There’s loads to admire in David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future, but the relationship between Viggo Mortensen’s Saul Tenser and Léa Seydoux’s Caprice is the beating heart of the movie.

The story takes place in the not-so-distant future when the human body is adapting to its synthetic surroundings. Saul is one of many experiencing “accelerated evolution syndrome” with his body frequently growing new organs. With the help of specialized equipment, Saul is able to accomplish everyday tasks like eating and sleeping, but for him, it isn’t just about managing the condition. He embraces it as performance art by having his partner, Seydoux’s Caprice, remove these new organs surgically in front of a live audience.

crimes-of-the-future-feature
Image via NEON

With Crimes of the Future now playing in theaters, I got the chance to chat with Mortensen and Seydoux about their experience making the movie. Ultimately, it's impossible to imagine anyone other than this particular pair playing Saul and Caprice, but there actually was a time when both were considering taking on different roles in the film.

For Seydoux, it was the role Kristen Stewart tackled, the National Organ Registry employee Timlin. What exactly was it about Caprice that inspired Seydoux to express interest in playing her instead of Timlin to Cronenberg? Here’s what she said:

“When I read the script I related more to Caprice because there was something about the relationship that she has with Saul Tenser that I liked. I loved the love story in the film. But I would have played any role for David. I just felt that I maybe had more to say with this role.”

Timlin kneeling to talk to Caprice and Saul in Crimes of the Future.
Image via Neon

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While Mortensen wasn’t ever given an offer for a different role in the movie like Seydoux, when he initially read the screenplay, he did find himself drawn to another character as well, the role of Detective Cope who’s now played by Welket Bungué. Mortensen explained:

“I was actually interested in a different role in this movie in the beginning too, and then [David Cronenberg] said, ‘No, you should play Saul.’ And maybe it’s because I didn’t know what to do with this sort of reactive kind of character, so I had rather played the fed, the cop, the part that Welket plays. But he said, ‘No, no. You should play this one.’ And Welket did such a great job, so I can’t imagine someone else anyway doing it better. And I would have been deprived! If I had done that, I wouldn’t have been able to play all these scenes with Léa. And I agree with her, when I first read it, there’s all these strange things that happen in the story, but in the center, there is this love story. There’s a real trusting mutual respect kind of relationship between them that’s tender. In the middle of this kind of hardcore movie, there’s this very tender, vulnerable love story.”

Viggo Mortensen on the Set of Crimes of the Future
Image via Neon

Looking for more from Mortensen and Seydoux on their experience working together on Crimes of the Future? You can watch our full conversation in the video interview at the top of this article!