Sandra Bullock personally brought star power back to the SXSW Film Festival on Saturday night with her new romantic adventure, The Lost City.
Accompanied by co-star Daniel Radcliffe and directors Adam and Aaron Nee, cross-generational fans gathered at Austin’s Paramount Theater to watch Bullock tangle in the jungle with Channing Tatum. In a Paramount Pictures release, Bullock is shown as a widowed romance writer whose latest book tour outshines the himbo model that graces her covers (Tatum). It turns out that her fact-based stories about ancient culture provide credible clues to the whereabouts of a priceless treasure, and a cocky billionaire (Radcliffe) kidnaps Bullock to get him back.
After drawing roaring laughter and applause during a two-hour screening, Bullock (who also produced the project) was forced to show the film to the public. “It was the first time I saw it with the audience. In post-production, everything was in Zoom, everything was virtual, everything was in small cubes, and you just had to pray. Seeing it in theater is a reminder of why we love theater,” she said.
Bullock, who said she moved to Austin after falling in love with the city while filming her classic Miss Congeniality, took a long time to answer questions after the premiere. Here are some key takeaways:
Bullock’s hairdresser convinced Brad Pitt to star in the film.
As previously reported, Pitt has a supporting role in The Lost City. Avoiding spoilers, Pitt plays a dashing and stern former Navy SEAL who aids Tatum in his efforts to retrieve Bullock from a remote island where an ancient treasure is said to be buried.
“He was our eighth choice,” Bullock joked about Pitt, before explaining that “we share the same hairdresser. She told him to do my film and she told me to do his film. I’m not kidding, that’s how it was.” Indeed, this summer, Bullock will appear in the Bullet Train hit-and-run hit-and-run showdown led by Pitt.
Bullock will focus on being a mom over the next few years.
Bullock told the crowd that she was focused on raising her children. A young female viewer mentioned Bullock’s role as a producer on George Lopez’s landmark sitcom and asked if she planned to do more creative work with the Hispanic and Chicano communities.
“I love stories that show the imperfection of love in families and communities. I would love to [continue doing that] when I stop being a mom. I will return to this. I do not know when. Probably when they’re teenagers, solidly 16-17 year olds.” She echoed this sentiment again when another audience member asked the cast and directors about their upcoming projects.
According to reports, Bullock’s son Louis is 11 years old and her daughter Layla is 8 years old.
Oscar Nunez was meant to play a much larger role.
In addition to Pitt, The Lost City has a killer supporting cast including Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Raymond Lee, Hector Anibal and Bowen Young. The Office star Oscar Nunes also conquered scenes as a quirky cargo plane pilot, and he was destined for a much larger role.
“We wrote [a] part for the Oscars,” Bullock said in a statement to Paramount. “We learned that he is not available. Was it like no one called Oscar? The star praised the entire cast as “an absolute joy to be around people who just captivate you when they open their mouths.” However, she was very happy to target her co-producer, Lisa Chasin.
“Nothing makes me happier than making Lisa laugh. We’ve been in the trenches from the start. We’re very cool, very bitchy and very bossy,” Bullock said.
About leeches, “Speed 2” and Channing Tatum’s ass
Being a jungle adventure, nature is as formidable an enemy as Radcliffe and his thugs are for the film’s protagonists Bullock and Tatum. This includes the scene where Tatum is covered in leeches after fording a river. Bullock must remove a particularly large cluster from Tatum’s bare bottom, who lovingly receives minutes of uninterrupted close-up.
One savvy viewer noted that in Bullock’s film Speed 2, leeches are the main plot that features the film’s villain, Willem Dafoe. She was asked which encounter with the leech she prefers.
“Both have their pros and cons. I’m a dedicated actor – whether it’s on a very slow boat heading towards an island where we could jump off or digging things out of Channing’s ass. Digging with Chan is something I will do again and again.
The Lost City opens in theaters on March 19.
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