Adam Schimberg’s new movie A Totally different Man is many issues. It’s humorous, tense, scary, unhappy, heart-warming, and slightly gross, all whereas centering on two unimaginable performances from Sebastian Stan and Adam Pearson. It’s a narrative that goes to uncomfortable locations, particularly in the way it confronts how we understand ourselves and the individuals round us and the way insecurity can slowly destroy you.
Within the movie:
An aspiring actor (Sebastian Stan) undergoes a radical medical process to drastically rework his look. Nonetheless, his new dream face rapidly turns right into a nightmare as he turns into obsessive about reclaiming what was misplaced.
Whereas A Totally different Man isn’t a horror movie, per se, Schimberg remains to be enjoying in that sandbox, particularly on the subject of crafting his personal private model of physique horror. And that’s ignoring the pervasive sense of dread that builds in every body. It’s nearly like Cronenberg meets the weirdest episode of Seinfeld.
Schimberg, Stan, and Pearson spoke with Dread Central at Implausible Fest concerning the energy of prosthetics, why we love horror, and Poltergeist.
Dread Central: Congratulations on displaying A Totally different Man to a horror crowd. I liked whenever you mentioned final night time earlier than the screening that you simply needed to indicate this to a horror crowd. Why have you ever been so excited for horror individuals to see this?
Aaron Schimberg: Effectively, all my movies have performed at style festivals and it’s all the time been a supportive group for me. My movies have all the time performed effectively in these environments. I’m by no means eager about [my films] by way of any explicit style, however they’ve actually been the inspiration for my movies, horror movies, and so-called style movies are actually in my DNA, a minimum of to some extent. So it’s been all the time regular that my movies [played at genre festivals], even my first one premiered at a style pageant. Chained For Life had a few of its greatest screenings at Implausible Fest.
A Totally different Man premiered nearly 10 months in the past, and so I simply type of assumed by now that we’d have performed it at some style festivals. However it by no means did as a result of we performed at a number of very prestigious festivals, however we haven’t performed a number of different festivals on goal. I suppose I’ve been mendacity low with the movie. However I simply all the time assumed it could sooner or later. And so I’m glad it’s taking place now and I hope that folks prefer it.
DC: So do you imply to make a Poltergeist reference at a sure second?
AS: I’ve by no means seen Poltergeist.
DC: Actually?
Sebastian Stan: I’ve by no means seen it, both.
AS: It’s like one among these few horror classics that for some purpose, I by no means noticed. Possibly bits of it on TV once I was a child?
DC: As a result of there’s some extent the place Edward’s wanting within the mirror and he’s pulling all elements of his face, and there’s a component in Poltergeist the place he’s actually pulling off his face in a mirror. So it was cool to see that second.
AS: Fascinating. I didn’t know Poltergeist was that bloody. I all the time assumed it was not that graphic
DC: It’s extra graphic than you’d count on!
Adam Pearson: It’s quite a bit.
DC: Sebastian, you talked about on the Q&A final night time how the prosthetics that you simply wore actually helped to tell your efficiency. I needed to listen to extra about that and what that was like working with prosthetics.
SS: Effectively, simply even from a foundational stage, whenever you don’t acknowledge your self within the mirror, then there’s a bizarre permission, type of like a freedom. You begin to get the arrogance and the braveness to lean into sure issues that possibly you wouldn’t have, proper? Then you definately simply type of keep open, I feel, to what comes. So then in a means, the best way I used to be transferring, interacting, strolling, all of that got here from the prosthetics.
Then the second step was going round New York and being round actual individuals, those that weren’t doubting. I used to be an actor in prosthetics and I imply, they weren’t doubting me. They weren’t considering I used to be an actor in prosthetics. So I may really feel firsthand how anyone was concerning me or not concerning me or how their power was shifting round me or after they acquired uncomfortable. And I feel all of that was very useful for me to only get some understanding. It was an enormous piece to the efficiency. Even after they have been off, I found I used to be capable of take issues I realized with me.
DC: Effectively, your physicality, even whenever you don’t have the prosthetics, you’re nonetheless slightly bit hunched over.
SS: One of many issues that I used to be noticing, and once more, that is simply me with my restricted expertise, however once I was strolling down the road, I used to be solely capable of see out of 1 eye. So I simply naturally began to keep away from eye contact.
