The colorful palette of Spike Jonze’s wistful, slightly futuristic digital romance “Her” had an unlikely inspiration: Jamba Juice.
Jonze premiered his highly anticipated film Saturday at the New York Film Festival, where he and his cast, including star Joaquin Phoenix, exemplified none of the interpersonal disconnect of the movie’s sleek but melancholy future. They entertainingly debuted the film for critics and film industry members ahead of an evening red-carpet premiere that was to draw the 51st New York Film Festival to a close.
Phoenix stars in the film as a recent divorce who purchases and gradually falls in love with an artificial operating system named Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson). The system, dubbed OS1, is something like a far more advanced version of the iPhone’s Siri, advertised as an “intuitive entity” and “a consciousness.”
Jonze said in a post-screening news conference that he wanted to set “Her” in a somewhat utopic Los Angeles that “felt nice to be in.” It shares some of the color of the smoothie franchise Jamba Juice and is forested by skyscrapers. Jonze, who wrote and directed the film, borrowed the skyline from Shanghai, where much of the movie was shot.
It was an interesting acting challenge for Phoenix, given that his primary co-star was a disembodied voice. The character was initially voiced by Samantha Morton before Johansson took over the role.
“I’d like to say that I trained, but as an actor, I’m accustomed to walking around my house and talking to myself,” Phoenix said. “We rehearse all the time so I don’t think it was that dissimilar.”
Phoenix is known for his distaste for public appearances and media interaction, but he was in good spirits Saturday, playfully answering questions or cheerfully ignoring them. On capturing the loneliness of his character, Phoenix replied that “Spike just broke me.”
“Going into the movie, all I was concerned about was trying to feel natural in something that wasn’t there,” he said. As to how he managed to “break” Phoenix, Jonze fumbled for an answer before guessing, “I think he’s joking?” while Phoenix nodded.
The actor even ironically admonished co-star Rooney Mara, who plays his ex-wife, for not eagerly answering questions.
“Rooney, don’t do that,” Phoenix said. “I’m so sorry everyone.”
Warner Bros. will release “Her” on Dec. 18.
For Bong Joon Ho’s “Mickey 17,” Robert Pattinson Again Puts Accent On His Performance
Often when Robert Pattinson gets a script, one of the first things he does โ to the annoyance of his girlfriend, Suki Waterhouse โ is try on different voices to bring his character to life.
"I've always had that sort of response to a script," he reflected, but said it became a practice while making his 2014 film, "The Rover." "I think I feel very uncomfortable just doing something in my own accent. And for a while I felt like just doing an American accent felt like I was acting more."
It's unsurprising, then, that when he was offered a starring role in "Mickey 17" โ director Bong Joon Ho's first feature film since his Oscar-winning "Parasite" โ Pattinson's wheels immediately began turning over what his character(s) would sound like.
"Mickey 17," a Warner Bros. release hitting theaters March 7, tells the story of Mickey Barnes, a naive but sympathetic protagonist who signs up to be an "expendable" in a world that makes use of "human printing" for dangerous tasks and research. When an expendable dies on the job, another version of them is printed with their consciousness and memories of their death intact.
But Mickey's immortality is threatened when a very different version of him is printed while the 17th Mickey is mistakenly believed to be dead.
"I needed to find an actor who could cover both personalities," Bong said through a translator, recalling Pattinson's performances in "The Lighthouse" and "Good Time" as he considered the more sinister and conniving Mickey 18.
The inspiration โ and creative choices โ behind "Mickey 17"
The film is based on Edward Ashton's 2022 novel, "Mickey7." But Pattinson, who read the book before he got the script, said he still can't believe how different... Read More