. Throughout the film, Tom’s clothes become more like Master Gregory’s, in terms of adding a dark hood and cloak. So the costumes played with who the characters were becoming, and made us feel more confident in each moment. NYC MOVIE GURU: How did you prepare for the scenes during which you were experiencing premonitions? BB: Well, I didn’t know exactly what images they would edit in, and what I would be looking at. In the beginning, I knew it would have to do with Malkin and her transformation. Now, she transforms into a dragon, but in the beginning, it was supposed to be a bird. But they made some visual changes as they were cutting the movie together. I actually watched a lot of videos of people who have epilepsy. On my first day on the set, I was having a vision in the mud of a pig farm. In the final cut, they didn’t want it to seem as medical as I made it look like. I was literally on the ground, convulsing, because I wanted it to seem like a scary affliction. But like Tom and Master Gregory talk about, it’s a weakness that can eventually be turned into something useful. But it’s not useful if you’re spasming on the ground. It’s amazing they can put thoughts in your head afterwards. A lot of the great actors I’ve worked with told me to think less, and just do things. It’s amazing what they can do with your performance afterwards, and the types of imagery they can put alongside you on the screen. NYC MOVIE GURU: How do you deal with the reality of your surroundings while remaining true to the form of acting? JB: In the script, it can say, “It’s a sunny day, and the characters are laying out, having a sunbath.” Then on the day you’re supposed to shoot that scene, it can be raining. So that’s the universe’s direction, and those are things you don’t fight. Master Gregory says to Tom, “What seems like weakness and a bad thing can actually be a good thing.” What’s happening in real life is in some ways informing what’s going on in the film, and you can use that. Main Page Interviews Menu Alphabetical Menu Chronological Menu ______________________________________________________ |
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