Aaron and I talked quite a bit about eye contact and the way a lot may he maintain eye contact, which was not quite a bit. However I used to be already wanting down once I was strolling, in order that was already pushing me ahead in a means. However simply since you get a haircut or shave your head, it’s not going to alter how you’re carrying what you’re carrying in your shoulders, no matter, emotionally and mentally for the final 30 years, it’s nonetheless going to be there. I typically get slightly loopy about it, like, “Oh, how didn’t every little thing change?” There’s no straightforward repair for years upon years of realized habits, muscle reminiscence, many, many elements. It doesn’t change in a single day, however but we attempt to get, that fast dopamine hit.
DC: We certain do. I imply, I’m lined with tattoos and piercings. I do know it’s means smaller and so completely different, however I can see what you imply by altering your physique for a fast rush.
SS: Undoubtedly. That’s a means of expressing, proper? I imply, that’s a means of claiming, that is me or so. You’re rather more brave than me. I don’t have any tattoos.
When my grandmother died who was a giant a part of my life, I thought of a tattoo as a result of I needed to have one thing to all the time keep in mind her by. I reply to issues which are instant to me. So I take a look at it that means.
DC: Adam, what was your first response to studying the script for A Totally different Man? How excited have been you to get to play this character of Oswald?
AP: I liked it, and I’ve labored with Aaron earlier than. I understand how he thinks and the way he writes and the way he directs. So I took one move [at the script] after which I feel the one be aware I despatched you again was, “Oh so I must study to yodel.” [Laughs]
DC: Clearly you’re defying style right here, however I’m a horror individual and saved eager about the horror elements of A Totally different Man. What are your relationships with the horror style?
AP: I like the horror style, and it’s masochistic in a means. I just like the sick thrill of being made to really feel uncomfortable for hours and hours at a time. My first horror movie I noticed accidentally as a result of I used to be a silly baby. I noticed Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Manufacturing unit with Gene Wilder after which I used to be wanting on the cabinets at my mate’s home to borrow a VHS. I noticed a Candyman and thought, “Oh, that sounds just like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Manufacturing unit.” So I went and watched that, and it wasn’t just like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Manufacturing unit in any respect, but it surely was unimaginable.
DC: How previous have been you, do you keep in mind?
AP: I feel I used to be 8.
DC: Wow.
AP: Then there’s The Hills Have Hills, The Exorcist, I watched The Omen means too younger. I discovered the Noticed movies hysterically humorous.
DC: Actually?
AP: Oh, I feel they’re hilarious.
DC: What’s your favourite one?
AP: I actually like Noticed III, as a result of one among my buddies, Tom hates something to do with eyes. So after they did that factor after they sewed one man’s mouth shut and one man’s eyes shut, he went, “Nope” and acquired up.
DC: That was me, too, in Noticed II with the syringes.
AP: These movies are nice. I additionally suppose Noticed III additionally has the dumbest protagonist ever. He simply does every little thing actually slowly and actually badly.
SS: Can I ask you a query as a horror individual?
DC: Completely.
SS: I’ve been eager about this. I get an precise bodily sick feeling from that factor in Alien. What’s the factor that jumps in your face?
DC: The face hugger.
SS: The face huggers! Even once I see a poster of a face hugger, I instantly really feel it in my abdomen. I imply this factor that is available in and also you’re, it completely takes over you with it. And I imply, that was a tremendous idea. So within the horror world, what’s the greatest horror movie within the final, let’s say, three years?
I take an extended pause to suppose.
DC: Discuss To Me. That’s the one which had the most important impact, I feel culturally.
SS: The A24 film?
AS: The place they’ve the hand?
AS: Was A Totally different Man horror sufficient?
DC: I feel it was greater than I anticipated, really. I used to be impressed with how horrific the movie will get. Additionally, the music jogged my memory of a fucked up horror sitcom, and I used to be actually into that. And I like the way you guys play with physique horror in a means that you simply don’t count on. I tweeted this may be a very good double characteristic with The Substance, Coralie Fargeat’s new film.
AS: Wonderful.
A Totally different Man is out now in theaters.
Categorized:Interviews
