Joey Magidson
Duke Johnson is a one of a kind storyteller. Whether it’s in animation, live-action, or stop-motion, he does things in a way that I don’t see from anyone else. He’s also a lovely person, which never hurts things. So, I’d been curious about The Actor ever since it was announced, going back to how much I was taken with Anomalisa (as well as Johnson himself, who was a pleasure to spend time with that awards season). Fast-forward to earlier in the week and I was on Zoom, chatting with him once again. Yesterday, I shared my conversation with his cast, namely André Holland and Gemma Chan (found here). Today, it’s Johnson’s turn.
In my review of the film (here), I said the following about Johnson’s filmmaking:
There’s a unique sensibility to the work of Duke Johnson. He, along with Charlie Kaufman, blew me away with Anomalisa, immediately endearing me to him. The wait for this live-action feature debut has been a long one, as The Actor took quite a bit of time to develop. Initially, Ryan Gosling was set to star in what presumably was a larger budgeted effort. Eventually, he transitioned to just an executive producer role, but the film itself is finally here. Folks, it’s plenty weird, but boy did it linger in my mind once the credits rolled.
Duke Johnson directs the project, while co-writing the adaptation of the Donald E. Westlake novel Memory with Stephen Cooney. Johnson makes everything both disconcerting and pretty, which is quite something. Moreover, the stage-like way in which scenes and perspectives transition is very unique, keeping you both interested and off-balance. The script leaves a lot for you to figure out, which could go either way for audiences, but Cooney and Johnson trust their viewers. Either way, the look of the flick is so compelling, it’s hardly an issue.
Below, you can see my chat with Johnson. Right before we began recording, he blew me away by remarking how nice it was to see me again and to do one of these junkets and see someone he recognized. So, if nothing else, his memory is impeccable. As we got down to the discussion, you can tell he puts his heart and soul into the work. It’s a fascinating conversation with a true artist. I really enjoyed it and I think you will too. The Actor is in theaters now and is well worth experiencing, so don’t miss it…
Here now is my interview with The Actor filmmaker Duke Johnson. Enjoy:
The Actor is in theaters now!
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