Marjane Satrapi and Ryan Reynolds talk The Voices, 2015’s first must see movie.
Also, they reveal Green Lantern’s one good quality.
Im not going to pull any punches here: I never categorized Ryan Reynolds as a topnotch talent.
Well,I take it all back.
Ryan Reynolds:Youre the second person who said that!
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Was that something you guys worked out specifically.
Was it scripted ahead, that it had to be that punch in of accent?
Marjane Satrapi:No, [Ryan] came up with the accent.
I had an idea it would be like Joe Pesci, like a high-pitched voice.
And then Ryan, he just made something on his iPhone, and he sent it.
And that was his proposition, and I loved it!
RR:For the record, that was Marjanes attack on Scottish men, not Ryan Reynolds.
What about French men?
RR:French men are refined and cultured, and wonderful, come on!
RR:And Swedes.
MS:Yes, they are truly the French men.
What about Canadian men?
RR:Lumber sexual.
Was there anything touching on facts, on reality, or authenticity?
We are [irresponsible], but not this much.
RR:Were very irresponsible people.
We didnt pretend to make a documentary.
This has no basis in reality whatsoever.
I dont know; I always empathized with him.
RR:I completely agree with that.
Ive always had strong opinions on villains and I never get to play them.
I would love to play more of them.
Villains dont think theyre evil.
No one gets up in the morning and says, Im going to hurt everyone today.
I mean, you do, everyone knows about you.
Weve all seen the wanted posters.
I think, its always interestingI always get frustrated when I see villains played for straight up villainy.
It just doesnt ever smack as true.
The Joker is a very good one.
RR:Yeah, there you go!
Thats a great one!
Thats a great, iconic one.
I dont know about all the Jokers though…
Do you hear voices?
RR:Doesnt everyone?
I only hear Martin Sheen in these old Toyota commercials, though.
Just because its soothing.
Thats a good one to have!
RR:I know, right!
I always wanted that to be my inner monologue.
Were you inspired to do this film because it was a villainous role?
I saw it as a little different of a character for you.
RR:Honestly, I did this movie exclusively to work with Marjane.
Im not saying that because youre sitting there.
Ive said that in every interview you werent in.
Film is a filmmakers medium; its a directors medium, through and through.
Theatre is an actors medium; televisions a writers medium.
Thats just the way it is.
you might fight that all you want, but theyre the architects.
They put the whole thing together, and they create everything we see on the screen.
Thats why I wanted to do it.
I really didnt care if I was playing Office Worker Number Five.
Ive had that same mindset with my team that I work with, agents and all those guys.
Marjane,PersepolisandChicken with Plumsare both based on books that you wrote.
So what attracted you to Michaels screenplay that made you want to direct it?
MS:My work is only my work; its limited to myself.
So, its a very comfortable place, because I know each corner of it.
But at the same time, it cannot expand forever, because I am always me.
Normally, when I read something, I dont see anything.
Basically, most of the time, its great.
I go, Okay, that was nice.
I will never be able to make a film that I dont want to go out and watch myself.
LikeMaleficent, its okay, its nice, you have Angelina Jolie, and all that.
MS:…So, I read this script, and I go, Oh, what is this?
And then Im like, Why do I like him so much?
And then Im like, I love this cat!
It wasnt a movie I had seen 20 times.
I dont have any movie of reference for that.
I cannot say, Oh, you know, like other movies, likeBonnie and Clydein Norway.
Now this in the South Pole.
Its the same thing, over and over.
And then my biggest luck was to meet him.
They told me Ryan Reynolds wanted the role, so I was like, Lets meet.
And really the moment I met him, I knew it was him.
So we all have to make the same movie.
And then we might make a good movie.
So we had the same point of view about the thing.
But he was much more advanced than me.
He knew who he was.
And then, I hate to rehearse; he hates to rehearse.
Hes on time; Im on time.
We just needed to talk about it, and then we just needed to trust each other.
And look at this face!
He doesnt have so much white of the eye.
His eyes are very dark, very deep.
I was like, He really looks creepy!
RR:I knew that was coming.
MS:Its true!
But at the same time, the second he smiles, Im like, Come on, Jerry!
Before I met Ryan, I saw lots of films of him.
I sawBuriedand thats obviously a great film.
Its very difficult to perform that.
But really what struck me, where he was really good, was theGreen Lantern.
That movie is really bad!
[Ryans head slowly lowers to the table] You know that!
But he is really good in it.
This is the truth.
I was like, This is a good actor.
To get out well from this movie, you have to have a really big talent.
RR:I dont know why [but] it feels so good when you say that!
MS:I really mean it!
A good actor is that.
A movie can be not good, but still the actor is good.
RR:With friends like these!
What did you do to prepare?
Can you take us through a couple of the steps that you went through to prepare?
RR:I dont know.
I didnt do much.
We didnt do much.
MS:I hate to rehearse.
RR:I do, too.
Because it just feels like youre wasting it.
Like if youre committed to your character and youre doing it, youre doing it!
You dont need to rehearse, trying to feel it in a weird room with fluorescent lights.
MS:It really hurts me, bad actors.
Like they dont know what to do, so you have to tell them what to do.
Why do I use a great actor?
Its an abuse of his talents.
RR:I wish you would tell that to other directors.
MS:You use a human being, because he will give you something.
If I wanted to control every gesture, animation is a very good medium for that.
But its very nice to be surprised by the actor.
Because heisthat person I have an intellectual approach with.
In the script, I have Jerry, and he swears all the time.
And [Ryan] comes to me and says, Jerry doesnt swear.
And of course, hes right.
The cat swears for him enough, that is his side that swears.
If we want him to be this innocent guy that we love, he cannot swear.
There is no discussion about it.
Of course, he will always be more right about Jerry than I will be, because heisJerry.
Its two different approaches.
RR:Jerry is a nice boy.
I should hope not.
I dont think so.
But does doing something like this make you look at a character like that differently?
RR:Yeah, but thats for me, not for anyone else.
Its sort of irrelevant.
I think like that sometimes, but it doesnt inform what you see on the screen.
But you could seeThe Voiceson screen Feb. 6th.
***The top photo was provided by Matthew Schuchman.
