The upcoming thriller The Thing, opening in theaters on October 14th, is a prelude to the 1982 John Carpenter classic of the same name. Following a team at an isolated outpost in Antarctica, the discovery of an alien creature that is unearthed by a crew of international scientists causes paranoia to spread, as they begin to question which of them have been infected with something inhuman that has the ability to turn itself into an exact replica of any living being. Paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), helicopter pilot Carter (Joel Edgerton) and the Norwegian scientific team find themselves fighting this terrifying parasite to keep it from killing them off one at a time. Here's the trailer.Fresh off the acclaim for his performance in Warrior, actor Joel Edgerton spoke to Collider in this exclusive phone interview about this very different role for him, what a fan he is of the Carpenter film, how nice it was to have a combination of practical and CG effects, how cool it was to get to use a flamethrower, and why being a massive fan of the original made Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. the perfect guy for the job of director. He also talked about taking on the role of Tom Buchanan, opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan, for Baz Luhrmannâs vision of The Great Gatsby, and what attracted him to the Osama Bin Laden project that director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal are currently working on. Check out what he had to say after the jump.Because Joel Edgerton is clearly a passionate actor with a lot to say about his craft and his love for movies, Iâve broken down the interview with a list of the 10 coolest highlights. A full transcript of the interview follows.
- John Carpenterâs version of The Thing and Ridley Scottâs Alien were two of his favorite movies when he was in his early teens, and heâs watched both films a number of times since.
- He sees it as a privilege to have someone say, âHey, come and be involved in this world, of this film that you loved so much as a child,â and likens it to his experience of playing Owen Lars in the Star Wars films.
- Heâs skeptical about Hollywoodâs fascination with sequels and franchises, but he felt that the prequel aspect of The Thing was a genius idea.
- He loves tennis and finds it difficult to be terrified of a tennis ball on a stick, so he was grateful for the combination of practical effects and CG to react off of.
- He never could have imagined getting to add the ability to use a flamethrower to his resume, and admits to feeling like Kurt Russell when he strapped it on to fight the alien.
- He sees his character as a reluctant hero who is a passenger in this story, thrown into a very intense, life-and-death situation.
- He is honored to be a part of The Great Gatsby and says it has that feeling of stepping into a project where you get to bring literature to life, in a slightly different way. Although itâs not Gatsby in space, or Gatsby re-invented, he says it will have its own edge and world thatâs envisaged through the eyes of director Baz Luhrmann.
- He says that Baz really thought through the decision to make The Great Gatsby in 3D, and heâs both excited about it and nervous that so many people will have to look at his face in 3D.
- He hopes that the Kathryn Bigelow/Mark Boal film about Osama Bin Laden will be his next project, and that it will shoot early next year.
- While the original incarnation of the movie was about the failed attempt to kill Bin Landen in 1991, he says it is now being reworked and researched to tell the story of his death.
Question: As this is a very different type of film from what people are used to seeing you in, how did this come about for you?
JOEL EDGERTON: Yeah, well, I think so too. I thought that, when the whole idea of it came up for me. On one hand, I was wondering if this was Joel the 14-year-old kid. The bottom line was that the Carpenter version of The Thing and Ridley Scottâs Alien were two of my favorite movies when I was early in my teens, and Iâve watched them both a number of times since. I remember seeing them both again when I was finishing high school, and Iâve watched The Thing a couple of times since. Theyâre just great movies with great tension that are from an era of horror movies that have gone by us. I feel like, a lot of times, horror movies are thin on character and heavy on gore. It wasnât that hard a thing for me to sign onto. Being a fan of the Carpenter version was definitely part of the lure for me.
Because this is a prelude to a film that many people do really love, did you have any hesitation about signing on for it?
EDGERTON: Yeah, Iâm pretty skeptical about Hollywood and its fascination with the sequel and the franchise. Itâs a zone we seem to be in, at the moment. Itâs definitely a slightly nerve-wracking thing to get involved with. I donât think I would have done it, if it was a remake because I personally believe that if it ainât broke, donât fix it. But, the whole reason these guys had for doing a prequel was pretty genius, when you look at the Carpenter movie. Itâs like it was served up on a plate by Carpenter, back in â82, with this whole mystery of what happened at the Norwegian camp. What (director) Matthijs [van Heijningen Jr.] and Universal did was open up a lovely chapter that you wish had been told.
