From director Björn Runge and adapted by Jane Anderson from the Meg Wolitzer novel of the same name, The Wife follows Joan and Joe Castleman (Glenn Close, Jonathan Pryce), at a time when he is about to be awarded the Nobel Prize for his acclaimed and prolific body of work as a novelist. While in Stockholm for the ceremony and festivities, nearly 40 years of marriage weighs on Joan, at the same time journalist Nathaniel Bone (Christian Slater) is working on the definitive biography of her husband, authorized or not, leading old and long-buried truths to finally reach the surface.

At the film’s Los Angeles press day, Collider got the opportunity to sit down and chat 1-on-1 with actor Christian Slater about why he found this to be such an absorbing story, working with talents like Glenn Close and Jonathan Pryce, shooting the film in Glasgow, Scotland, understanding his character, the scene he most enjoyed shooting, and the importance of journalists who seek the truth. He also talked about the relevance of his TV series Mr. Robot, which will be heading into its fourth (and possibly last) season, and having no idea where things are going next with the storytelling.

Collider:  I really enjoyed this movie!

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Image via NBCUniversal

CHRISTIAN SLATER:  Cool!

I thought it was such an interesting story, and it really gives you a lot to think about, as far as who might be behind the voices and artists that actually receive the attention.

SLATER:  Yeah, lots to think about. We’ve become so unaccustomed to seeing movies about people communicating with each other. They just have CGI explosives and a lot of chaos. This is a relationship that is, in a way, a ticking time bomb ready for its own emotional explosion.

It reminded me a lot of Tim Burton’s film Big Eyes, because Margaret Keane had to fight her husband for credit for her own work.

SLATER:  Yes. That was another great movie. This is obviously set in another time, in another scenario, but it’s certainly tackling similar themes. The performances between Jonathan Pryce and Glenn Close are so great. This is a movie that you really have to be absorbed by, and I couldn’t hear a pin drop in the theater. I don’t even remember breathing while I was watching it. I was on the edge of my seat, waiting to see where this thing was gonna go, and I knew where it was gonna go. I just thought all of the subtle nuances and the chemistry that was happening was quite extraordinary.

Is this one of those projects that you take, just so that you can watch Jonathan Pryce and Glenn Close do their thing?

SLATER:  I think so. To be around them, sure. To up my own personal game by getting to be in a scene, like the one that I had with Glenn, was thrilling and exciting. These are definitely two actors that I have grown up with and greatly admired, and have just been obsessed with their work, for a long time. Also, I wanted to work with Björn [Runge]. He was fantastic and just a wonderful director, and had a great sensitivity for the material that we were working on. He also comes from a theater background, so that gave him a much more unobtrusive way of filming and keeping things very natural and real.

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Image via Sony Pictures Classics

It seems like no matter how many projects you might do that people would know you for, or how much people know your work as an actor, there’s always somebody that you must admire, which must make working with those people really cool.

SLATER:  It does. There’s definitely an element of excitement and anxiety, where you say, “Oh, boy.” And of course, every time I’ve been in that situation, the people that I’ve met have always been remarkably professional, wonderful and humble, very open-hearted, and very embracing, and it’s nice when that happens. It’s the greatest. You feel so much safer. So, the professionalism was fantastic. My main focus was to not be the one to screw up. We all showed up 150% prepared and ready to go for this.

How did this work, as far as your schedule with Mr. Robot?

SLATER:  It was in between seasons, so the timing worked. It can be tricky. This was a movie that took awhile to come together, and there were delays and postponements. I didn’t know if it was actually ever really gonna happen, but I was certainly hoping. I had my fingers crossed that it would happen, but you never know. And then, when it did, we were able to schedule it with all of our work commitments. We had to find a window and an opportunity to do it, and I was thrilled. I went to Glasgow and hung out there, and got to do these scenes, and I just loved it.

I like how stealth your character is in his actions. He’s trying to manipulate the situation to get what he wants, but not in a way that’s in your face.

