Film is in competition for Golden Lion at Venice Film Festival
By Lindsey Bahr, Film Writer
VENICE, Italy (AP) --Tiffany Haddish may have Martin Scorsese to thank for her role in Paul Schrader's "The Card Counter," at least indirectly.
It was Scorsese who opened Schrader's eyes to the power of the comedic actor when he cast Albert Brooks in a vanilla — seemingly plain — role in "Taxi Driver." Schrader asked him why and he said he thought Brooks would find something in it.
"You cast a comic, they will break something in a role, even if it isn't laughs. They will make themselves interesting," Schrader said. "It's in their DNA."
And it's a theory he's often gone back to, from casting Richard Pryor in his debut "Blue Collar" to bringing Cedric the Entertainer to his last film "First Reformed." So when Haddish's name came up for the role of La Linda, a gambling agent who gets entangled with Oscar Isaac's mysterious card shark William Tell, he was intrigued.
"She brings a little joy, she brings her charisma," Haddish said Thursday at the Venice Film Festival before its world premiere. "Every good drama, no matter how dark it is, needs a little light so people can take a breath, that's what I was looking to do."
The 41-year-old actor consulted with some professional gamblers she knows to learn more about what their agents are like. She wasn't impressed with what she heard.
"It sounded like a bunch of slimy people to me," she said. "I wasn't feeling that. I was like, 'I'm not making her slimy, that's for sure."
Though she's dabbled in some serious roles, it was a bit of a learning curve for Haddish at first. But it was one that she was game for.
"For someone with Tiffany's background one of the hardest things to learn is you don't have to hit every line," Schrader said.
Haddish put it a little more bluntly.
"When we came into rehearsals the first day I sucked. I sucked bad. I was horrible because I feel like that's where you should be horrible at, in rehearsal," she said. "We played a lot, and what I love about Paul is he was blatantly honest with me, which is the most refreshing thing in the world. I learned a lot from him, and I'm very, very grateful, Paul, that you let me be in the movie. And that you didn't fire me on that first rehearsal."
Haddish is not much of a gambler herself, she said. She keeps her bets to a $20, two-hour limit. But she did take one big gamble, on herself, when she spent her rent money on an acting class and ended up homeless for a time.
"I told myself it would pay off in the long run and here I am in Italy, in Venice!" Haddish said triumphantly. "So darling, it paid off."
"The Card Counter" is competing for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, up against films like Jane Campion's " The Power of the Dog " and Paolo Sorrentino's " The Hand of God." "The Card Counter" opens in U.S. theaters on Sept. 10.
“Heretic” and “Maria” Set As Red Carpet Premieres At AFI Fest
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that Heretic, the psychological thriller starring Hugh Grant, and Maria, based on the life of opera singer Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie, will round out the Red Carpet Premieres section at this year’s AFI Fest. The Heretic Gala Screening will take place on Thursday, October 24, and the Maria Gala Screening will be held on Saturday, October 26. The complete Red Carpet Premieres section includes the world premieres of Music By John Williams, Robert Zemeckis’ Here, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2. All Red Carpet Premieres will take place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. The full lineup for AFI Fest 2024 will be unveiled on October 1.
“At the heart of AFI Fest is an unwavering dedication to celebrating the best in global cinema--together,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “We look forward to uniting artists and audiences once again to be inspired by the art form in a powerful sense of community.”
Heretic follows two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (portrayed by Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The film is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and produced by Stacey Sher, Beck, Woods, Julia Glausi and Jeanette Volturno. The film will be released nationwide by A24 on November 8.
Directed by Pablo Larraín, Maria presents a tumultuous and beautiful depiction of one of the world’s most renowned artists and reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days in Paris, as Callas (Jolie)... Read More