[Reporter Xu Shiying/Taipei-London Connection Exclusive Interview] "The Digger" has entered the fifth day of its seven-day series. If "Tom Cruise" Tom Cruise is the high-speed center of the entire movie, then actors such as John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg and Jesse Plemons are the key figures who make this crazy world truly come alive.
Some of them are standing at the core of power, some are trying to see clearly the upcoming crisis, and some are watching Tom Cruise push the performance further in the filming. The chemical reaction between this group of actors also gives "Diggers" an almost absurd black humor in addition to the serious disaster theme.
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John Goodman (from left), Jesse Plemons, and Michael Stuhlbarg accepted exclusive interviews with this newspaper for "The Digger." (Courtesy of Warner Bros.)
John Goodman plays the President of the United States in the film. The character has a close relationship with Diggle played by Tom Cruise, but he must face the huge crisis brought by this oil tycoon. As the disaster gradually approaches, on the one hand, he knows that Digg may be the person who puts everyone in danger, but on the other hand, he cannot easily cut off the relationship with the other party, because Digg has the resources, influence and ability to solve problems, which puts the president in a dilemma.
Therefore, John became a very important tonal figure in the film, because he could roar loudly in a highly tense political situation, and the next second he couldn't help but laugh because of Tom Cruise's reaction on the set. When he was interviewed, he said with a smile that "it's illegal to be in a bad mood" around Tom, because everyone never knows what he will do in the next second, but will be carried away by that energy.
John even revealed that sometimes he had to "bite his lip" in order to hold back the laughter brought by Tom! This seemingly innocent anecdote on the set actually illustrates the special shooting atmosphere of "Diggers". The film deals with environmental disasters, political power, global crises and resource plunder. If any one of them taken alone, it may become a very heavy work.
However, director Aliandro Gonzalez Inarritu did not ask the actors to play every scene in a gloomy manner. Instead, he deliberately gave the characters an exaggerated, absurd and even somewhat out-of-control energy, allowing laughter and crisis to exist at the same time.
John Goodman plays the President of the United States in "Diggers," constantly switching between authority, anxiety, and absurdity. (Courtesy of Warner Bros.)
The president played by John is a representative of this tone. He must believe that he is in control of the situation, but gradually discovers that things may not be under control at all; he is in the center of power, but he may not really have all the information.
This kind of character contradiction also means that John's performance cannot be completed solely by seriousness, but requires constant switching between the authority, anxiety and absurdity of a political figure. When the audience laughs, they actually feel uneasy behind them, because those seemingly exaggerated reactions ultimately point to the same thing: this crisis is gradually beyond everyone's control.
If the president represents the chaos at the heart of power, then the vice president, played by Michael Stuhlbarg, provides another perspective. He was not the most powerful person in the room, and was often ignored, but instead of losing his judgment, he came to see that things might be more serious than others were willing to admit.
The really interesting thing about this group of politicians is that they are clearly in the same room and must believe the same thing. Diggle believes he can solve the problem, the president hopes the situation won't get out of hand, the scientists try to get everyone to face scientific warnings, and the vice president slowly realizes that this crisis may not be handled by political means at all.
Cannes actor Jesse Plemons plays a mysterious character in "Diggers." (Reproduced from YouTube)
The mysterious character played by Cannes actor Jesse Plemons takes the story in another direction. When talking about working with directors Iñárritu and Tom Cruise, Jesse particularly noticed that the two have a very similar trait: they will constantly pursue the best version of the scene in front of them.
Jesse described that although directors Iñárritu and Tom Cruise are each immersed in their own creative worlds, they have a very similar obsession. "They will constantly pursue the best version of the scene we are filming." This way of working also makes Jesse feel as if he has been following the two people to find answers and keep trying until they find a state that truly suits the scene.
For Jesse, working with Tom again is particularly exciting. The two had collaborated on 2017's "Made in America" and met again about 10 years apart. What he saw was not a superstar who already knew how to act, but an actor who was willing to push himself further every day.
Jesse described that Tom is taking a very big adventure every day and is willing to make huge attempts every day. This state also echoes the previously mentioned description of Tom by Riz Ahmed: he does not just complete a scene, but will continue to test whether he can take another step forward, and is even willing to accept failure and start over.
Therefore, the group portrait of "The Digger" will produce a very interesting effect. Tom Cruise is the core of high-speed operation, John amplifies the absurdity and anxiety of political figures, the scientist played by Ritz represents science and rationality, and Sandra Wheeler cuts through Digger's family and ecological career. Everyone has their own position, judgment and fear of the world.
It is precisely because all the actors take their roles very seriously that the humor of "Diggers" does not become simply funny. No one treats the world as a joke. Instead, everyone believes that they are doing the right thing. The more the audience takes it seriously, the more absurd it becomes. Laughter therefore always existed at the same time as uneasiness, and when this group of people finally realized that Digger had really pushed the world out of control, no one could stand on the sidelines and watch indifferently.
"Diggers" will be released in Taiwan on October 2. The 2D, IMAX, Dolby Cinema and Dolby Vision Atmos versions will be released simultaneously. A limited word-of-mouth screening will be launched on October 1.
~The fifth day of the seven-day series of interviews with "The Digger", to be continued~
