[Editor's note: The following contains spoilers for To Catch a Killer.]The crime drama To Catch a Killer (now available on all On-Demand platforms) follows a gifted young police investigator named Eleanor (Shailene Woodley), who’s recruited by the FBI’s chief investigator Geoffrey Lammark (Ben Mendelsohn) to help track down a very disturbed individual leaving bodies in his wake. Although a manhunt is underway, the perpetrator keeps evading them at every turn, forcing Eleanor to dig into her own dark past to better understand who they’re pursuing.
During this 1-on-1 interview with Collider, Mendelsohn talked about taking on such horrendous subject matter, how he likes to find vibe when it comes to his characters, the gift of working with co-star Woodley, how difficult it was to shoot the scene in the morgue, and what he felt about his character’s fate. He also talked about why he originally wanted to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Captain Marvel, returning to play Talos in the Disney+ series Secret Invasion, and how much he enjoyed working with Samuel L. Jackson.
Collider: It’s quite the time to be releasing a movie about the fear of mass shooters. It’s something that has become so frequent that we don’t really even know how to deal with the fear that we have of it. When this came your way, how did you feel about this subject matter?
BEN MENDELSOHN: To be honest, it was a different time. As a psychological thriller and getting to work with those fantastic people, I thought it was an interesting and good take on it, in terms of this profiling on the run thing that he does. The explosion of it now has really changed what this film is. It’s just horrendous. At the time that we were doing it, even given the frequency with which these events happen, the change from that time to this time is just heartbreaking.
With something like this, where do you start your own preparation? Is it about figuring out who this guy is, as a person, or do you start with researching or diving into what makes him a successful FBI chief investigator? Do you prefer to go at it from the professional or the personal, when it comes to a character like this?
MENDELSOHN: It’s very much a vibes thing with me. What I’m interested in and how I try and find things is through a vibe. Going back to your earlier question, because I think there’s something vitally important to say when we do this in fiction and when we attempt to explore what and how, it can’t possibly do the service and attention that the issue needs. There’s no way of filling. It can never be successfully done. What we can attempt to do is give a sketch of a possibility, but it’s very problematic to cross the distinct entities. It’s essentially a thriller film with this central notion, and he has a lot to say about the way we live life. He’s got a very strong take. But when you’re talking about the actual human and you’re postulating on the human, that’s impossible to do justice too. That’s the danger in attempting to equivocate. In terms of actually talking about real life, you can’t. The actuality of it is so devastating and so real that it has to be viewed as something different than actuality. It’s very important because to do otherwise is an immense disservice to the people affected by the real thing. I just needed to say that. I think that’s really important.
One of the things I found so interesting is that stories like this tend to be focused on the case itself, solving the case, and catching the bad guy, that it often doesn’t leave a lot of time for character history and relationships, but this film manages to find a balance of that. I also thought it really showed us some interesting things about your character and about the character of Eleanor. Is that something that was important to you to, to really dig into those human relationships?
MENDELSOHN: It was a complete gift. I had wanted to work with Shailene [Woodley] for forever. I think she’s a stunning performer. This film has the greatest opening of any film ever made, so I thought, “This is not something I want to miss out on.” The way those characters developed was pretty organic. We just went off of a vibe. The way that [Damián Szifron] wrote and directed it, and wanted to explore it, was very refreshing. The degrees of humanity between Eleanor and the killer, and how that plays out, is really interesting. It was very rewarding to do. She’s one of the greatest actors on the face of the earth. She’s a stunning performer and a remarkable human. I think that’s what made it so interesting.
Just watching the two of you together, there’s something so fascinating about their dynamic. I love that your character is a gay man in a committed relationship, so you don’t have that thing with these kinds of movies, where there’s some forced romance that just feels uncomfortable in the middle of the story.
MENDELSOHN: It’s so great, isn’t it? It was wonderful. And then, they have that dinner scene where they don’t get along well together. They’re at completely different political ends of the spectrum. I thought that was very, very rewarding. He’s a really interesting guy.
The scene when you guys walk into the morgue, with all the bodies laid out, is quite a visual. Were those actors that were laying there, or were those prosthetic molds?
MENDELSOHN: Yes, they were all there, and they were amazing.
When you shoot a scene like that, it seems like you probably don’t have to do a lot on your part because having that all there in front of you must really help.
MENDELSOHN: That was horrendous. It was horrible. It was also the first day. We didn’t get a chance to rehearse because it was the very first day, so it just felt like an incredible, epic calamity. It reflected the situation. I was very cautious about the instant profiling stuff. We had a bad first day, but when I saw it, I was like, “Oh, this is great.” I don’t think I had a sense, at the time, of how effectively that was being conveyed. Between the art department, the DP (Javier Julia), and Damián being so exacting, that really came through. It’s a testament to them.
How did you feel about the ending of this and how things wrapped up with the film and your character’s fate?
MENDELSOHN: That was just the outcome. He’s gone. I don’t know how that affects the audience, but that’s a testament to Damián’s boldness and wanting to avoid stereotyping and being easy and getting rewards. It wasn’t like, “Hey, you did a great job, now here’s your reward.” He’s getting heat from the top, he stumbles into a dangerous situation, and the guy gets him.
I love that Marvel characters almost always show up in other projects, after they’ve been introduced. When you first played Talos in Captain Marvel, did you know that character would pop up again, at some point, and did you have any idea where?
MENDELSOHN: No. He died on page 56. I was doing it because Ryan [Fleck] and Anna [Boden] had directed Mississippi Grind, which was the first lead I got. They asked me if I’d do it, and I was like, “Yeah, of course, I’ll do it for you guys.” I have loved being a part of that world.
What was it like to find out about Secret Invasion?
MENDELSOHN: Awesome. They’re the best people on Earth, at that company. They’re the best you’ll ever work for. And the fact that they were going in that direction, I’m very excited about Secret Invasion. They’re the best. I had a real evolution in understanding the possibilities that lay within the genre. Because of its dominance, I’m so thrilled that they are doing what they do. They’re geniuses with it.
I’m very excited about watching you alongside Samuel L Jackson in that. What was it like to get to work with someone like him?
MENDELSOHN: Here’s the thing, Sam is the world champion box office human. I don’t think anyone’s ever going to beat him. To most people, Sam came out of nowhere in Jungle Fever, where he just blew us away. His place in popular culture is that he’s just the best. Once Sam has actually gotten to feel you out, I had a ball. I have a ball working with him. There are people you’re never gonna beat. You’re just never gonna beat them. Sam is just fun. I sang “Poison Ivy” on set with him, word for word. He sat there singing “Poison Ivy.” I’ll never forget that. It was Samuel L. Jackson. It was fucking awesome. I just feel very lucky. My job is to try and be as good as I can and handle as much as I can, so that it’s better and better and better for Sam. Sam doesn’t get enough credit for what he does. He doesn’t get enough credit or recognition. It would be hard for him to get the degree of recognition that he deserves for his mighty achievements. He’s done so much and he’s been so awesome, for so long. He’s a God. And he’s a cool God.
To Catch a Killer is available on all On-Demand platforms.