’Asteroid City’ Virtual Press Conference

Moviefone just lately had the pleasure of attending a digital press convention for ’Asteroid City.’ Taking half within the Q&A had been writer-director Anderson, in addition to stars Schwartzman, Johannson, Cranston, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Adrien Brody, Hope Davis, Jake Ryan, Stephen Park, Rupert Friend, and Maya Hawke.

Here are 10 issues we realized from the ’Asteroid City’ press convention, edited for readability and size.

1. ‘Asteroid City’ Began as a Mash-Up of Three Ideas, Set in an Automat

Writer/director Wes Anderson on the set of ‘Asteroid City,’ a Focus Features launch. Credit: Courtesy of Roger Do Minh/Pop. 87 Productions/Focus Features

The movie’s desert setting appears integral to each its telling, and the distinction that Anderson sought to develop and discover inside his cut up narrative. But that wasn’t all the time the case.

Wes Anderson: For me, beginning a film, beginning to write a script, is often not one concept for it. It’s a few concepts — two or three issues. Roman Coppola and I created this factor collectively, and I might say on this one the three concepts had been that we wished to jot down an element for Jason Schwartzman on the middle of a film that might be one thing he hadn’t performed earlier than. So that was primary. We didn’t actually know what it was, however we form of had just a few notions about what this character was going by. The second factor was we had been within the setting of Nineteen Fifties type of New York theater, or a golden age of Broadway-ish factor. In this case, form of the Actors Studio number of it. And the opposite factor was we thought we’d inform a narrative of the play they’re placing on. And the unique factor was a play referred to as ‘Automat,’ and it was gonna all be (set) on this automat. And then we form of determined, , that’s too small. So we expanded it simply to the desert. And I suppose it then grew to become one thing like this interplay of a black-and-white New York stage and a shade, CinemaScope-ish western type of story, the place everyone’s each an actor and the function they’re taking part in, they usually type of combine collectively.

2. Anderson’s Use of Detailed Animatics Left Tom Hanks Initially Wondering If ‘Asteroid City’ Was an Animated Film

(L to R) Jake Ryan, Jason Schwartzman and Tom Hanks in director Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City,’ a Focus Features launch. Credit: Courtesy of Pop. 87 Productions/Focus Features.

Hanks first met Wes Anderson 15 years in the past in Rome, at a dinner. Though they’d crossed paths some since then, he was stunned to obtain a casting solicitation by way of e mail — and wasn’t ready for the animatic which accompanied it, a product of Anderson’s stop-motion animation productions.

Tom Hanks: This took place actually due to a stunning e mail that mentioned, “Would you like to come and join us?” And I mentioned, “Yeah, sure.” But what’s odd is he sends you a model of the film that doesn’t really want you. The animatic of the movie that he put collectively — which I assumed was [Jason’s] voice, as a result of I do know they collaborate a lot, nevertheless it was all simply Wes — is unbelievable. So you see a whole animatic model of the film, which I watched, and I referred to as him up and mentioned, “Well, I’m in, however I don’t see the way you want anyone to do that now.” Because just the animatic looked like ‘Beauty and the Beast’ to us! All this stuff that you hear about turned out to be true. I haven’t seen a Wes Anderson movie that I didn’t wish that I was in, so it was great to be a part of this and the role was great. I think [Wes] used the reference, “We’re looking for a retired Ronald Reagan-type.” And I go, “I’m your man, I can do that.”

3. How the ‘Asteroid City’ Script Was Like a Bag of Halloween Candy

Jason Schwartzman stars in ‘Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City.’

Jason Schwartzman’s career is of course inextricably linked to Anderson’s, having made his film debut in 1998’s highly acclaimed ‘Rushmore.’ A quarter-century later, though, their relationship is still informed by the same dynamics.

Jason Schwartzman: To be able to work with him is a really rare and special thing. And I think the one thing I value the most about our relationship is that it seems like it’s sort of as it was when we first met — like, the second we met, we started talking about music. It’s about sharing things that we were interested in. And I think that over the years, we’ve been through so many different things. But it’s fun to come back and to share the things that you’ve experienced with someone that you know and love. And it’s about going off and having adventures, you know? It’s kind of like Halloween — like dumping out all your stuff, you know, and seeing what you’re interested in. So when I read a script (of his), I’m catching up with my friend in a way too. So I think fundamentally, the idea of enthusiasm and curiosity about something else being out there — that’s, like, the fundamental thing of our relationship. And I think any good relationship, I guess, is letting the other person grow and then bring it back.

4. Yes, Things Got Complicated For the Actors

Scarlett Johansson stars in ‘Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City.’

