Interview: Banks Repeta and Jaylin Webb Talk ‘Armageddon Time’

You get a very different discussion when you talk film with a younger person. I know that makes me sound ancient, but it’s something I’ve found. Interestingly though, I mean it as a compliment, since the actor or actress has yet to become jaded and sees the cinematic world with a full heart and wide eyes. So, talking to someone newer to the industry can be a truly heartening experience. That was most decidedly the case earlier this week when I hopped on Zoom to talk to Banks Repeta and Jaylin Webb, the two young stars of James Gray‘s Armageddon Time. Plus, they have two of the most pivotal roles, so who better to chat with about the flick?

Below, you can see my conversation with Repeta and Webb. We talk Armageddon Time, of course, though from the angle of newer actors, which was very interesting. Both young men are very personable and have definite futures in the business, so it’s a casual chat that tackles things from a slightly different perspective. I’m on the record having really liked this movie, and now that it’s out in theaters, you can find out why…

This here is some of what I said about Armageddon Time out of the Telluride Film Festival:

The American Dream is an elusive one. Throughout history, many have sought it out, though as much as anything, many have sought it out for their children. That focus, as well as what shapes a young person, for better and worse, is the subject of Armageddon Time, the latest movie from auteur James Gray. Playing at the Telluride Film Festival, after a positive reception earlier on this year at the Cannes Film Festival, the flick definitely played better in the box canyon of Telluride. For my money, this is one of Gray’s stronger films, with an added emotional quotient that helps to separate his best works. Count this amount them, to be sure.

Armageddon Time sees Gray looking inward. Clearly an autobiographical work, it’s also his most emotional movie. The filmmaker has a lot on his mind, but keeps a strong focus at the same time. For a film that intertwines antisemitism, racism, class status, when your view of the world begins to shift in youth, and even features the Trump family, there’s never a sense that he’s bitten off more than he can chew. If anything, it’s just more material that his excellent cast can sink their teeth into.

Here now is my interview with Armageddon Time co-stars Banks Repeta and Jaylin Webb. Enjoy:

Armageddon Time is in theaters now!