Interviews

Interview: Director Jordan Peele and the cast of Nope – Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer and Steven Yeun

Following the commercial and critical success of both Get Out and Us, audiences have now come to expect genre greatness from comedian-turned-horror-auteur Jordan Peele. Adopting his own fresh spin on the classic UFO subgenre of science-fiction-leaning horror, Peele’s latest opus Nope is looking to soar into Australian cinemas this week, but, to be expected, all…

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Interview: Director David Leitch on fusing the action and broad comedy of Bullet Train; “Bigger doesn’t always mean bad”

Having cut his teeth as a stunt performer for stars such as Jean Claude Van Damme and Brad Pitt over the years, David Leitch knew what it took to perfect the action stakes when he took on the role as genre director. Following a co-directing stint on the first John Wick film, before graduating to…

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Interview: Robert Patrick on respecting the acting process when making What Josiah Saw

One of the most recognisable presences within film, Robert Patrick has been dominating the screen with his oft-villainous and authoritative roles for nearly four decades now. Best known for his turn as T-2 in the groundbreaking Terminator 2: Judgement Day, as well as such films as Cop Land, Charlies Angels: Full Throttle, Walk the Line,…

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Interview: Brianne Tju on making Gone in the Night, the comfort of the horror genre, and the “beautiful experience” of working with Winona Ryder

Quickly earning the title of “new generation scream queen” is something that Brianne Tju seems to be wholeheartedly embracing, and her continued foray into the darker subsects of the genre are only further cementing her status. Having slashed and screamed her way through the streaming series’ of both Scream and I Know What You Did…

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Interview: Australian filmmaker Kriv Stenders on directing Lee Kernaghan’s concert film Boy From The Bush; “His story is still being told”

Part concert film and part road movie celebrating the life and music of multi-award winning and much loved Australian country music artist Lee Kernaghan, Boy From The Bush is a unique and personal insight into one of the country’s most celebrated artists. Ahead of the film’s local release, Peter Gray spoke with its director, Kriv…

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Interview: Director Andrew Traucki on changing the expected narrative of his shark thriller The Reef: Stalked

Having directed the landmark 2010 shark thriller The Reef and the similarly themed Blackwater and Blackwater: Abyss, Andrew Traucki is no stranger when it comes to navigating the murky waters of the creature feature. However, for the upcoming sequel The Reef: Stalked, the acclaimed director wanted to do more than just retread similar water, instead…

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Interview: Ethan Hawke on embracing his horrific character in The Black Phone; “The unknown is where a lot of the fear lives”

It would seem in Hollywood, the nicer you are, the more evil you’re able to play.  So, it would make sense that Ethan Hawke, continually referred to as one of the industry’s nicest guys, would excel so at portraying the embodiment of terror. Reuniting with his Sinister director Scott Derrickson, Hawke’s portrayal of child abductor…

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Interview: The Black Phone stars Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw on navigating emotion and levity on a horror set

Are you ready to answer the call? Arriving in Australian cinemas this week (you can read our review here), The Black Phone is the latest horror outing from acclaimed genre director Scott Derrickson, a supernaturally inclined chiller about a sadistic child killer (dubbed “The Grabber”) whose latest victim turns the tables on him when the…

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Interview: Craig Roberts on directing The Phantom of the Open: “I didn’t want to make a little British kitchen-sink drama”

For the past decade-or-so, Welsh actor/writer/director Craig Roberts has made sure that his career could never be pigeonholed.  The darker aspects of comedy have often been his exploration as a filmmaker, having penned and directed the acclaimed duo of 2015’s Just Jim and 2019’s Eternal Beauty, whilst as an actor he’s just as likely to…

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Interview: The Phantom of the Open writer Simon Farnaby on celebrating “The world’s worst golfer” and what inspires his comedic musings

