Interviews

Interview: Spiral director Darren Lynn Bousman on returning to the Saw franchise

After over a decade of vacating the director’s seat on the Saw franchise, Darren Lynn Bousman has returned to the series that gave birth to his career as a staple within the horror genre.  As the latest instalment releases in cinemas across the country, Spiral: From the Book of Saw (read our review here), our…

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Interview: Australian actor Finn Little on Those Who Wish Me Dead and bonding with Angelina Jolie

At the age of just 14 years, Brisbane-born talent Finn Little has already amassed an impressive filmography.  After securing the lead role in the Australian drama Storm Boy at just 11, Little has continued his steady rise in the industry with roles in the Netflix series Tidelands, the mini-series The Reckoning, and the Luke Evans-led…

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Interview: Claudia Karvan on her film June Again and being hungry for new experiences

A staple of the Australian entertainment landscape for over 30 years, Claudia Karvan has amassed countless accolades – including Logie and AACTA Award wins – and an enviable catalogue that has seen her conquer theatre, television and cinema. To coincide with the release of the new dramedy June Again (read our review here), Karvan spoke…

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Interview: Brock O’Hurn on the paranormal experience of filming The Resort in an abandoned hotel

Famed on Instagram for his 6’7 frame and popularisation of the “man-bun”, California native Brock O’Hurn has traded in influencing for entertainment, transitioning from the phone screen to the big screen.  Having made his film debut in Tyler Perry’s Boo! A Madea Halloween, and its subsequent sequel, before earning television roles in drama series such…

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Interview: Director Lee Daniels on the cultural importance of The United States vs Billie Holiday

The first ever African-American film producer to solely produce an Oscar-winning film (when Halle Berry won her Best Actress statue for Monster’s Ball), Lee Daniels has long associated himself with acclaimed fare throughout his career thus far. After a near-decade long break from directing films, the Academy Award-nominated director of such lauded features as Precious…

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Interview: Sam Claflin on the emotional turmoil of playing the villain in Every Breath You Take

After making a name for himself in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Sam Claflin soon earned global recognition as Finnick Odair in The Hunger Games series.  Romantic leading roles and character driven projects followed, with his exercises in the dark psyches of his roles continuing with the release of Every Breath You Take….

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Interview: Mortal Kombat actors Josh Lawson and Sisi Stringer on bringing their characters to life

Though the battle grounds of Mortal Kombat are far from the usual comedic landscape Josh Lawson is used to, the Australian actor/writer/director has certainly put his own stamp on proceedings in bringing the character of violent mercenary Kano to life. Touching down in Sydney to discuss his foray into the world of blockbuster cinema, Lawson…

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Mortal Kombat Interview: Director Simon McQuoid and producer E. Bennett Walsh on honouring the game’s spirit

Mortal Kombat fans rejoice! The hotly anticipated (and fantastically violent) cinematic re-adaptation of the best-selling game has arrived in cinemas for all eager, and legal, eyes to see (you can read our review here). In conjunction with the film’s release, Peter Gray caught up with its director, Simon McQuoid, and producer, E. Bennett Walsh, to…

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Interview: Neil Burger on directing his space-set thriller Voyagers

Neil Burger‘s 30-year career as a filmmaker has taken the director on a varied journey.  From his beginnings as a music video director and faux documentarian, Burger became a staple name in mainstream cinema thanks to such commercial and critical successes as The Illusionist, Limitless, and Divergent. Now working off his first original script in…

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Interview: Jonny Pasvolsky on the impressive production of Ascendant and working with a first time filmmaker.

