Aimee Lou Wood and Her Fellow Idiots attend LFF Premiere

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‘The White Lotus’ star Aimee Lou Wood was joined by her ‘The Idiot(s)’ co-star Johnny Flynn at the UK premiere of their new film at the London Film Festival.     The British pair both spoke about their shared sense of humour which is on full display in this comedy drama film based on Anna and Fydor Dostoyevsky. They were joined by co-star Vicky Krieps, as well as directing pair Malgorzata Szumowska & Michal Englert, and the Oscar-nominated casting director Nina Gold.     Johnny has been announced as playing Lucius Malfoy in the upcoming TV adaptation of ‘Harry Potter’ and he shared an insight into what it was like stepping onto the set. Report by Burtonj. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn

Transcript

00:00The four of us as a combo, Malgo and Misha and me and Johnny, are just chaotic.

00:04We're all just quite strange.

00:25I'm loving the Crestville where we're all reclaiming and repurposing the term idiot, so you're

00:29enjoying just talking about being an idiot all day long.

00:32Oh yeah, oh yeah.

00:33I mean, it's so freeing to kind of be in that space of imperfection because they're both

00:40amazing people, but they are both idiots in their own way and people might think she's

00:46an idiot for sticking with this man and he is an idiot in very obvious ways, but also

00:51a great, a great brain.

00:55So I love being in that complicated human.

01:00It's human.

01:01You know, no one is wholly good or bad.

01:04It's, we're a mix of everything.

01:06So yeah, I find it very freeing and quite like punk.

01:10Yeah.

01:12Well, speaking of punk and chaos and mayhem, these are all words I've heard thrown around

01:15about like this set.

01:17What was some of the most chaotic and mayhem to build days or directions that you received

01:21on sets?

01:22I think just the four of us as a combo, Malgo and Misha and me and Johnny are just chaotic

01:28because none of us think in norm.

01:33I don't know, we're all just quite strange.

01:35So there wasn't really anyone there going, come on guys, we need a bit of normality here.

01:41So it meant that every day we did not know what was going to happen because if something

01:47kind of captured our imaginations, we would go in that direction.

01:51So it was always changing a lot.

01:52And I would say just me and Johnny laughing so much that it was, it was, it was painful.

01:59And we had to like go on walks at one point so that we could rebalance because it was just

02:04so on the edge of, I mean, the film is on the edge of tragedy and comedy the whole time.

02:11And it felt like that in real life as well, because it was really difficult and it was

02:16grueling and we didn't have much time, but it was also so, so irreverent.

02:24Thank you so much for your time.

02:25Thank you so much.

02:27Hi.

02:28Have I got lipstick on my teeth?

02:30No, you're all good.

02:31You've got it.

02:32You've got it.

02:40I'm really enjoying, uh, I'll be emotional to the interviews with you guys.

02:43I'd like to listen to you guys tonight.

02:44We're all probably reclaiming the term idiots, aren't we?

02:47Is there a freedom in this?

02:49Yeah.

02:50I think so.

02:51Yeah.

02:52That's kind of, I think that's what the, the title is playing with.

02:57Um, and obviously the book that he's, they are writing is the idiot.

03:02Um, and in a way they're the idiots in the sense of like the holders of this kind of foolish

03:08wisdom.

03:08Um, and it's, it's, it's, they're, they're holding, um, all of their chaotic life in, in

03:15that balance in order to make this piece of art.

03:18Um, and it's something about the sort of fool archetype, which I'm very interested in.

03:24If you think about the fools in Shakespeare or, um, the fool in the tarot, which was like

03:30something for me in this, um, uh, process to, to kind of hold onto that kind of playfulness

03:36and freedom of being foolish really.

03:40And there's great wisdom in being foolish.

03:43I think, um, I was listening to your, one of your, uh, interviews where you were talking

03:46about watching characters and not agreeing with things that they do, but not judging them

03:51at the same time.

03:53And I love what you were saying because it was kind of a reflection on how we are too quick

03:56to judge people who do things we agree with.

03:58Is that kind of, is that hopefully one of the messages within watching these characters

04:02in this film?

04:02Yeah, I, I really believe that we live in an age of, um, sadly of like knee jerk, uh,

04:10reactions to people and behavior.

