How f**ked is this film?
Shock Till You Drop met up with Adrien Brody in Los Angeles to discuss his role as Clive (director Vincenzo Natali’s nod to Frankenstein star Colin Clive) in the upcoming Splice. The actor touched on his appeal for the material, just how “f**ked” it is, it’s controversial ending (there may be spoilers, so be warned, although no details are offered about what happens) and his time working with Dario Argento on Giallo.
Shock Till You Drop: How cool is it to have a film like this snatched up by a major studio? Billboards are everywhere.
Adrien Brody: That’s right. A Sundance movie. All of my friends have seen the ads, trailers, texting meâ¦it’s very exciting.
Shock: What was the hook to get involved in the film?
Brody: The strangeness. It’s so unusual and such a weird, morally f**ked up film that deals with – first of all – it’s not that far from the scientific advancements that are being made and will be made, so there’s an element of fear that’s tangible and based on reality. It deals with a screwed up family dynamic, so there’s another layer for my character to deal with. Two young ambitious, successful people. One partner wants to have a child, another doesn’t. They get a child, so to speak, and there’s attention to the mother going on in the nurturing phase then my character gets the attention as the girl develops. All kinds of other stuff happens. [laughs] Anyhow, I love that. It pushes so many boundaries. There’s an intelligence and a sense of humor to it. It’s intense and scary and a remarkable achievement. As we were dealing with the mature Dren, Delphine gave so much.
No, not now. Not necessarily. The process changes a lot and becomes more difficult. In King Kong, the process changed. Andy Serkis became a part of creating the nuances Peter [Jackson] was able to achieve with Kong, with the facial gestures and stuff. Andy was there off camera for us most of the time, but it’s very different there are so many elements of that movie that were purely CG and that was my first foray into that FX realm. It was exciting. But the process, what I anticipated being all fun and games, it’s very challenging. I need to tap into something that is creating an emotional reaction that feels real. If you’re in a green room where nothing is happening, it’s very difficult. I can’t stress that more.
Shock: Are there any fears about turning people off to the genre elements of this film?
Brody: I feel this film is very complex that works on many levels. That’s like saying The Fly and Alien were genre films, but what they give the audience, like Splice, is a lot. Those films, including Splice, will have staying power because of their multi-dimensional quality. It’s not like they’re “here’s the scary set up and now nothing’s happening for a while, now here’s another gory moment, let’s gross you out and move on.” That’s not this film.
Shock: The film lurches into very strange territory in the last actâ¦
Brody: I knew this was coming up.
Shock: Were you anxious about shooting it or was it just workâ¦
Brody: [laughs] Right, another day in the barn. I wish I could say that. This is what I was referring to in finding elements that are emotionally complex and take a lot of investment. The scenario you’re talking about is so wrong on so many levels, but you know what you’re making and there has to be an enthusiasm for that. It plays amazing. When I saw it, I was howling out of anxious laughter and my friends were laughing because…it’s f**ked. And everyone there is f**ked. One layer after another, it’s so screwed up. But you’re approaching it like a real moment and you have to embrace that feeling. It’s good times. [laughs] Beats working for a living!
Shock: Dario Argento’s in town for a convention…
Brody: Is he?
Shock: He’s talking about Giallo and some of the other filmsâ¦
Brody: I love that guy for many reasons. Giallo was fun and for, again I try to have a sense of humor about what I’m doing, and an opportunity to work with Dario seemed fantastic. I’m friends with his daughter and it was an interesting thing to be working in Italy and working with Dario.
For more Splice interviews: Director Vicenzo Natali, Producer Guillermo Del Toro, Actress Sarah Polley
Source: Shock Till You Drop
