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With The Lighthouse now playing in theaters, I recently sat down with director Robert Eggers for an exclusive interview. As you’ve seen in the trailers, the film stars Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe as two lighthouse keepers living on a remote New England island in the 1890s where nothing is quite as it seems. Filmed using vintage cameras and featuring period-accurate dialogue, The Lighthouse is like nothing you’ve seen and it cements Eggers place as a filmmaker to watch. Even though I’ve seen countless films, I’ve never seen anything like The Lighthouse. Definitely recommended.

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Image via A24

During my interview with Eggers, he talked about why he loves making the audience feel like they’re in another time and place, if it was tough to use the vintage cameras and lenses, whether the financers had any issues with them, why he doesn’t shoot a lot of coverage, his first cut versus the finished film, and more. In addition, with Eggers next film rumored to be The Northman – which will be a Vikings revenge saga set in Iceland at the turn of the 10th century – he talked about what people can expect and whether the rumors of Alexander Skarsgård and Bill Skarsgård being cast in the film are true.

Check out what he had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about. For more on The Lighthouse, read Gregory Ellwood’s review.

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Image via A24

Robert Eggers:

  • Why is it so important for him to make people feel like they’re in another time and place?
  • How tough was it to get the old cameras and lenses?
  • Did his financers question his decision to use the old cameras?
  • How there is no color version of The Lighthouse.
  • How long was his first cut compared to the finished film?
  • Why he doesn’t shoot a lot of coverage.
  • How is he going to capture the 10th century Viking experience on screen in Northman?
  • Northman will be in color and filmed around Iceland.
  • Was it tough to get the Skarsgard brothers for The Northman?