Interview: Director Joe Wright Breaks Down the Passion Behind ‘Cyrano’

When you watch a film directed by Joe Wright, you know it’s going to be impeccably crafted. Often, it’s just downright beautiful to look at. That’s just the name of the game for Wright, an underrated craftsman who somehow has evaded the Oscar lineup for Best Director over the years. With Cyrano, finally hitting screens on Friday, he has another work that deserved more love than it received. The movie is lovely, as I’ve long been saying, and this week is dedicated in part to promoting it. So, after Cyrano with star Peter Dinklage (seen here yesterday), today it’s Wright’s turn to chat. So, be sure to give that a gander below!

This is some of the praise I had for Wright’s direction, as seen in my Cyrano review:

Director Joe Wright manages to make this intimate in a way that never feels cheap. The film may be calling out for an epic feel, but Wright sees the emotions in Erica Schmidt‘s screenplay (adapting her own stage musical). Together, they get to the heart of the matter, though don’t be fooled, Wright still has some killer visuals here. The visual palate is fully compelling, courtesy of cinematographer Seamus McGarvey. The true star, however, are the songs, largely written by The National‘s Aaron Dessner and Bryce Dessner. The composed the simple yet effective score, while co-writing the tunes. By far, the best number is “Wherever I Fall” in the third act, but all of the numbers pair well with each other.

Below, you can see my discussion with Wright. We talk a lot about how important making Cyrano was for him, in a multitude of ways. Wright is an interesting guy, especially when you think of his directorial efforts. You have to think he’s long been discussed as a potential helmer for a James Bond flick (I’ve even thought of him as a great choice for a 007 outing), but it’s clear that his interests reside elsewhere. Especially with Cyrano, he’s clearly at the top of his game, so something is certainly clicking for him. When you watch it this weekend, you’ll understand what I mean…

Here now is my interview with Cyrano director Joe Wright. Enjoy:

Cyrano is in theaters this weekend!