With director Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story now playing in theaters, I recently got to speak with Ansel Elgort (Tony) and Mike Faist (Riff) about making the fantastic remake. During the interview, they talked about what it was like working with Spielberg and Janusz Kaminski on the cinematography, what it really takes to make a movie on this scale, what surprised them about working with Spielberg, what they wish more people knew about making a musical on this scale, which of their friends and family were the most excited hearing they’d been cast in a Spielberg movie, and more. In addition, Elgort shares a great story about what Daniel Day-Lewis did for Spielberg on the set of Lincoln.
Based on the critically acclaimed 1957 Broadway musical with music by the legendary Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, West Side Story first made its way to the big screen in 1961. Directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, with a screenplay by Ernest Lehman, the film went on to win 10 out of the 11 Oscars it was nominated for, including Best Picture and Best Director, and is considered to be one of the best movie musicals of all time.
As Matt wrote in his review, and everyone else said on Twitter, Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story is fantastic. He’s taken the story you know and added enough new flourishes to make this film more than a repaint of the original. In addition, the way he collaborated with Janusz Kaminski on the cinematography, Tony Kushner on the screenplay, and brought in so many talented actors to inhabit these classic roles, I don’t know anyone could walk out of the theater and not feel energized. West Side Story also stars Rachel Zegler (Maria), Ariana Debose (Anita) and David Alvarez (Bernardo), Corey Stoll, Brian d'Arcy James, and Rita Moreno. Spielberg also produces alongside Kristie Macosko Krieger and Kevin McCollum.
Watch what Ansel Elgort and Mike Faist had to say in the player above and exactly what we talked about is listed below.
Ansel Elgort and Mike Faist
- Which of their friends and family freaked out the most when they found out about them being cast in Spielberg’s West Side Story?
- What was it like working with Spielberg and watching him work with Janusz Kaminski on the cinematography?
- Did anything surprise them about working with Spielberg?
- How Spielberg knows musicals.
- On what day of the shoot did they start asking Spielberg about his amazing resume of movies?
- What do they wish more people knew about making a movie musical on this scale?
- Elgort shares a great story about what Daniel Day-Lewis did on the set of Lincoln when he worked with Spielberg.
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