Some quotes look familiar because they’re asking the same questions, but looks like it’s a new interview. They talk more about Rob.
Le Monde: This way of perceiving a script can suprise coming from an author so versed in genre movies?
David Cronenberg: It is often thought that the cinema is a visual art. I think that for me, it’s a more complicated combination. For me, the heart of cinema is a face that talks. It’s what we film the most. I heard someone say that the last 22 minutes of the movie – where’s there is only Paul Giamatti and Robert Pattinson in a room – is like theater. I don’t think so. In a play, you woudln’t have wide shots, movements from the camera, change of lighting. This is cinema. Without close-ups, there’s no cinema.
[…]
Le Monde: And Robert Pattinson?
DonDeLillo: The character he plays is really close to the one in the book. I haven’t seen Twilight, but I impressed my two 13 years old nieces when I told them the British Robert Pattinson was going to play in a movie adapted from one of my books. They respect me now!
David Cronenberg: Casting is an occult art. It’s a matter of intuition. There’s objectives factors tho. The character is 28, he’s american. We needed someone who would look that age and that could do a perfect American accent. The movie is partnership between France and Canada. Also, I could only use one American actor and for me, it was Paul Giamatti. I could get an English actor tho.
Then of course, there’s the presence of the actor, he has to be able to portray a complex, crual, brutal and almost vulgar character in a way. He has to be really sophisticated and vulnerable at the same time, naiive and childish. If only to make people believe that he’s capable of accomplishing so much, he needs strength and charisma. Moreover, he’s in every scene. It doesn’t mean he has to be handsome bu he has to be nice enough to look at for an hour and a half. And to finish, he needs to have some kind of notoriety. When a movie cost some kind of budget, you need to be able to tease your financial partners. And with all these restrictions, the list of actors you need, gets shorter. I thought about Rob pretty early on.
Cosmopolis and David Cronenberg interview in Studio Ciné Live magazine – France
ETA: Cosmopolis review added (Translation via RP Life)
A Cronenberg as brilliant as he is firm.
Each in their own genre, David Cronenberg and Don DeLillo are silversmiths of fantastic, unhealthy and sometimes dark atmospheres. As well as of the science of language and characters in shambles and – let’s not forget – of controversy.
It’s then pretty obvious that one would end up adaptating the other’s work. Cosmopolis is the ghostly and hypnotic story of a day in the life of a golden boy who is about to lose his empire because of the crisis, indifferent to the world that surrounds him. He’s hypochondriac and schizophrenic. His long journey across a chaotic New York, rythmed by meetings with his wife, his mistresses and his employees, will lead him to a point of no return. In a perfect balanced cinematic movement, David Cronenberg decided to adapt to the letter the extremely rich prose of Don DeLillo. He filmed with an incredible ingenuity this stifling and unsetlling closed-door.
This preconception to stay faithful to the text of the author is amazing but not without any danger. Especially in the last part of the film, where one could definitely get lost in a verbal flood that becomes complex for the viewer and for Robert Pattinson – who was perfect until then – but seems, all of the sudden, not to be able to manage anything anymore.
As always with Cronenberg, there’s no in between, no second place, no way out. Cosmopolis gets appreciated at full or not at all. Take it or leave it.
I’m 41 years and I understand what is the problem, says her/his character in the film. Life is too contemporary.
Don DeLillo’s writing – and the film is very faithful to the novel – it was for me the extraordinary discovery of a universe.
A cold world, without humanity. That forces us to face the nightmare of desire, anxiety to possess everything, the obsession to win, to climb higher up, looking for a “more” is not there.
Although his character is very contemporary, mixing sex and business, and perhaps no longer believe in anything, not even art. What effect did it?
Didi Fincher is a lost woman, just like Eric Packer is lost. It’s just one person, its apparent weight is actually a hiding place where reigns anxiety. Cosmopolis speaks of our need to procure money, sex, power and mix everything. A very dangerous game.
Io Donna: Robert Pattinson, who is the lead in Cosmopolis, is a global icon, a living image of beauty and youth. A perfect choice.
Juliette: I met Robert for the first time on set. I must admit I never saw any of his films. And I discovered in him a fierce passion for cinema, he knows the cinema much better than I do. It was lovely and fun to work with him, he’s a man who’s very ambitious, he will produce and direct his own films one day.
Q: What made you go back to Cannes with Cosmopolis?
David Cronenberg: The festival and I have a long history. In a sense I have the feeling of coming home. I think it is an ideal film for Cannes and I’m excited about the idea of having Rob with me.
Q: Today it is impossible to imagine someone for this part. However, you offered it before to Colin Farrell …
DC: When Colin left the project to film the remake of Total Recall, it made me rethink everything. Anyway he was too old for the part: he’s 35 and I wanted to be faithful to the book, it was necessary to have 25 year old actor. Then I started to check all the actors of that age and that’s how I thought of Rob. I had seen him in Twilight, of course, but nothing he had done so far really predisposed him to act in Cosmopolis. Even though you choose an actor by the perceived potential you see in him and not by his resume. And the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea.
Happy start of Cannes FilmFestival day! There’s been a report on M6 on the 12.45 newspaper edition and they spoke about Cannes and Cosmopolis. (Thanks to Ptiteaurel for mailing this to us)
translation:
Reporter: No tag problems in Cannes the day before the opening of the famous film festival. The aim for Cannes is to be a kind of showcase for the international cinema. But we must notice that this year the festival is likely to be special.
Man: She’s never been to Cannes before but on this poster, she’ll be the queen this year.
Photographer: She’s gorgeous. When the star will be on the red carpet, we’ll be able to have a reverse shot with Marylin in the background. It’ll be great.
Man: And she’ll see a lot of stars. This 65th edition will be very American: Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman will be on the red carpet for 2 movies, and the so expected Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, a couple off screen , but in Cannes they’ll be in competition since both their fillms have been selected.
Kristen: I think this competition can’t hurt us. And if there’ll be only one winner, it’ll be our film. No, I’m kidding.
(1.08 – 1.25) : they are talking about Marion Cotillard)
Cinema Specialist: On paper, it’s a great festival. Some films are causing a great excitement such as David Cronenberg’s film starring Robert Pattinson, On the Road by Walter Salles. As usual, there’ll be some surprises, some outsiders, people coming from Asia or from Arabian countries. On paper, it’s likely to be a great edition. Last year, she went to present The Artist but this year , she’ll open the festival which promises to attract a wide audience. Nanni Moretti, the jury’s president has just arrived. Red carpet and emotions: all will start tomorrow.
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