From writer/director John Maclean, Slow West is a compelling story set at the end of the 19th century, in which 16-year-old Jay Cavendish (Kodi Smith-McPhee) journeys across the American frontier in search of the woman he loves, also coming across a mysterious traveler (Michael Fassbender) with questionable motives and an eccentric outlaw (Ben Mendelsohn), along the way. The film is currently exclusively available on DirecTV and hits theaters and VOD on May 15th, so we’ll run the full interview closer to that release date.
In the meantime, with Star Wars fervor at an all-time high, especially after the awesome recently released trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, when we spoke to actor Ben Mendelsohn on the phone, we had to ask him about the rumors that he’s being considered for a role in Gareth Edwards’ Rogue One, the first in a series of Star Wars Anthology films. Although he’s not confirming or denying anything, at this point, and said that he doesn’t know how seriously to take all of the talk, he did say that no one would be more thrilled than him, if it does turn out to be true.
Collider: Whether there’s any truth to it or whether it’s all rumor, you’ve been a part of the conversation lately, in regard to Star Wars: Rogue One.
BEN MENDELSOHN: I have. I’ve been lead to believe this, quite strongly. No one is going to be more thrilled, if that turns out to be the case, than me.
What’s it been like to even be mentioned in connection to one of the biggest franchises of all time?
MENDELSOHN: I was the perfect age when that exploded onto the consciousness. I was right in the sweet spot when the film came out, and that film meant and still means an incredible amount to me. For the 7-year-old me, it’s mind-blowing. I saw it in the cinema in 1978, or whatever it was. It’s just awesome, is what it is. Now, I don’t know what happens with any of that, but even to have that said, I couldn’t have believed or dreamed that things would end up going the way they’ve gone. I would have saved myself a lot of worry. There would have been a lot less unpleasant school experiences. I could have gone, “Well, people are going to be seriously talking about me for Star Wars, in 30 or 40 years. Don’t worry about it. It will all turn out all right.” It’s pretty good.
Obviously, the people who know your work, know what a great actor you are, but you’ve flown a bit under the radar in America until now. Are you at a point in your career, where you’re ready to be a big part of one of these huge movies, whether it be Star Wars, or a comic book or superhero movie, or just a general summer blockbuster?
MENDELSOHN: I don’t know how seriously to take all the chatter that’s been going on. I’m not sure how seriously to take all of that. However, being cautiously optimistic that it’s based on something somewhere, I guess I am. To some degree, I probably always would have been. I think I’ve been ready to go to work, for a very long time. The brackets in which I’m held or considered have obviously taken what you might call an upturn, in recent years. But, I’d like to think that I’m ready.
Well, any Star Wars movie would be lucky to have you!
MENDELSOHN: Well, it’s sweet of you to say that.
