Luca Guadagnino has started principal photography on his first film set in the United States, Bones and All, and added a number of new cast members. Among the new additions are Michael Stuhlbarg, André Holland, Jessica Harper, Chloë Sevigny, Francesca Scorsese, and director David Gordon Green in his first acting role. They will share the screen alongside the previously announced Timothée Chalamet, Taylor Russell, and Mark Rylance.

Bones and All, penned by 2018’s Suspiria screenwriter David Kajganich, tells the story of Maren Yearly, a young woman who travels across the country to find her father who she’s never met to learn the truth behind her terrifying past.

Guadagnino spoke with Deadline about the film and its cast members. Here’s some of what he had to say.

“I’d been handed this beautiful script by David Kajganich, and while I was reading it, I felt like I knew how to make this movie. At the same time, the second I read it, I said, I think only Timothee can play this role. It was serendipity because he was in Rome and I was in Rome and we met after this year of Covid constriction, and we could meet and spend time together. He’s fantastic, a great performer and to see him soaring the way he is doing now, I feel proud of him. And this character is something very new for him, both endearing and heartbreaking.”

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Image via Fox Searchlight

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Bones and All will largely revolve around the dynamic between Chalamet and Waves actress Russell. Under the keen eye of Guadagnino, that dynamic could be something special. He clearly has faith that both actors certainly have the talent to deliver.

“I’ve been a fan of Taylor Russell since I saw her in Waves, and I made it a point to myself to make sure we found something to do together. When I read the script, I went straight to her because she is such a bright, sensible actress. This is a very romantic story, about the impossibility of love and yet, the need for it. Even in extreme circumstances. Timmy and Taylor have this power, this gleaming power, to portray these universal feelings.”

Guadagnino also commented on the casting of Stuhlbarg. While audiences may see the casting as a reunion between the two artists, Guadagnino spoke on the recent work he and Stuhlbarg collaborated on for a documentary.

“I’d done a documentary on Salvatore Ferragamo the shoemaker, and Michael played the voice of Ferragamo, so our relationship was never interrupted. Here, he plays someone who will put the audience on edge, and the sense of edginess that can come from him in a very humanistic way, it is amazing. I don’t want to say more.”

When it came to casting Green, director of 2018’s Halloween, Guadagnino mentioned his penchant for discovering new talent. Green is a well-known and respected director, however, Guadagnino seems to know something audiences don’t about his acting talents.

“David is my friend, a great filmmaker, and when I read those roles I thought of Michael, and David. When I sent the script to David, he said, ‘you’re mad, and I’m’ in.’ So he’s in. I asked him to change his looks radically and he’s done that. I do like discovering, so I’m launching the acting career of David Gordon Green, the great filmmaker.”

Bones and All has yet to receive a release date.

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