A writer and performer whose resume boasts such acclaimed works as The Mighty Boosh, Horrible Histories, and both Paddington films, Simon Farnaby and the comedy genre practically go hand-in-hand. For his latest big screen outing, the English creative is adapting his own work, bringing his musings on infamous golfer Maurice Flitcroft to life with The…

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Interview: Catherine Martin on her love of design and the inclusive story behind Elvis

When you walk into a room to interview Catherine Martin, a production and costume designer with no less than four Academy Awards to her name (fun fact, she’s the most awarded Australian in Oscar history), you know you’ve chosen the correct shirt when it kicks off an enthusiastic conversation about its origins; to set the…

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Interview: Actress Olivia DeJonge on playing Priscilla Presley in Elvis; “The crux of this (film) is love”

To say the excitement in the air was palpable when walking the hotel halls during the Australian press junket of Elvis would be describing it mildly.  As director Baz Luhrmann enthusiastically boasted about the late nights had in the lead-up to the film’s premiere, and Tom Hanks so endearingly noting the hotel as “groovy” as…

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Interview: Schuyler Weiss on producing Elvis and his collaborative relationship with Baz Luhrmann

Arriving in Australian cinemas this week (you can read our review here) hot off its history-making reception at the Cannes Film Festival, Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis brings the life of the king of rock ‘n’ roll to the big screen in predictably lavish fashion. Talking with our own Peter Gray at the Australian premiere, the film’s…

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Film Review: Jurassic World Dominion further removes itself from the organic DNA of the original series

To paraphrase the Queen Bee of 2004, Mean Girls‘ Regina George, “Stop trying to make dinosaurs happen!” Though the love for legacy sequels is at an all-time high thanks to the recent 1-2 hit of Top Gun: Maverick and Scream, the Jurassic Park/Jurassic World continuation fails to continue the trend, further removing itself from the…

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Interview: Alex Liu on his documentary A Sexplanation; “Rather than living in that angst, I decided to talk about it”

As his topical documentary A Sexplanation arrives for digital download in Australia (you can read our review here), creator Alex Liu spoke with our own Peter Gray about exploring the hardships of addressing such a controversial subject as sex education, how his own coming out was the catalyst for the film, and the surprising reaction…

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Interview: Director Colin Trevorrow, Chris Pratt and the cast of Jurassic World: Dominion on ending the franchise

The end of two eras comes to a close this week as Jurassic World: Dominion roars into theatres, finalising both the original Jurassic Park and World trilogies that have seen dinosaurs roam the Earth for close to three decades. Ahead of the film’s release, Peter Gray was invited to the global press conference to speak…

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Interview: Sean Patrick Flanery and producer Allen Gilmer on directorial debuts and the unconventional writing of road thriller Frank & Penelope

As an actor, Sean Patrick Flanery has amassed more than 100 credits over a three decade-long career.  Best known for his work in such acclaimed titles as Powder, The Boondock Saints, and the upcoming season of Amazon’s The Boys, Flanery is now turning his attention behind the camera for Frank & Penelope, a road movie-cum-cult…

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Interview: Director Baltasar Kormákur on placing Idris Elba in danger for new action film, Beast

From the endangerment of Mark Wahlberg’s family in Contraband to the singular distress of Shailene Woodley’s nautical nightmare in Adrift, Baltasar Kormákur is a director no stranger to the utilisation of squeezing the most out of his genre films and placing his players in grave danger. For his latest effort, the Icelandic filmmaker is heading…

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Interview: Erik Thomson on enjoying the tone set by the female cast and crew of How to Please a Woman

A staple of the Australian cinema and televisual landscape for 30 years, Erik Thomson is an AFI and Silver Logie award winning actor known for his work in All Saints, Packed to the Rafters, and 800 Words. On May 19th, he will be seen romancing Sally Phillips in the comedy How to Please a Woman,…

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Interview: Firestarter director Keith Thomas on casting Zac Efron as a dad and the pressure of adapting Stephen King