Once a staple of Australian television – having worked on such notable homegrown series as McLeod’s Daughters, Underbelly, and Home and Away – Jonny Pasvolsky has since been making ground for himself across the Pacific, starring in such profile productions as Mortdecai opposite Johnny Depp, The Front Runner with Hugh Jackman, and the acclaimed series…

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Interview: Ascendant director Antaine Furlong on being a first-time filmmaker and taking a hands-on approach for his ambitious debut

With Australian cinema exceeding expectations at the box office in 2021 alone, now feels like as a perfect a time than ever for homegrown productions to thrive within their own country.  Founding his own company to pursue his passion of filmmaking, Dublin-born Antaine Furlong had followed his dream to technical fruition as his debut feature…

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Interview: Spirit Untamed director Elaine Bogan on her directorial debut and history with animation

To coincide with the trailer launch of Spirit Untamed, the latest from Dreamworks Studios telling of the epic adventure of a headstrong girl and the wild horse she shares a kindred spirit with, Peter Gray chatted with the film’s director, Elaine Bogan, detailing her experience as a first-time feature director, her background in animation, and…

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Interview: The Father writer/director Florian Zeller on adapting his stage play and working with Anthony Hopkins

An award-winning French novelist and playwright that the Times of London referred to as “the most exciting playwright of our time”, Florian Zeller has transitioned from the stage to the screen with the adaptation of his award-winning production,  The Father.  Set for release in Australian cinemas on April 1st (you can read our review here),…

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Interview: Nobody producer Kelly McCormick on being a female voice in a testosterone-filled genre

Following its box office success in the US – the film topped the North American chart as one of the few films to maintain a cinema-only rollout – Nobody is planning its Australian unleashing on April 1st (no joke!).  In relation to the film’s release (you can read our review here), Peter Gray chatted with…

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Interview: French Exit actress Danielle Macdonald on the specificity of the script and witnessing masterclass acting with Michelle Pfeiffer

Australian actress Danielle Macdonald has wasted no time racking up an impressive resume in the near-decade she’s been working on screen.  Biding her time between acclaimed Australian dramas (I Am Woman) and Netflix successes (Dumplin’, Bird Box), the Sydney-born talent is furthering her mark in Azazel Jacobs’s surreal comedy French Exit (Read our review here)….

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Interview: Ruby Rose and Tom Hopper for SAS: Red Notice, the comforts of the action genre and their character’s morality

Arriving March 16th in the US on demand and digital, SAS: Red Notice (read our review here) is a slick actioner led by Australian actress Ruby Rose.  In the lead-up to the film’s debut, Peter Gray chatted with Rose and her co-star, Black Sails actor Tom Hopper, about the comforts of the action genre and…

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Interview: Julie Sokolow on her documentary Barefoot: The Mark Baumer Story

Screening as part of the digital Transitions Film Festival, we caught up with Director Julie Sokolow to talk about her new documentary Barefoot: The Mark Baumer Story. What first attracted you to making a film about Mark Baumer? Back in 2016, a friend of mine frequently shared Mark’s videos on Facebook. I finally clicked on…

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Interview: Ahmet Zappa on new documentary Zappa and how it’s honouring the legacy of his father, Frank Zappa.

As Alex Winter’s acclaimed documentary Zappa arrives in cinemas (read our review here) to both introduce and re-establish Frank Zappa as one of the music industry’s late, great geniuses, the musician’s son – and Zappa producer – Ahmet Zappa is talking about the labour of love that is the film.  Peter Gray spoke with Ahmet…

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Interview: Long Story Short actor/director Josh Lawson on the challenges of filmmaking and returning home to Australia

Academy Award nominated writer/actor/director Josh Lawson is back behind the camera to follow up his 2014 debut The Little Death with the time-warped romantic comedy Long Story Short.  Ahead of the film’s local release (it’s set for Australian theatres on February 11th), Peter Gray caught up with the star to discuss the film’s origins, the…

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Interview: Actor Aldis Hodge on working with Regina King in One Night In Miami and the importance of the film’s release

Academy Award winning actress Regina King‘s feature film directorial debut, One Night In Miami, is arriving this week on Amazon Prime Video.  An adaptation of Kemp Powers’ acclaimed stage play detailing a fictionalised meeting between  Malcom X, Muhammed Ali, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke in a Miami hotel room in 1964, the film has been…

