Let’s get the most important thing out of the way first: I absolutely loved  Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs. As a huge fan of his first stop-motion movie, Fantastic Mr. Fox, I wasn’t sure he could top such a special film -- but I’m pleased to report he did. And while I loved everything about Isle of Dogs, I have to give a special shout out to the production design and level of detail in every shot. It’s like Anderson took what he did in Fantastic Mr. Fox and amplified it by ten.

Isle of Dogs is so packed with details that it's jaw-dropping. Even though I always prefer the theatrical experience, this is one of those rare films I can’t wait to watch at home so I can pause each frame and study the layers of what Anderson has included. Trust me, Isle of Dogs is one of the best stop-motion films I’ve ever seen, and strongly recommend checking it out.

With the film now playing in limited release and expanding nationwide this weekend, I recently got to participate in a roundtable interview with Liev Schreiber at the Berlin Film Festival. During the wide-ranging conversation he talked about his initial meetinng with Wes Anderson, how he was going for something more emotional with Isle of Dogs, how he pays attention to every detail, his reaction to the finished film, and so much more. In addition, since we had so much time with him, we also got update on the next season of Ray Donovan, why he’s excited to be part of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, his love of dogs, and so much more. If you’re a fan of Liev Schreiber it’s one of those really fun interviews that I’m confident you’ll enjoy.

If you’re not familiar with Isle of Dogs, the film takes place in a near-future Japan where, after an outbreak of dog attacks, all dogs have been banished to live on a garbage-filled island—the Isle of Dogs. A young boy ventures to the island in search of his own dog, and with the assistance of a pack of newly-found mongrel friends, he begins an epic journey that will decide the fate and future of the entire region. The film also features the voices of Bryan Cranston, Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, F. Murray Abraham, Tilda Swinton, Kunichi Nomura, Harvey Keitel, Akira Ito, Akira Takayama, Koyu Rankin, Yoko Ono, Courtney B. Vance, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand,  Bob Balaban, and Jeff Goldblum.

Check out what Liev Schreiber had to say below.

I would imagine that a lot of people want to work with Wes Anderson, and it’s a very desirable gig. He’s a cool filmmaker. What did it cost you to be part of his universe now? 

LIEV SCHREIBER: It didn’t cost me anything. He called me and I was very excited; I was very surprised. I felt like I was ideally suited. I spent my whole life imitating dogs. I do great dog voices and then Wes calls me and said, “I want you to be a bodyguard dog in my movie about dogs who get banished to a trash island.” I thought, “Shit, I’m screwed, I don’t know what to do,” (laughs) because I’d seen Fantastic Mr. Fox and I knew that Wes wasn’t looking for cartoon-y voices- that’s not what he does- and the kind of more idiosyncratic and humanist, and characteristic. You hear Bob Balaban’s voice, you hear Jeff Goldblum’s voice, you hear Bill Murray’s voice- they’re very distinct voices and there’s no effort to mask who they are. I thought, that’s an actors worst nightmare. You’re you. I was like, oh shit.

Is that specifically what he requested?

SCHREIBER: No he didn’t say that at all. That was my gamble. I literally had about an hour and a half with him so it was like-

Did you have other voices that you tried?

SCHREIBER: No, I didn’t. I gambled on that, with Wes that would be the right choice. I walked out of there convinced I was wrong.

What does that feel like?

SCHREIBER: Horrible. (laughs)

Tell us more.

SCHREIBER: Really horrible. I just felt like I didn't know- I had gambled that what he wanted was the kind of human characteristics of my voice, what’s unique about my voice and who I am. I think that’s conceptually the exercise, is to give the animals real human attributes, and there’s an irony implicit in that. There’s also a slightly political idea at play there.

Can you extrapolate on that?

SCHREIBER: Can I extrapolate on that? (laughs)

Can you talk more about that?

SCHREIBER: I can talk more and I can extrapolate. Let’s see.

You’ve been doing yoga, if you can do both things.

