With David Fincher’s fantastic new movie Mank now streaming on Netflix, I recently had the chance to talk with Tom Pelphrey about being part of the film, in which he plays Herman J. Mankiewicz's (Gary Oldman) brother. During the interview, Pelphrey talked about the way he was cast (including his 90-minute zoom audition with Fincher), how the finished film compared to what he expected going in, if he was nervous on her first day of filming, and more.
If you haven’t read the reviews or seen the trailers, Mank tells the story of how screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman) came to write the screenplay for Citizen Kane (widely regarded as the greatest movie ever made) as he battled his own personal demons. Written by Jack Fincher (David Fincher’s father), Mank uses flashbacks to pull back the curtain on 1930s Hollywood and William Randolph Hearst’s (Charles Dance) power in Hollywood and the United States as a whole. As someone that is fascinated by the history of Hollywood and the old studio system, I felt like I was transported back in time watching Mank and loved every second. Mank was shot by cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt also stars Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins, Tuppence Middleton, and Arliss Howard. Finally, the amazing score was written by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
Check out what Tom Pelphrey had to say below and further down the page is exactly what we talked about.
Tom Pelphrey:
- I joke around about how much he must have paid to be in the movie.
- How did he get involved in the project?
- His 90-minute zoom audition with Fincher.
- Was he nervous on the first day of filming?
- What was his reaction to the finished film?
- Does Fincher still pull from different takes to craft the performance?
