Joey Magidson
Joel Edgerton is a rock solid actor who sometimes can get pigeonholed in a way that shortchanges his talents. So, when you see him in a film like Train Dreams, as well as being amazing in said film, you really do rejoice. For my money, this and Warrior stand tall as his best work, with both movies excellent showcases for his abilities. Last week, Netflix set up a few minutes with me on Zoom to talk to Edgarton about his work in the flick, which has now hit streaming. Today, I’m delighted to share our short but sweet conversation with you all, in addition to my conversation earlier in the week with filmmaker Clint Bentley and cinematographer Adolpho Veloso here.
My review here of the film said the following about Edgerton’s touching performance:
Joel Edgerton has, give or take Warrior, never been better than he is here, inhabiting a quiet character with so much humanity. There’s a sturdiness to him that would beget a harder figure than he makes Robert. Instead, Edgerton finds the soul of the man, in both happy and sad times. It’s a wonderful performance, the kind almost destined to be under-appreciated.
Below, you can see my conversation with Edgerton. Only given about five minutes to talk Train Dreams, I wanted to hear about how he was able to go against actorly instincts and do less, which leads to so much more coming out in the work. Truly, nothing he’s done to date has fully prepared you for how good and how soulful he is in this film. Watching the movie, it’s impossible not to be impressed with this performance. Edgerton is an easy guy to talk to, while the flick is one that easily generates conversation, so we could have gone on for hours. Train Dreams is available to stream currently on Netflix, so drop what you’re doing (Black Friday shopping probably, if you’re looking at this on the day it drops) and give it a watch. You’ll be glad that you did…
Here now is my interview with Train Dreams star Joel Edgerton. Enjoy:
Train Dreams is currently available to stream on Netflix!
I’d love to see him pull off a “dark horse” Best Actor nomination in January. It’s the most inspired performance he’s ever delivered.
He’s got a real shot!