Up-and-comer Matthias Schoenaerts (Bullhead) isn’t afraid to look ‘bad’.  He fully embraces the darker and completely unlikable sides of his characters. There is no ego to his performance as Ali in Rust and Bone.  Ali is a shitty father, an uncaring boyfriend to Marion Cotillard’s Stephanie and just a downright dirtbag to his family and acquaintances.  Of course, over the course of the film, Ali gradually sees the error of his ways and becomes a more compassionate and caring human being.  But it’s a testament to Schoenaerts that not only does he sell Ali’s good-natured transformation, but that he makes such an inevitability seem downright surprising.

In the following interview with Matthias Schoenaerts, he discusses playing the unflattering sides of the character, finding the motivations for Ali’s arc and transitioning to American films (Schoenaerts can next be seen in two US pictures: Blood Ties and The Loft).  For the full interview, hit the jump.

Matthias Schoenaerts Time Index:

00:00 - On playing the darker sides of his character Ali

00:45 - On finding the motivations for Ali’s arc

02:15 - On transitioning to American films and the differences between European and American cinema