Indiana Jones and the Quadrant of Destiny is in cinemas from June 28th and for the occasion we caught up with Harrison Ford, co-star Phoebe Waller-Bridge, villain Mads Mikkelsen and director James Mangold at the press conference. “We had clearly demonstrated Indy’s strength, where is his weakness now?”
Indiana Jones and the Destiny Quadrant awaits us in the hall from June 28th: Harrison Ford returns to play in the company of cinema’s most famous archaeologists Phoebe Waller Bridge as his goddaughter Helena, who is being threatened by a scientist named Voller Mads Mikkelsen. Everything is directed by James Mangold, who inherited the project from Steven Spielberg, executive producer only. We met the director and cast at a press conference where they discussed this very delicate and risky challenge.
The return of Indiana Jones
Why back to Indian In Indiana Jones and the Destiny Quadrantfifteen years later Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? Ford explains that he wanted to wrap up the Indiana story: “I wanted to see him at the end of his lifeThere was a good script that encouraged him to work through it and excited him. “I had the ambition to do it. […] I like to say goodbye like this. With an interesting story that I hoped would engage people.” The films made so far, Harrison explains, have shown the strength of Indy, which has already been amply demonstrated: now it’s about telling a new phase, fifteen years later. the end of the academic life that always inspired him. At the beginning of the film, it is disassembled into individual parts: “His weakness lies in the sign of time“.
Although she is a young woman, “with the power of intelligence, independent and with a sense of humor”, Helena – Phoebe explains to us – ha a courage that can easily turn into ruthlessness. It’s a who I can’t really ask for helpShe has to learn to open up. Helena is the right person for Indy at this moment in his life, as Prof. Jones is at an “emotional dead end” surrounded by people who are passionate about the 1969 Futureas he dedicated his life to it Past. She reactivates it, even if it’s just beginning bad faith: Helena will only discover her true passion (for the story) at the end, when she realizes that be vulnerable It is important. “I like to think that they will always be friends, but meeting him will change her forever.”
Mads Mikkelsenwho plays the villain of the situation, jokes about the nuances of the characters narrated by Ford and Waller-Bridge: “Fuller has no weaknesses, of course being a Nazi doesn’t help!” His passion is also his weakness.” Fuller thrives on an obsession, like other characters in the film.
James Mangold and Indiana Jones to discover
James Mangold, the film’s director, had an “exciting” experience. “One of the things that attracted me was that PursueI grew up admiring these movies and these people Ford Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, built my love for cinema. I felt the chance and I felt her chance heat“I knew it was going to be one of the greatest experiences of my life.”
What was the biggest challenge of making this feature film? Mangold distinguishes between two challenges. One was easy logistics: managing action scenes, moving the set around the world, coordinating shots shot in different locations but belonging to the same scene. “Must plan a lot.” But the biggest challenge is to ensure that The film has a soulthat the actors find the place to bear humanity even in such a large production. Why wouldn’t a blockbuster have it? He doesn’t understand who separates pure show from a deeper emotional involvement. “Can’t we have both of them together?” Must Protect that emotional bubble “that can’t be storyboarded or created with visual effects,” the magic of the moment.
He wondered how address old and new target groups? Not so much: James explains that the compass is primarily that of make a good movie, despite it. He doesn’t think about how to sell anything (“Maybe I’m crazy”). As a director, it’s important to work for him Build a car you can actually drive. There are memories of the past, its legacy, but at the same time there is a need to do something new. Saving goats and cabbages doesn’t have to be the goal, it has to be done Project yourself forward, you have to ask yourself questions about the characters and whether they are interesting. Mikkelsen’s Voller, for example, is now part of America, even if he remains a Nazi, which already differentiates him from previous antagonists: he is integrated but has his own mission.
Of course, someone is thinking of a connection between this Indy and another Mangold-managed farewell. logan. “There’s a connection … but when I’m working on a franchise, I think about the integrity of the film itself and try to ask what the unique story of that particular film is. I knew Logan had been in pain all his life and worried about hiding or accepting being used as a weapon, death to him was basically a salvation, in the final seconds he was finally free. This is not the case for Indiana Jones: there is humor, charm, adventure and screwball comedy in his films. In the case of Indiana, after deciding not to deny reality, Mangold states: your agewe had to focus on this particular aspect: How would he face a changed world, a new challenge, without necessarily being ready to face it? In general, Logan and this film share a character who emerged from a period of inactivity, but the how is different.
The Art of Acting
Because that’s what the story is about mentors And given the conflicting relationship one can have with them, one wonders if the cast had any mentors who would have helped them in their careers. An acting coach told Mikkelsen: ‘Keep that in mind You are a professional liar, but never lie“, a paradox that invited us to take the character’s credibility seriously. Instead, Phoebe recalls her mentor teaching her to “not care too much about it” and to let the tension go before a performance, even in a colorful and slightly Goliardic way: “You have to do it.” Hold it for a very long time Hold on to it until you start acting.” Ford references a similar phrase from Marlon Brando: “You can’t hold it too tight or it will become visible“, although Harrison is careful to make us understand what it means: certainly not to care about performance, but to care Don’t worry about personal success, to remind yourself to be there in the moment. Intent must count, and you must not be distracted by obsession with the outcome.
Mangold’s point of view is different. Assistant at CalArts to the US naturalized English director Alexander Mackendrickhe understood from his severity in the face of his immature writing practices how necessary it was effort in this job: Alexander didn’t care how much trouble James had to write a few pages, because his comments and corrections were always longer! He’s always loved one habit in his relationship with actors: walking around on set and personally imitating what he asks of them. For Mangold, it is also an important test: “What you have in mind is not always physically feasible for someone.” You have to remember not to live only in your head.”
Speaking of acting, it’s not that difficult for Mads Mikkelsen to master badafter playing many: “It’s not up to me, it’s up to the script and working with colleagues to find the character.” I seek his humanityif I don’t find what he dreams about, what his passions are, I can’t find the character. […] I’ve gotten into several franchises, but I’ve grown with this one (actually, I said that before). war of starsbut there I lay!)”. Phoebe Waller-Bridge was given a clear compass, “blessing and curse” (due to the importance of the model): Barbara Stanwyckin movies like lady eve (1941) where he sketched a woman who “communicated in a very modern way and refused to be dependent on others”. However, he doesn’t hide that his favorite character in the saga besides Indy is him Marion From Karen Allen (a preference shared by Mangold).
Harrison, on the other hand, is as always very shy and reserved when it comes to talking about his work: “We are storytellersI support the narrator, which I have done over the years I make my experience available for thisI gradually learned more and more how to do my job. A character means to me what it means to the audience. I feel compelled to do this Do my best for the story I’m tellingAnd The generosity that people have shown me over the years is something that really means a lot to me.”