04:12And it's why we live in this, I mean, it's the social media doesn't help because people

04:17feel sort of safe from their, you know, you know, sort of tin can world of like faceless

04:23screen communication to be able to throw grenades at people and take people down.

04:28And like, I'm not about that.

04:30And I think dialogue and it's, it's so interesting to talk to somebody who at first seems to have

04:36a different point of view, um, and realize your, your commonality or your, yeah, the places

04:42where as human beings, you intersect and spiritually where you might meet.

04:49Um, I feel like we're, we're losing a lot of that in society.

04:53So I love this film because it is for me, a very humane portrait of a flawed person in

05:02Dostoevsky, certainly.

05:03And it, it would be really cheap to just denounce it as like, oh, he's, his behavior is toxic

05:09or dah, dah, dah.

05:11He comes from a lot of trauma and in the relationship, which I really believe in, you know, they really

05:16love each other.

05:17They really need each other.

05:18So I, I love that portrayal.

05:20It feels quite rare in storytelling these days.

05:23That's so nice to hear.

05:25Um, was he worked very closely with Amy and us and, uh, I did hear about your tarot card

05:28reading.

05:29Pre-shoot.

05:30Um, was there anything else that you guys did off screen to kind of, uh, inform your performance

05:35like to kind of, uh, build that bond?

05:37Uh, we just made each other laugh a lot basically.

05:40Yeah.

05:40Uh, we, we, we, we, I think we find each other very funny for some reason and people

05:46were a bit weirded out by us kind of giggling in the corner for months on end, but, uh, it

05:53helps, you know, I think there's this couple get each other in a way that nobody understands.

05:57And that's central to the, the, the story really.

06:01Um, so yeah, I mean, it's just such a playfulness in our, in the way we were allowed to be

06:07with,

06:08uh, by Malgo and Misha who were over there and a freedom that I've never really had in

06:14film before.

06:15So I, yeah, I loved it.

06:16Um, I'm assuming, and I'm hoping that, uh, this is obviously a Dostoyevsky film and based

06:21on Russian literature, but we don't need a master in Russian literature to understand going

06:24in.

06:25Do we like this?

06:25Is this just for everyone?

06:26Is it across the board?

06:28Audiences don't need?

06:29No, absolutely not.

06:30I mean, yeah, I mean, I, I, I've read a bit of Dostoyevsky in my twenties and I felt that

06:37that helped with understanding the, his sort of archetypal tones in his literature, but

06:43this is for everybody.

06:44It's, it's a universal love story and it's, it's about humanity and it's funny and tragic

06:50and yeah, I love it.

06:52Um, my final question before I let you go.

06:54Sorry.

06:54I know a lot of people will be asking about, uh, Lucius Malfoy and your Harry Potter, uh,

06:58filming at the moment.

06:59You can't say too much about it.

07:00I know, but can I get your, Johnny's reaction to walking onto those sets?

07:03Cause surely they're grand and amazing.

07:05How was their days walking onto the Harry Potter set?

07:07Yeah.

07:08Really exciting.

07:09I mean, I read the books as a teenager and I read the books to my kids and so I'm

07:13a fan

07:14of that world.

07:15And it, yeah, it's, it's bizarre to be in the great hall or wherever.

07:19Yeah.

07:20It's just, yeah, it's thrilling.

07:25It's terrifying.

07:27It's terrifying.

07:29It's terrifying.

07:33It's terrifying.

07:33Well we did on our Thursday a tarot reading.

07:37I said, Johnny, I think we should do a tarot.

07:40We just pulled one card each and I got the high priestess and he got the fool and so the

07:47full energy is kind of this they've got this innate intelligence about the world however they are maybe

07:55childish in their approach which is very him and then the high priestess is the all-seeing

08:01kind of stoic held um super wise woman so that was helpful but then also just kind of thinking

08:11about the the fact that they're both on a mission with equal amounts of fervence like he is on a

08:17mission to self-destruct and she's on a mission to save them and both are as strong as each other

08:24oh there she is look at those legs hi hi we've met before when was it that we met was

08:33it in poland

08:34i think it was and um yeah so she wins so it's kind of this her mission is the one

08:41that that wins

08:42so they're both as kind of determined as as each other and that's why it felt like a push and

08:50pull

08:50rather than a kind of unequal within the context of course as well like she didn't have the

08:56opportunities to express herself fully as a woman within those confines so having this proxy of this

