Michael Shannon makes his directorial debut with âEric LaRue.â Magnolia Pictures
âEric LaRueâ â Michael Shannon and cast talk emotionality of directorial debut
Metro Philadelphia (x) Thanks SwedishDelish
[Edit AS parts: "I second what Judy said. Michael and I worked together on this limited series âThe Little Drummer Girlâ a bunch of years ago. And weâd also known each other through mutual friends for many, many years. I adore him and Michael is one of the finest actors Iâve ever had the pleasure of working with in front of the camera. And we got to know each other pretty well, those six months of shooting âThe Little Drummer Girlâ, so I was just floored when Michael reached out and asked if I wanted to be in his directorial debut. I was so honored that he would even think of me. For me, it was one of those [projects] where you basically say yes, no matter what the role or script is. It was just a bonus when he did send me the script, it was just incredible. This character was fascinating."]
Alexander SkarsgĂ„rd in shown in âEric LaRue. â Magnolia Pictures
["Ron desperately tried to make sense of what happened, and I believe he was in shock. When youâre lost at sea, you find a piece of driftwood, and heâs holding onto that for dear life, and that is religion for him. He finally finds something where thereâs an explanation and thereâs a clear reason why this happened and thereâs a greater plan, and that gives him oxygen that helps him through this. I think heâs ready to just succumb and be devoured by this intense grief, and thereâs a very particular kind of grief where you feel lonely in it because youâre not part of the victimâs family. Youâre part of the prosecutorâs family.
So people wonât line up outside your door to give you food and give you a hug or talk to you and listen to you and be there with you. So in his church, in his group, he gets those answers and someone in a position of authority telling him itâs fine. This happened for a reason and God has a plan for Eric. And I think Ron takes comfort in that and is holding onto that notion for dear life, and that is helping him through it. But that also creates this friction and fissure between him and his wife."]
Interview: Michael Shannon on âEric Larueâ and the Art of Directing
Cinema Sugar (x) Thanks SwedishDelish
[Edit AS parts: "4. On the other side of the coin is Alexander SkarsgĂ„rd. A vampire, a viking, Tarzan. What did you see in him that made you think âHeâs perfect for a born again, boner-concealing dimwit!â
I did a show called The Little Drummer Girl with Alex. We usually would be at the same lodgings where we shot around Europe. Particularly when we were shooting in Greece, we were at the same hotel and I spent a lot of time talking with him and getting to know him. Heâs just one of the sweetest guys youâll ever meet. He has a big, big heart. You have a real teddy bear of a guy. Itâs funny, he gets cast in these parts where, I think much like with me, heâs a big guy whoâs capable of being intimidating. But thatâs not the core of our actual selves. His desire to please and his desire to understand and be a friend I think really comes through in this performance.
5. What is your favorite scene of the film and why?
Oh dear, thatâs hard to say. I love them all, and thereâs different ones I love for different characters. For Ron, the part that Alex plays, I love the scene where he goes to visit Pastor Bill on his lunch break to tell him he agrees to the meeting with the mothers and then Pastor Bill says, âHave you talked to your wife about it?â And heâs like âNo, but Iâm going to.â I love that scene for Ron. For Judy, I mean the womanâs knocking it out of the park in every frame of the movie. I also donât want to give too much away, but thereâs one from her later in the film."]