SCHREIBER: Well I’ll tell you. The most is- I’m a dog lover. I have loved dogs my whole life. I’ve seen the movie twice now. The first time I saw it I took my kids to a color timing screening with Wes. I was just overwhelmed, personally, by the tone, the detail, the production design, the puppets, the models. I was like, this is amazing work! He’s really a tremendous curator. It’s all put into this kind of playful narrative; this sort of childlike narrative. There’s always very complex ideas playing in the film. That was my first experience of it; I was very happy.

Then I saw it last night and my experience was much more emotional. I noticed that Wes, who is a tremendously talented comedic director and writer, had pulled back on a lot of opportunities for gags and jokes. He was going for something more emotional and intimate, and I was surprised by that. I didn’t feel like, and I’m a great student of Wes so I know his movies, I was sort of surprised by how emotional he was going- particularly with my character. The first time he hears his master’s voice, he makes tears in the dog’s eyes. The sound of, I can hear you, how excited the dog- the effect on me last night was the profundity of that relationship to dogs. How perhaps I’ve undervalued that, even as a dog lover. I’ve always had dogs. There’s this animal that- we don’t share language with, we don’t share culture with, we don’t spend probably more than 20% of our day with, if that, and yet they have this tremendous capacity for loyalty, compassion, love, patience, acceptance, and if they’re supposedly less evolved species..if they can do it, shouldn't we also be able to do it? That kind of got me last night. I thought well that is a very sophisticated, narrative thread to do that, and not do it too self consciously.

Do you think there’s a time and place to watch a film? Do you think watching it in a different time and place has an effect on the film? Do you think also being here and-

SCHREIBER: It depends on the film. A bad film can be made better. (laughs). But a good film- last night that was endless- that stage show. (laughs). Was anyone there?

We’ve seen it before.

SCHREIBER: Oh, for fuck sakes! On top of that I’m wearing a watch that somebody gave me because you wear things that people give you to take photographs. (laughs) The watch was set two hours ahead. So, I’m sitting there going, “Oh fuck, it’s midnight, the movie hasn’t started.” That could have made the movie very, very bad. So, by the time the movie started I was in a right panic. I’m not going to stay awake for this, and there’s a dinner after that, and a party after that. I talked to- I’m going to be screwed! It’s midnight! I turned to Tilda, I’m like, “This is outrageous.” Tilda’s sitting right next to me and she’s like, “Yes, yes it is.” She’s not as alarmed as me. I’m really upset. I’m looking around- the mayor of Berlin is next to me, he’s like [imitates laugh]. It’s fucking midnight and the movie hasn’t started. I eventually found out, after the movie- and my point being that as soon as the movie started I was in. I was game. I was exhausted and sleepy but the movie is that good, in my opinion, that as soon as it started I was game. It was my second viewing.

It’s that good

SCHREIBER: I thinks so. Then when it was over I was like, I’m fine, and then somebody told me it was actually only 10 o’clock. (laughs) I was like, “Oh that’s why I’m fine! The movie’s crap.”

(laughs)

Did your kids like it? What did your kids think?

SCHREIBER: My kids loved it. Mostly they loved it because it was PG-13, and they knew it was PG-13. They were excited that they were getting to see a PG-13 movie. (laughs). They were like, it’s animated but it’s PG-13! There’s one point at which Bryan’s dog calls my dog a son of a bitch, and my son turns to me, smiling, and he’s like, “Well, that’s okay, because he is a son of a bitch.” (laughs) I was like, good shit Kai.

So is this the first thing your kids have ever seen you in?

SCHREIBER: No.

You don’t let them see PG-13?

SCHREIBER: Yeah, I try not to. This is- is this the first movie? No, they saw bits of X-Men Origins. They were so desperate to see that because of all the superhero stuff. They saw pieces of that. They saw a little bit of Taking Woodstock because Kai really wanted to see me do drag. (laughs) Just little bits.

As a fan of Wes’, how does the experience of being cast in this film measure with your expectation because his casts are always so fantastic?

SCHREIBER: Yeah, I mean it was a shame that I only got to work with him for a couple of hours. That’s how I felt, honestly. I was like, “Oh wow! I get to work with Wes!” And I admit, as a filmmaker, there was a certain degree of espionage involved. I wanted to see his process, I wanted to see what he did. All I really got to do was hang out in a recording studio for a few hours.

