Jesse Eisenberg, Mike O'Connell, The Living Wake
THE LIVING WAKE Q&A with Sol Tryon: Part I
Working with actor-co-writer Mike O'Connell and Jesse Eisenberg. What was it like? O'Connell's flamboyant character could easily have gotten "out of reach" for the audience. As a director, did you have O'Connell go "bigger" to fit into the shoes of his larger-than-life character, or did you have to tone him down? Both?
Mike was so amazing to work with. He knew the character so well and completely bought into my vision of the film. There were things that at times had to be toned down and also times where I pushed him to go "bigger" with the performance, but mostly that was taken care of in the writing process.
I worked closely with him on the last few drafts of the script as our visions for the film were completely integrated with each other. By the time we were ready to shoot we were really on the same page as to where he needed to let his character go crazy and where he needed to hit the more subdued and emotional marks.
Jesse came into the project shortly before we started to shoot and fit perfectly into the mix. In his portrayal of Mills Joquin, he brought a physical and emotional presence that really balanced out the brashness of K. Roth. His timing and ability to express thoughts and feelings in the subtlest of ways was a true gift to the film.
The chemistry between Mike and Jesse couldn't have been better. They were able to play off of each other effortlessly and provide a comfort zone for all of the other actors to jump into. They were always focused on the task at hand and committed to working with me towards creating this odd little world for K. Roth and Mills to live in.
The Living Wake has some elements that reminded me of Harold and Maude. I'm assuming that was an inspiration. Any (other) movies that inspired your approach to The Living Wake?
Yes, Harold and Maude was a big reference for us. The dark comedy about death and this fantastic tone were really something that we all loved and wanted to integrate into The Living Wake.
There were several other films and books that we used to inspire different elements in the film. We looked at Monty Python and the Holy Grail for its brilliant humor and ridiculous characters and settings; Withnail and I for the precise dialogue, wit and tone; Being There and Peter Sellers' amazing portrayal of Chance the Gardener; Stroszek for it's fascinating main character and how he copes with failure. We used the dynamic of the master and servant relationship from Don Quixote.
Visually, we watched films like O Brother, Where Art Thou? for it's great use of space and landscapes; The Royal Tannenbaums for Wes Anderson's fantastic attention to detail and balanced frames; and American Astronaut for the musical numbers and its uniquely beautiful look that you don't normally find in low-budget indie films.
Photo: Mangusta Productions