Set to ignite Australian cinemas from May 12th (and, appropriately, Friday the 13th in the United States in both theatres and on Peacock), Firestarter, Stephen King‘s classic novel about a pyrokinetic young girl on the run from a government agency hoping to control her for their own benefit, will earn new life through director Keith…

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Interview: Director Renée Webster on How to Please a Woman and finding the comedy in truth and pain

Having played to sold out festival sessions across Australia, the female-focused dramedy How to Please a Woman is looking to continue its crowd-pleasing success when it opens nationally in Australian cinemas on May 19th. Ahead of its release, Peter Gray spoke with the film’s writer and director, Renée Webster, about its rapturous reception so far,…

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Interview: Steven Cree on the insular process of filming twisted horror film The Twin

Primarily known for his television work on such series as Outlander and A Discovery of Witches, Scottish actor Steven Cree is trading in the fantastical for the fearful, headlining the twisted horror film The Twin alongside Discovery… co-star Teresa Palmer. Cree stars as a husband who relocates with his wife to the other side of…

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Luke Hemsworth and Lincoln Lewis close the festivities of the 2022 Gold Coast Film Festival

Bringing to a close 12 days of cinema celebration, the 20th annual Gold Coast Film Festival went out in suitable style with festival ambassador Lincoln Lewis, and actors Luke Hemsworth, Isabel Lucas, Rasmus King and director Tyler Atkins, there to celebrate the premiere of Bosch & Rockit, a soaring true story based on Atkins’ own…

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Interview: The cast and crew of Downton Abbey: A New Era on their exciting return home

The Lords and Ladies of Downton have returned. Ushering in a new year and a new era on screen, Julian Fellowes‘ acclaimed drama series has graduated from six television series, to now two acclaimed filmic continuations. To coincide with the anticipated release of Downton Abbey: A New Era (you can read our review here), which…

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Interview: Director Fernando León de Aranoa on creating The Good Boss and trusting Javier Bardem enough to take risks.

With The Good Boss currently screening in Australian theatres (you can read our review here), Peter Gray spoke with the film’s writer and director, Fernando León de Aranoa, about creating such an interesting character, balancing the tone between humour and drama, and working with Javier Bardem, an actor he trusts enough to take risks with…

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Interview: Elisha Cuthbert on filming The Cellar, approaching the horror genre, and her love of Australia

Now streaming on Shudder, The Cellar (you can read our review here) is a haunted house-themed horror film starring Elisha Cuthbert as a mother whose daughter mysteriously vanishes in the cellar of her family’s new house in the country.  She soon discovers there is an ancient and powerful entity controlling the home that she will have…

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Interview: Director Jay Cheel on Cursed Films II; “There’s weird energy around this production”

When people look at films that are super beloved and then hear stories about the difficulties or tragedies that happen on set, they then go onto describe that production as “cursed”.  After exploring such controversial productions as Twilight Zone: The Movie and Poltergeist during its first season, Cursed Films II explores a further quintet of…

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Interview: Eddie Redmayne, Mads Mikkelsen and the cast of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

The magic of the Wizarding World is once again conjured with the release of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (you can read our review here).  As the film prepares for its global launch, Peter Gray was fortunate to speak with key cast members Eddie Redmayne, Jessica Williams, Mads Mikkelsen, Alison Sudol, Callum Turner and…

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Interview: David Yates on directing Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore; “These stories mean something to a lot of people”

To say director David Yates is synonymous with the Wizarding World would be putting it mildly.  Having directed half of the Harry Potter film series – Order of the Phoenix, The Half-Blood Prince, and Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2 – and both Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes…

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Interview: Director Michael Bay on injecting a level of humanism into the action of Ambulance

Since breaking out with 1995’s Bad Boys, director Michael Bay has been synonymous with the action genre.  Defying the critics year after year, Bay’s films have collectively grossed over $7.8 billion, making him one of the most successful directors in cinematic history. After taking a break from the big screen – he helmed 2019’s Netflix…

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