Are you hoping that you would get grandfathered in to the revolving cast? I’ve heard it’s like summer camp. When they came from Budapest they were like, “It was the best thing.”

SCHREIBER: I would be thrilled.

That’s why I brought up- how much did you pay to be part of this group?

SCHREIBER: It would be amazing.

How long did you do your recording? How long ago was it?

SCHREIBER: I think it was 2016. I’m not sure. Honestly, I don’t remember

Were you shooting anything else at the time? Were you in the middle of Ray Donovan?

SCHREIBER: I think I might have been in a play. I might have been in Le Liaisons, Broadway. I’m not sure.

So, did you ever want to be you? If you’re doing yourself in this. Did you become an actor to not be you?

SCHREIBER: I wanted to be a writer initially. I had a very good writing teacher who told me I’d be a better actor. I was like, “Oh wow! Thank you! I’ll take my play back.” (laughs)

Do you think he got something a little more vulnerable from you because you weren't playing a character? Did you hear something in your performance that hadn’t been in other performances when you actually saw it in the film?

SCHREIBER: You have to understand that the performance is probably 10% me and 60%- no 40% puppet and 50% Wes. It really is his invention. I was reaching for those ideas. I was reaching for an honest, interpretation of a dogs fascination with his master the first time he meets him. I was reaching for the shame he probably feels when he can no longer be the dog. I was reaching for all of those things, but Wes really delivered them.

You mention you recorded this in 2016, and so now watching it in 2018, considering how much America, and a lot of things have changed, talking about the political elements. Does seeing it now do you have a different appreciation for it or do you have different thoughts about it, then when you were first recording the script?

SCHREIBER: Well, yeah. (laughs). I mean I had no idea what I was doing, but now I see what Wes has done. It’s just- realizing his vision, and mine was a small part in it. Which in all fairness is true about most acting in films- once our faces get involved we become a bigger deal. The reality is there’s a lot of people that make films. There’s a lot that goes into a performance that has nothing to do with the actor.

Did you actually get to see what Spots would look like?

SCHREIBER: I saw a drawing of him. I saw a drawing. It wasn’t like [imitates drawing]. It was like a little drawing.

Was it influential in anyway?

SCHREIBER: No. I shouldn't say that. He was like here’s your dog and I was like [mumbles].

Was your dog based on you? Because the moment we see those brilliant blue eyes we know it’s you before you even speak.

SCHREIBER: Well thank you. I like the blue eyes- the blue eyes weren’t in my drawing. Then I saw the poster and I said, “Oh! ok! That’s a handsome dog!” I was gambling that my voice would be Wes’ inspiration as he built the character, but he already knew what the dog was going to look like.

Except for the blue eyes.

SCHREIBER: I just hoped that with my voice, that it would effect mannerisms some how, or that the animators and Wes would key off of- I don’t know what the quality. I just try to imagine good bodyguards, like really good bodyguards, top level bodyguards, in the political world. They’re invisible. They don’t talk, they don’t- they don't want to be seen, they don’t want to be noticed, they’re very mild mannered, they’re generally polite. They’ve been versed in the panoply of state and how to behave in these situations. That was my sense of Spots- that he was a real high level bodyguard dog, and that the only weakness in the guy was that he was emotional- that he couldn’t help being a dog, he couldn’t help but love a human. Everything else about him is very regimented, disciplined, quiet, patient, but the one- he can’t help being a dog, can’t help loving humans. Which is just, come on. We’re so lucky.

What are they kind of dogs that you have? Do you have one now?

I have one now. I had a lot of labs and retrievers when I was little. Then, I had a street dog, Blishka, that was my first dog that was my own. Then she ran away. Then I had a series of Jack Russells- I fell in love with Jack Russells for a while, got over that.

They’re exhausting, right?

SCHREIBER: They’re just- they never bite but they’re just fuckers. I love them but they’re like tyrants. I have a soft spot for tyrants, especially little ones. Then, I didn’t have a dog for a while. When Naomi and I got separated I told the boys I would get a puppy when we got our own place. I was on a talk show and there was guy who was rescuing dogs from Hurricane Harvey in Houston and he had two mixed terriers that were really funny looking, and beautiful to me, and I spotted them and I said, “I want them.” There was a producer that was after them and I just bullied the producer. I pulled a full Ray Donovan on her and said, “Those are my dogs.” I got them and I gave the girl to Naomi and kept the boy, Woody.