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Image via USA Network

SLATER:  Yeah, he’s trying to find whatever approach he can use to get to the bottom and get the truth uncovered. I love that this guy’s name is Nathaniel Bone. It gives me a real solid platform and foundation to jump off of. He’s like a dog with a bone. He gets a lead or discovers some intrigue, and he’s gonna be relentless in his pursuit of the truth. He’s a guy that’s been a great admirer of Joseph Castleman. He wants to emulate him, in a lot of ways, and is just a huge fan. In his attempts at research, he stumbles across some questionable things in his past, and his intense pursuit of wanting to find out what actually went on is what journalism is supposed to be all about. He’s supposed to uncover the truth. And then, the fact that he finds somebody that he is absolutely convinced he knows the truth about, but is unwilling to step forward or come into the light, is something that Nathaniel Bone finds quite inconceivable. This is a movie that’s not only about a love story and a long-term relationship, but it’s also about fame and awards and the truth. The truth of what’s going on behind closed doors is completely different. So, I thought all those elements were so extraordinary and fascinating.

Did you have a scene or a moment that was particularly fun to do?

SLATER:  All of them were fun to do, but if I had to pick one, it would be the one with Glenn and I in the restaurant. I thought that was beautiful written. It was a fun opportunity to work with somebody that I had such great admiration for. I love her subtlety and just the little cat and mouse, back and forth, manipulative conversation that we’re trying to have. My character is, to a certain degree, quite transparent in his attempt to be manipulative and use whatever tools he can use to get the answers that he wants to have. It was fun to have that scene. That was great.

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Image via USA Network

Was this something where you didn’t feel like you had to do a lot of research, since he is just a straightforward guy?

SLATER:  Yeah. There was definitely an aspect, after reading the script, of feeling that there was so much relatable truth to it. It is a fictional character, so I called on a lot of my experiences from journalists, and the energy that I have, at times, received from pursuant journalists. I did what I could to incorporate all of those aspects into this character. The clothes were mine and the glasses were mine. I love to get as deeply involved in the character, as I possibly can. That’s really the fun of it. It gives you an opportunity to put somebody else’s shoes on and escape into somebody else’s personality, so it’s fun.

I’m sure you can also relate to having people ask you questions that you probably don’t want to answer, so you find ways to evade them.

SLATER:  Yeah, absolutely! I understand it. It doesn’t annoy me. I get it. It’s journalism. After playing a role like this, I think I have more compassion and understanding. Of course, I wasn’t actually a journalist, but it did give me an opportunity to have a deeper insight into what it is to be a journalist, and I have nothing but admiration, particularly at this time in our world. The role of journalism and the press, and the relentless pursuit of truth, is something that needs to be supported on every side, right now, particularly. It’s very disconcerting. If we don’t have the media and journalism, and people pursuing the truth, and people like Jim Acosta and Anderson Cooper, and guys who are willing to stand there on the front lines and give us the information we need, then we’re definitely going to be in a lot of trouble. Who isn’t scared, right now? There are some really clear cut, obvious concerns that we should have.

How are things going with Mr. Robot, now that you’re heading into Season 4?

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Image via USA Network

SLATER:  Yeah, Season 4, and I believe that will be the last season. (Show creator) Sam [Esmail] always said it was going to be somewhere in that zone, and he didn’t want to go further than what he could creatively contribute to that storyline. So, I think that Season 4 will be it. I think they’re in the writers’ room, as we speak, putting it all together, but I have no idea what it’s gonna be, or if I’m gonna be floating in and out of scenes. I have no idea, so we’ll see what happens.

It’s been such a fun, smart, challenging and thought-provoking show, over the seasons.

SLATER:  Yeah. This movie (The Wife) has a relevance to it, which I’m happy about because it brings attention to a subject that has been ignored, but is now getting the attention that it so rightly deserves. And Mr. Robot has been relevant, as to what’s been going on in our current society and the horrors that we’re dealing with.

Yeah, it all makes you re-evaluate things a little bit.

SLATER:  Yeah, it makes you want to take a closer look and see what you can do.

The Wife opens in select theaters on August 17th.

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Image via USA Network
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Image via FX
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Image via Sony Pictures Classics