Almost all the actors in ‘Asteroid City’ have the challenge of playing their main, outward-facing characters, as well as the actors then portraying them. Sometimes, points of real-life reference helped in building out these complex characterizations — including for Scarlett Johannson, who had to play two performers.

Scarlett Johannson: Wes and I talked about and kind of tried to figure out [what] old Hollywood star was the Midge Campbell character. We shared some ideas about what type of a person this could be, or what kind of career she could’ve had. Did she come through the Actor’s Studio? And what did she sound like? And, you know, I mean, I liked Bette Davis, because I thought her career was a good shape. And she felt like, you know, Bette Davis feels, I don’t know — when you watch her, she seems comfortable in the space she takes up. So I felt like that could be a good beginning. And also her voice, actually — she has a little bit of that Mid-Atlantic thing. So understanding where that came from and all that stuff was very helpful.

5. Bryan Cranston Found Inspiration in Rod Serling and Ted Koppel

Bryan Cranston stars as “Host” in writer/director Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City,’ a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Pop. 87 Productions/Focus Features.

If the framing device of ‘Asteroid City’ can seem confusing on the page, the personified glue that holds it together and makes it such an easygoing watch is Bryan Cranston’s emcee. For his role, the actor thought of himself as a venerable newscaster.

Bryan Cranston: This is a movie about a television show that’s doing an expose on a theater piece. That in itself is kind of a Russian doll sort of thing. And then there’s the actors who are also playing (other roles). So when you read that in script form, it can be a little daunting. And whether you’re playing a lead part or a supporting role, you look for your slice — what is my contribution to the story? And in this, my expositional dialogue sets up the structure of what the audience is about to see. There were a lot of names — lots of interesting names that I had to get straight in my head. But I also thought, I should be the one without any emotion. I should just be a blank slate so that people just listen and then follow along and try to key in. Just open up, introduce, and then hand off — I thought that was probably the best thing I could do. So something almost like Rod Serling or Ted Koppel’s voice kept popping into my head — some kind of established journalistic presence is what I was going for.

Related Article: Scarlett Johansson and Jason Schwartzman Talk Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City’

6. Jake Ryan Won His Role With an Audition Scene on Tape

(L to R) Jake Ryan as “Woodrow”, Grace Edwards as “Dinah”, Ethan Josh Lee as “Ricky”, and Aristou Meehan as “Clifford” in writer/director Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City,’ a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Pop. 87 Productions/Focus Features.

Jake Ryan had worked for Anderson before, in a small role in 2012’s ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ and later providing a voice in ‘Isle of Dogs.’ But for the crucial role of Woodrow Steenbeck, Augie’s son, the filmmaker auditioned him just like any other actor — and was blown away by his maturity.

Jake Ryan: After ‘Moonrise,’ we’ve sort of kept in touch. [Wes] had me be a part of, like, a bunch of different projects. I would like to think that I had matured a little bit (laughs), and vaguely understood what I was doing at this point. So when I got the audition for this, I mean, he knew me and I knew [Wes and Jason], kind of. But I was just excited to reunite. And after I got the part, I just felt like I wanted to prove to myself that I’ve grown up a little bit, I would say.

Wes Anderson: You know what, can I say, the thing that struck me was, because I have known you for so long, I was like, well, probably this is just gonna be Jake. But we still read people. And Jake had done lots of other good work along the way. But the particular thing was, there’s a scene where you and Scarlett are on this train together. And this scene, I wasn’t really sure who it was even going to be, this understudy (character) — how does he fit in? And you did that one. I said we wanted to do a video of this, and you sent me a video and when I saw it, I said, “Wow, he’s definitely matured.” (laughs) I mean, you really played it like an actor who’s taking a scene and interpreting it, and in control of it. You were very, very good in that one.

Scarlett Johannson: It’s only my favorite scene in the entire movie.

7. Anderson Pushes His Actors, But In a Good Way

Jeffrey Wright stars in ‘Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City.’

According to Jeffrey Wright, Anderson’s eye for detail extends to insert shots, even if he’s not shooting them himself.

Jeffrey Wright: So, you know, you do inserts in films. And usually it’s about, you know, five or ten minutes, a couple of shots, boom, of just inserted objects, and then you’re gone. We did an insert in this film… (laughs) there’s a moment in which my hand touches a holster, flips up the flap, and grips the weapon. That took about 60 takes. Four hours. But I understood why. Now, obviously, it’s not a performance thing for me, but it was really about trying to find a certain cleanliness to the [movement] that we couldn’t quite achieve until — and I’ll give away a little family secret, I guess — we had a prop guy standing to my left, the lens here to my right, my body hiding him. So I flip up the flap on the holster, and the prop guy puts his finger on it, keeps it up. The camera, the frame, is below his finger. And then I slide my hand down, and it worked. But it was really, like, kind of an equation that we had to figure out. And we finally figured it out. It was the wildest, strangest thing. But, you know, I kind of loved finding the answer.