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Interview: The Dry actor Joe Klocek on playing a young Eric Bana and the collaborative mood on set

Joe Klocek may not be a household name yet, but after his starring role in The Dry it’s likely Australia’s latest star has been born.  In the lead up to the film’s anticipated release, our own Peter Gray zoomed with the rising actor to discuss his comfortable casting process, the collaborative mood on set, and…

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Interview: Robert Connolly, director of The Dry, on adapting the best-selling novel and his partnership with Eric Bana

As The Dry prepares for a new year’s release, our own Peter Gray was fortunate enough to chat with the film’s director, Robert Connolly.  Excited to finally have his film seen across Australian cinemas, Connolly discussed if he felt any pressure in adapting such an acclaimed novel, how instrumental he was in casting, and what…

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Interview: The Furnace actor Jay Ryan on the “tricky” filming experience and how It: Chapter Two changed his career

On the eve of the national release of the new Australian drama The Furnace, our own Peter Gray chatted with one of its stars, rising New Zealand actor Jay Ryan, about the trying filming conditions, learning new facts about Australian history, and how a horror movie changed his career. First off, congratulations on the film. …

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Interview: Director Frank Marshall on the emotional journey of telling the story of The Bee Gees in How Can You Mend a Broken Heart

Frank Marshall is one of the film industry’s most prolific producers.  Having founded Amblin Entertainment in 1981 with Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, he has been at the forefront of blockbuster studio making for the past four decades; Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, and The Bourne Identity just some of the franchises he’s contributed…

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Interview: The Croods: A New Age director Joel Crawford on finally getting a sequel off the ground and the coup of the original cast returning

To coincide with the US release of the hotly anticipated sequel The Croods: A New Age (set for a North American date of November 25th), our own Peter Gray caught up with the film’s director, Joel Crawford, to discuss the coup of reuniting the original cast and furthering the emotional aspect of the original story….

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Interview: Freaky star Kathryn Newton on swapping bodies with Vince Vaughn and her love of the horror genre

Christopher Landon‘s self-described “batshit crazy” body-swap horror movie Freaky is getting ready to be unleashed in Australian cinemas this week, and to coincide with its impending release The AU Review’s Peter Gray was fortunate enough to chat with the film’s lead actress, Kathryn Newton.  After the Big Little Lies alum noted that making scary movies…

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Interview: The Craft: Legacy writer/director Zoe Lister-Jones on the importance of inclusivity and the authenticity of portraying witchcraft

On the eve of the release of The Craft: Legacy, writer/director Zoe Lister-Jones spoke to Peter Gray regarding the distinct feminine energy brought to the narrative, how inclusivity was an important factor, and the authenticity adhered to in her portrayal of witchcraft. When I first heard about The Craft: Legacy I assumed it was a…

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Interview: Rams director Jeremy Sims on reinterpreting an Icelandic drama and the importance of his casting

With the imminent release of Rams set for Australian audiences, director Jeremy Sims has been discussing the film and what brought him to reinterpret the original Icelandic drama.  Our own Peter Gray chatted with Sims, learning of his approach to directing, how he has found the film’s reception so far, and why he had to…

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Interview: Kajillionaire writer/director Miranda July on creating such a distinctive film and how her cast imprinted on the material

As her critically acclaimed film Kajillionaire arrives in Australian theatres (read our review here), writer/director Miranda July spoke to our own Peter Gray about what drew her to create such a distinctive film, how star Evan Rachel Wood imprinted on the material, and the irony of releasing such a thematically anxious film in 2020. Kajillionaire…

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Interview: Director Christopher Landon on his Freaky new film, the Happy Death Day franchise, and injecting humanity into the horror genre

  As the trailer for Christopher Landon‘s body-swap horror-comedy Freaky premieres across the globe, The AU Review’s Peter Gray was fortunate enough to chat with the director, touching on the casting of Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton, his love of the horror genre, and if we can expect a third Happy Death Day. After seeing…

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