PROFILE To The Wonder
ently with different actors and dif- ferent parts. Sometimes parts are totally scripted and at others actors don’t get a script at all. Once the trust has been established between Terry and the actor, they are able to approach the scene like a moment in their own day rather than a scene in movie. That’s what reveals the most subtle performances.
A sense of Wonder A
fter directing four films in four decades, Terrence Mal- ick has now made three
films in two years, with a fourth about to shoot, and another ongo- ing. “He’s on a roll,” says producer Sarah Green, with a laugh. His latest, To The Wonder, stars
Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko, Rachel McAdams and Javier Bar- dem. The story follows a man who reconnects with a woman from his hometown after his marriage to a European woman falls apart. In Venice, Screen sat down with
producers Green and Nicolas Gonda — who have both worked on the three films Malick has directed since 2011 — to discuss To The Wonder, Malick’s working methods and future projects.
How would you describe the plot of To The Wonder? Sarah Green The film is about two people who love each other pas- sionately but cannot be together. Their relationship goes through many stages, one of which sees the woman leaving to find another relationship. It’s about people discovering what works in their dynamic.
There’s also a parallel story of a priest who finds his passion for the church to be waning.
How did the film come together? Nicolas Gonda Terry had been contemplating this story for a long time. After The Tree Of Life, he wanted to continue with a certain style of film-making and to do that with a recurring crew: [DoP Emmanuel Lubezki, production designer Jack Fisk and key editors all return], which has gelled. We have great partners in Film-
Nation and CAA on the financial side. We now have a system in place with them to give Terry the resources he needs to make the films he deserves to at this point in his career. Joseph and Jason Krigsfeld of
Brothers K are the executive pro- ducers. Their background is in the financial world. This is their first film, but they will be doing more.
The film seems to revisit key themes and ideas from previous Malick films. NG Yes. But aesthetically, he’ll never make the same film twice. He’s always challenging himself,
n 6 Screen International at Toronto September 11, 2012
Producers Sarah Green and Nicolas Gonda discuss Terrence Malick’s “endless reservoir of ideas”, their ongoing collaboration with FilmNation and future projects. Andreas Wiseman reports
the crew and us to find ways not to be repetitious. This is the first film Terry has made set in the contemporary world, for instance. That proved very liberating for him as he was able to explore the city without restrictions. It meant the process was more organic and experiential than in previous films where shooting had to be premed- itated because of period con- straints. He was able to approach a day of shooting as he always dreamed of, as he approaches writing, which is being able to discover ideas and not to precon- ceive them.
What were the biggest challenges? SG We know his system by now. I suppose a large part of the chal- lenge is helping the actors to under- stand the process, helping them to ground in a freer style of shooting. Many of the actors are very excited by it and embrace it because it’s freeing for them. But it is less struc- tured, so that can be a challenge.
That process includes less use of artificial lighting and dispensing with conventional scripting. SG Yes. Terry has always loved
Why is he making back-to-back films after previously taking long breaks in between projects? SG I don’t know whether anyone can fully explain the creative force. But he’s certainly on a roll. He’s very inspired right now. I expect it has something to do with the team that’s formed around him, and the connection he has with them. He has developed a system he knows works for him. NG He’s embracing ideas that allow him to work in a freer fash- ion, in a way where he is able to rely on a few partners compared to many partners. He wakes up every day with thousands more ideas which he brings to us. It’s an end- less reservoir. It’s remarkable. We’re sprinting to keep up. He has more energy than anyone I’ve ever met.
What’s next? SG We recently finished shooting Knight Of Cups, which is about the Los Angeles movie business. Our untitled film, the one set against the music scene in Texas, will begin shooting in a few weeks. It was called ‘Lawless’ but we agreed to give that title to John Hillcoat. Christian Bale is a lead in
Nicolas Gonda
Knight Of Cups and has a support- ing role in the untitled film, and both are set in the contemporary world. We’ll edit them simultane- ously and FilmNation is on board both. We consider FilmNation partners on all of Terry’s films going forward. There’s also the epic and ambi-
Sarah Green
shooting in natural light, wherever possible. That also speeds us up. People are used to built-in breaks for lighting but we often don’t have those. The script process works differ-
tious documentary Voyage Of Time. There are large parts shot already but it’s a multi-year project so there’s a way to go yet. Terry has been envisioning it for several dec- ades. Donald Rosenfeld is another producer with us on that and Andreas Roald is executive pro- ducer. NG I’m also producing Green Blade Rising with Terry. The film is about the difficult youth of Abra- ham Lincoln. AJ Edwards is directing and Diane Kruger will play Lincoln’s mother. We’re due to start production in a couple of weeks. n
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