So these are recent additions.

SCHREIBER: Yeah, I’ve had them for about five, four months.

True love affair?

SCHREIBER: Yeah, I love them. I tweeted- no I didn’t tweet- I instagrammed a picture of my puppet and then my assistant, who had been watching my dog for me, sends me a picture of Woody and it’s a very funny picture. Woody is like [imitates dog]. He’s super cute. That’s him. He’s like, “Spots, who?” He’s got a little bit of the tyrant thing. The pillow with the x’s and the o’s I wouldn’t have- but that’s her, it’s a different aesthetic.

You said you bullied the producer so it made me think you might be a bulldog. You yourself, what dog would you be?

SCHREIBER: I would be an Airedale. I thought about this. An Airedale.

What do they look like?

SCHREIBER: They’re big, they’re curly, very curly.

They’re regal.

SCHREIBER: No, they’re not regal. They chase bears up trees, that’s what they’re used for. I knew one in Canada that did that. They’re pretty stupid. (laughs) You’ve got to be stupid to chase a bear up a tree, but an Airedale does that.

I’m curious, you only did a little bit of recording for this, and I’m curious how recording on Isle compared to doing Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse.

SCHREIBER: Oh, I don’t know if I'm allowed to talk about that yet. But, I will tell you that that was much more of a character, and much more of a voice. We took some big chances on that and did some real- by the way, it looks amazing.

I’m very curious if you’re playing the mentor to Peter Parker or the villain.

SCHREIBER: I can’t talk about that.

Can you at least say, compared to the amount of time you shot?

SCHREIBER: It was a lot more work.

Like weeks?

SCHREIBER: No, one session, but- I’m fast.(laughs) I’m good at this. I’ve got a lot of practice at this stuff from doing docs, spending so much in recording booths. Also from directing a little bit. I know the shortcuts and I know when the director doesn’t like something, I can tell when- especially with voice work, you can’t be too precious about your work. It’s like, “Oh that didn't work, goodbye.”

Directing? Is that in your future? Are there projects-

SCHREIBER: Maybe, I don’t know. I’ll do more of the television stuff. With kids, it’s hard because you have to go away for so long.

You guys wrapped a really good season of Ray Donovan. Next season, it’s almost like a reboot, you guys are going to New York City. Do you envision the show as turning a whole new corner? The thing I’m really curious about is Ray’s relationship with his family is so critical to the show, and Ray going to New York- is the family going with him?

SCHREIBER: We pick up where we left off, and -

Are you filming right now?

SCHREIBER: No, but we’re working on the first five scripts, and Ray’s family’s there- for the most part. They come and go,and there are events that require their presence. Some of it we will continue to shoot in LA. Mickey’s in prison, Bunchy’s still in LA, Terry comes to New York to train that fighter, but there are some events fairly early on in the season that get them all together again.

Do you like the life of a TV actor?

SCHREIBER: (laughs) I have a very good situation. I know probably people say this all the time but it’s really a remarkable group of actors that I work with, and a really great group of writers. Showtime has been really, really good to me. Very generous with me. They’ve made it as comfortable as you can make it. It’s a very intense show. To do it for six months- it’s hard. I never used to be someone who was deep cover, deep method, but there’s no denying that if you play a character for that long, you fool your body into thinking that- those are all hormonal responses. You know, you call on anger all the time, you call on shame, you call on grief- your body produces it for the camera. There’s a point at which you go, woah, I’ve been doing that for a long time.

Working on television, doing animation, doing live action films, I’m curious how medium influences the projects that you do.

SCHREIBER: How medium?

Yes, what medium it is- whether it’s short form television, whether it’s a full length feature, whether it’s animation.