8. Despite This Perfectionism and His Fondness for Animatics, Anderson Is Still Open to Suggestions

(L to R) Writer/director Wes Anderson, actor Jason Schwartzman and actor Tom Hanks on the set of ‘Asteroid City,’ a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Roger Do Minh/Pop. 87 Productions/Focus Features.

Again, the incredible specificity of Anderson’s movies gives them a singular feeling. But he’s always up for fresh ideas, too. For Hanks, that included the notion of shooting golf chip shots in the background during the set-up for his character’s introduction.

Tom Hanks: (As one of) the folks that were there for the first time, I wondered if we got to have ideas. I mean, do we get to, like, come in and say, “Hey, you know, I was thinking about this?” So we asked some of the veterans about it. And they said, “Yeah, sure, sure, sure.” And we would, but then [Wes] would say, “Well, we don’t have enough set to shoot that.” (laughs) You know, that would sometimes be something. But I found [Wes] to be just as flexible as anybody would be, provided that you’re not, you know, going south so far out of the realm of what [he’s] going for.

9. ‘Asteroid City’ Reminded Some of Its Cast of Their Theater Days

(L to R) Tom Hanks as Stanley Zak, Hope Davis as Sandy Borden, and Tony Revolori as Aide-de-Camp in writer/director Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City,’ a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Pop. 87 Productions/Focus Features.

Anderson’s meticulously ordered movies evoke such a specific tone and feel that one wonders if they afford actors any freedom, or enjoyment. The answer is yes.

Hope Davis: “The piece that feels theatrical is that it feels very loose, the way my early days in the theater felt — especially when we were rehearsing. We were all jumping around in the desert with air guns in our hands. It had that kind of looseness. You know, moviemaking can be very slow and dull. And this just felt so alive and so playful, so it reminds you why you got into [acting] in the first place for me. You’re finding it in the moment. I mean, some people come in and they know all their lines and they know where they want to go, but most of us, you’re finding it as you go. And I feel like we had the freedom to do that, but we also had the animatic in our heads, so we knew exactly what the frames were going to end up being.”

10. No, Wes Anderson Is Not Breaking Up With Bill Murray

Rupert Friend stars in ‘Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City.’

In the confused timelines of some internet agitators, the absence of Bill Murray, a frequent Anderson collaborator, in ‘Asteroid City’ is a sign that the filmmaker is parting ways with the legendary performer in the wake of a sexual harassment complaint against him on the set of Aziz Ansari’s ‘Being Mortal’ — even though the incident in question occurred in April 2022, many months after Anderson’s film commenced shooting. The truth is that Murray contracted COVID, which prevented him from joining the cast. But he visited the production later during filming, providing a memorable moment for one of its costars.

Rupert Friend: Wes wrote one of his more succinct stage directions in the scene where we have our musical number. It just said, “They dance.” That was it. We kept saying, “When’s the choreographer coming? When’s the rehearsal?” And it was like, “Oh, yeah, another time, another time.” [On the day of shooting] we hadn’t had any of that, and it was only a type of go-for-it second. I had a sense of exuberance, as a result of I bear in mind it was really an incredible second. I don’t know in the event you noticed this, Wes, however after we did our factor, I threw my hat within the air, and behind the digicam that day, Bill Murray had come to go to set, and he simply caught it at that actual second. It was simply excellent.

(L to R) Rupert Friend as “Montana”, Stephen Park as “Roger Cho”, Hope Davis as “Sandy Borden”, Jason Schwartzman as “Augie Steenbeck”, Tilda Swinton as “Dr. Hickenlooper”, Jeffrey Wright as “General Gibson”, Tony Revolori as “Aide-de-Camp”, Bob Balaban as “Larkings Executive”, Mike Maggart as “Detective #2”, Fisher Stevens as “Detective #1” in author/director Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City,’ a Focus Features launch. Credit: Courtesy of Pop. 87 Productions/Focus Features.

Other Movies Similar to ‘Asteroid City:’

Buy Tickets: ‘Asteroid City’ Movie Showtimes

Buy Wes Anderson Movies on Amazon

‘Asteroid City’ is produced by American Empirical Pictures and Indian Paintbrush. It is ready to launch in theaters on June twenty third, 2023.