This character is mysterious, in the sense that you donât really know too much about where he came from and how he got to this point. Did you do anything to develop your own backstory for him, and was that mystery part of the appeal in playing him?
EDGERTON: I think that was part of the nod to that era of filmmaking. Sometimes you donât need copious amounts of exposition or backstory about a character. Sometimes they just are, and they are the sum total of their actions. All that stuff, for me, becomes a matter of private contemplation and private thought. What an audience decides about where certain characters come from is really up to them.
How was it for you, as an actor, to be able to have a combination of practical and CG effects? How does that help you, as far as your reactions go?
EDGERTON: I find that stuff all really tricky. I donât know how I would do, if I was on a movie that was entirely green screen and entirely CGI effects. It requires a really, really incredible imagination, which Iâm not sure that Iâm really equipped for. We had a nice combination of practical and visual effects. Quite often on set, we would have certain practical elements of the alien to play with. It would have been a lot harder for me, if we didnât have that. There were a couple of days that were being scared of a tennis ball on a stick acting moments, and I found that all pretty funny. I would say to Matthijs, âI love playing tennis. How am I going to be frightened of a tennis ball?â But, thatâs the world of filmmaking that we live in. Itâs just another one of those skills that an actor needs.
Could you ever have imagined that you would add being able to use a flamethrower to your resume?
EDGERTON: No, that was the coolest thing of all. The first day of strapping on that flamethrower was brilliant. It was great. I equate this experience to my involvement in Star Wars. It was such a privilege to have someone go, âHey, come and be involved in this world, of this film that you loved so much as a child.â Getting involved with Star Wars was that kind of experience. I canât believe that I was involved with those movies. And, The Thing is like that because I was so fascinated with it and with Kurt Russell and that world, when I was so young. And then, theyâre like, âHey, why donât you strap on a flamethrower and run around and fight this alien?â I felt like I was Kurt Russell.
In much the same way, whatâs it like to take on a story as iconic as The Great Gatsby? How do you prepare for a role like that?
EDGERTON: Well, thatâs a slightly different frame to work from. I did A Streetcar Named Desire on stage, a couple years ago. That is such a loved American play, and Gatsby is such a loved American book. Youâre working from literature and youâre trying to avoid any visual representation thatâs come before. Whereas with The Thing, we were trying to create a similar aesthetic and achieve that same look and feeling. Whenever youâre trying to do your own take on a classic piece of literature, itâs almost like youâre trying to swim up your own stream, or drive down your own path. Gatsby is all in the words. For starters, itâs an incredible honor to be a part of that film with that cast and with (writer/director) Baz Luhrmann, and itâs such a privilege to play that character. Itâs got a real electricity to it. It has that feeling of stepping into a project where you get to bring literature to life, in a slightly different way. Itâs a different kind of electricity than when you get to enter a world of film thatâs already been established.
Is it still the classic story that people know and love, or will it also have some changes that surprise people?
EDGERTON: Wow, thatâs interesting. Personally, I think when youâre dealing with a book like Gatsby, itâs so iconic and itâs great because of what it is, so I donât think you need to re-invent it. You just find the inspiration within each page and bring it to life, as best you can. Itâs not Gatsby in space, or Gatsby re-invented. It will have its own edge and world thatâs envisaged through Bazâs eyes. The other interesting thing about bringing a play or a book to life is that itâs been read by people before and every single person has pictured each of those characters in their own way, and each of those houses, the streets that they drive down, and the cars that theyâre driving down those streets in. Theyâve all been imagined a million slightly different ways, by a million different people. This is one group getting together to bring their vision to life, with one person at the helm. But, I certainly think it will be far from a disappointing vision.
The Thing is a film that you might expect to be in 3D, but it isnât. And then, The Great Gatsby isnât something youâd automatically think of being in 3D, but itâs being shot in 3D. What are your thoughts about filming it in 3D and what do you think that will add to the experience for audiences?
EDGERTON: Itâs a very interesting point you make. I just think that any choice you make on a film has got to be well thought through, and I know that Baz is someone that doesnât make choices flippantly. His reasoning and his thoughts and feelings behind bringing the world of Gatsby into 3D is very interesting and I think itâs very well thought through. I think itâs going to be fascinating. Heâs got a definite clear vision. When you get behind a guy like Baz, heâs someone that youâre happy to march along with. Iâm excited, but Iâm nervous for all the people out there who are going to have to look at my face in 3D.