SCHREIBER: You know, I do whatever I can do. Most of my choices are determined by schedule. I think that cinema- I mean television- is becoming more cinematic, obviously. I think film- it feels to me like struggling right now, the big 10 pull franchise movies are kind of squeezing everyone out. That’s what’s so great about things like Berlin. You really do get a chance to see some alternative films, and really good ones. I think these guys are really good curators, they pick really good films.

As a student of Wes’ work, how would you compare Isle of Dogs to Fantastic Mr. Fox? It’s similar in terms of animation, in terms of animals, but how you compare them?

SCHREIBER: How would I compare them?

Well, I’m interested especially because you said you brought your kids, and this is much more adult. In terms of how much he has grown from his first animated film.

SCHREIBER: I think there’s a reason why he made another animated movie. I think the first time he was just trying out an idea, and I think he saw- and this is all hypothetical, I have no idea if this is true- I think he saw potential and I think he enjoyed it. I think he wanted to do it again, I think he wanted to do it bigger. I think he wanted to go further with some ideas that clearly worked. I think he loves models, I think he loves art, I think he loves design, I think he loves cinema. I think he has found a way to make stop motion animation cinematic- totally cinematic.

Do you think he has a relationship with fashion as well?

SCHREIBER: Absolutely. Well, design. I mean personally, yeah, I think he’s pretty stylish.

(laughs)

Was he stylish for that hour and a half? Or did he wear a t-shirt and jeans.

SCHREIBER:  I think Wes is that-

He dresses up.

SCHREIBER:  I don’t think it’s a put on, it is who he is. There’s people that are few and far between. He is a remarkable guy. He is- that’s who he is. I mean, for as long as I’ve known him, and I’ve known him for twenty some odd years.

How did you meet?

SCHREIBER: I don’t remember, probably at some film festival in passing.

And it took that long for you to get into one of his movies?

SCHREIBER: Well we weren’t like, pals. (laughs).

You’ve got to angle it!

SCHREIBER: We’ll we’ve never been- I’m not good at that. Only in press roundtables.

Is there another director that you would absolutely love the chance to work with?

SCHREIBER: Wes was really one of them. I really, deeply admire him. If you look at my first film I directed I think there is certainly a magical realism and ironic sense of humor at play, just must less sophisticated. Certainly borrowed from Wes. Other filmmakers. You know, I love Paul Thomas Anderson. I think he is an extraordinary filmmaker too. Yeah, you know, these guys are out there recruiting their new ensemble.

Now you’re on record saying that you want to do it. If you don’t put it out there it can never happen.

SCHREIBER: That’s right.

So do you ever vacation?

SCHREIBER: I do.

It seems like you like to work, a lot.

SCHREIBER: Well, yeah but look this was two hours. That’s all I had to do. You look at the jobs now that I do when I’m not doing Ray and they’re kind of few and far between.

Well, you do plays.

SCHREIBER: That kicked my ass. That’s not going to happen again. (laughs) I tried that because I thought, yeah I should try this; it was very difficult. It also came right after the separation and I was, my head was spinning. Every night to be in a play and not seeing my kids.

One more thing about Spider-Man. What was it about that project that said, I want to do this?

SCHREIBER: You know, it was actually the animation team. The guys who were working on it, I saw there work and I said, “Wow these guys are special.” It is. It’s going to be pretty special,  from what I’ve seen so far. And I haven’t seen much, but it’s pretty special. They’re super talented. Just working with them in the brief time we did on my stuff, you know, I’ve been in a bunch of these different situations and these guys have their ducks in a row, and they’re collaborative. They’re clear and they’ve got all their sequences in their animatics but you come at them with a creative idea and they shift, they do it nimbly and with great execution.

It looks like it’s inside a comic book, the animation.

SCHREIBER: Yeah, that’s what I love about it. It’s also anamorphic. I don’t know if I should have said that.

That’s not a story point.

SCHREIBER: Well, no that’s- if you know something about film, that’s kind of an amazing thing. It’s an amazing thing for an animated film to do that well. Anamorphic is the stretched out format. It’s a much broader, bigger canvas, which is unusual for animation because you generally try to focus the action, and these guys have decided to go anamorphic with it, and it’s stunning. If you’ve seen the trailer you already get a sense of what it is.

Thanks!