With such a vast array of different characters that youâre playing now, what are you looking for, when deciding what you want to do? Is there something that draws you into a specific projects?
EDGERTON: Not really. It really is about script and about the team behind the project. Sometimes I just wonder if Iâm being led by variety. If one film leads me down one path, sometimes I just want to turn around and head the opposite way for the next project. I hope thatâs not the case, but sometimes I suspect that. Iâm just looking for new experiences all the time and Iâm looking for ways to challenge myself. Iâm not scared of doing movies that are just about entertainment. Iâm not scared of doing movies that are really challenging and cover difficult terrain. I just want good experiences and I want to challenge myself and I want to just keep learning, as an actor.
Is the Kathryn Bigelow film about Osama Bin Laden what youâll be doing after The Great Gatsby?
EDGERTON: I hope so, yeah. The plan is to do that early next year.
What was it about that project that appealed to you?
EDGERTON: What interested me about that was that I really wanted to get involved with Kathryn [Bigelow] and (writer) Mark [Boal]. Itâs a tricky situation. I got involved in the movie before Osama Bin Laden was killed. The original incarnation of the movie, as you may remember from the trades, was based on the 1991 attempt to kill Bin Laden, where he slipped through the net. So, it was really about the failed attempt to kill Bin Laden in â91. We were three or four months out from shooting, and I was in Sydney at lunch and someoneâs Blackberry vibrated on the table, and then the simple words came out of their mouth, âTheyâve just killed Bin Laden.â That was such epic news, and I knew, at that moment, that something was going to shift with that project. Itâs been a slow and detailed process for Mark, gathering information and doing his due diligence to make sure that, if theyâre going to tell that story, they tell it right. History, as we all know, needs a little bit of time to settle. They could have launched into some half-cocked version of that story and then found out, post shooting it, that certain elements or facts were wrong, so itâs a tricky situation. Iâm just really excited about the prospect of working with Kathryn and Mark. Weâll see what happens.
Youâre the male lead in The Thing, but do you see your character as a hero, or just as a guy whoâs doing what he has to do to stay alive?
EDGERTON: Sometimes I think what defines a hero is a certain act of selflessness. I think heâs a bit of a reluctant hero. On one hand, heâs a passenger in that story. Heâs carting these people down to do their business, and he just gets tangled up in the mess. Itâs weird. In a way, I think the real hero and protagonist is Mary Elizabeth Winsteadâs character. Sheâs very cool and sheâs got a strong, smart quality about her, in the film, as a character and as a person. I think itâs nice not try to remake or redo any kind of Kurt Russell character with my character. To turn it a little bit on its head and have this smart scientist as the lead is great.
With the addition of the female lead, was it important to you that the film not have the typical awkward pause for a romantic scene while these people are fighting for their lives?
EDGERTON: Yeah, absolutely. There was a lot of discussion that went on around that. There can be this pressure where you should have this romantic situation going on, but this is a situation that these people end up in and they need to band together to sort it out. Thereâs no reason why they should stop and have a kiss in the corner. But, thereâs a really nice comradery between us thatâs slowly forged through this situation.
How was it to work with Matthijs van Heijningen Jr., as a director? What was it about his vision for the film that made him the right guy to take this on?
EDGERTON: Matthijs is a massive fan of the original movie. I actually donât know the facts of how it happened, but I suspect and seem to recall that it was his idea to do the prequel. It was his idea to do the film in the way that it is. He was just so passionate about the original movie. Heâs just such a great visual director. Iâd seen a lot of his commercial work. Heâs an incredibly smart guy. He maintained his energy and his complete focus through a very sustained, long shoot. It often seems that the risk with a lot of commercial directors who have never directed a feature before is that the longest theyâve ever been on set is three or four days, or sometimes a week, and all of a sudden, theyâve got to maintain that energy for an entire 12 or 14 week shoot. Matthijs was fantastic through that period. He was a real gentleman. He was great with actors. I felt he had a really nice balance and understanding of what needed to go on behind the scenes, with all the special effects, and keeping his focus on the human stories that were going on. I think he was the one that really brought this idea to them, so I think he was absolutely the right person.
For more on The Thing, here's all our coverage which includes our set visit and on set interviews.