09:03kind of great man who was also chaos she she also knew how to use that to her advantage so

09:10that's

09:10what i really like about it so focusing on the equality of it yes when um we had to do

09:15the egg scene

09:17where we i eat a boiled egg in a certain way and we just lost it johnny and i lost

09:25it we could not get

09:26it back we were we were in that delirium and i it was started off like the crew were like

09:32that's really

09:32funny and then they're like right no seriously guys come on but obviously the more they go come

09:36on guys we go so that i was so idiotic that day i was just so silly but every day

09:43to be honest

09:44i could really be my true self so yeah i loved being an idiot and i do all this every

09:51day

09:56i mean because the idiot is a very famous novel by fyodor dostoyevsky

10:01but the film is not only about the novel and not about creating novel the film is also about them

10:07about the crazy couple who are trying to find their way in the life and in about the woman who

10:15is trying

10:15to save very misogynistic nationalistic male genius i would say it's a kind of deconstruction of it also

10:24at the same time so i think they are kind of all idiots in their choices idiots but very likable

10:32idiots

10:32and we we are saying idiots with the tenderness it's like a tenderness we are also idiots you know what

10:40they mean but in general paradoxically the the the the dostoyevsky idea for the idea was to create a

10:47kind of the perfect hero i mean perfect man who is just like good you know so so he created

10:57the the

10:57the person who is not pretending anything is is very straightforward very honest sometimes causing a lot

11:03of troubles and i think it refers a bit so to to to him as a person and to anna

11:10especially to anna so

11:11they are very truthful and then why wanted to create someone who is intentionally ideal they created the

11:19idiot so it's it's interesting yeah on that theme why were amy and johnny your perfect idiots why were

11:25they perfect for these two rules my god they are like really they link so much uh with the characters

11:32and they did such a tremendous job they dedicated fully and somehow i don't know why but they catch

11:41and they understood and they the the eastern european soul which is very different than uh british i would

11:49say but there is a like a very organic part of these two people so we didn't have to use

11:55too many words

11:56to explain them why and they love all of these crazy contradictions and which are very intuitive

12:04they very intuitive but they understand they understood the characters yeah very surprisingly did

12:11you guys set them any sort of like homework or or anything to prepare them for the role and the

12:16relationship that they play as well did you sit in the room and do not really they said johnny was

12:22very much educated he knew a lot about dostoevsky amy felt it also knew but more felt her and now

12:31but

12:31also they what they say that a that they when they met us they've been like referring to us because

12:38we've

12:38been a couple many years ago we we split now we are like a director duo but amy as well

12:45is repeating

12:46with johnny that they observed us and they've been like oh maybe we should pick this and pick that so

12:52they refer to the real people which is us um i uh i've heard about a lot of the mad

12:59things that

12:59happened within this film and and perhaps some of your direction like go crazier go crazier what is

13:04the craziest thing you've asked of these uh these actors to do within the film do you think without

13:08spoiling too much go for it because he said johnny he said on the hollywood reported reporter or maybe

13:16just don't maybe suggest some of the insanity that we might see no it's not very insanity i mean it's

13:22like they've been surprised uh daily by some ideas which came to our mind but we are always working

13:28like this we have the the idea and we are trying to keep the framing but in we want to

13:34improv so for

13:36instance one day we asked johnny to to go to the doormat to the doormat of our neighbor and do

13:44what

13:45he supposed to do and then he was like so shocked he was like what are you asking me to

13:50literally

13:52at the door of my neighbor and we've been like yes and then he was why not

14:00before we go into this film then for audiences who might want to watch this obviously hopefully we

14:04don't need a master's in russian literature what do audiences need to know about this story before

14:08going in or should they go in blind not blind yeah definitely yeah i think always i mean like if

14:15the

14:15if the film can resonate without any background knowledge i think it's the best so so let's let's

14:22go to the cinema let's enjoy let's let's yeah let's follow this dynamic couple i haven't seen the film

14:29and the thing is that this character is so uh specific special and maybe a little crazy that it's

14:37very difficult to say who she is i don't know i can tell you playing her it felt like a

14:44woman who i don't

14:46know could have existed in her time so she's she's in her time but she reaches forward to our time

14:55you know

14:55she's like a free spirit feminist almost non-binary in a way like she just doesn't really stick with

15:04any definition of what she is in a time where that didn't exist so i really have to see the

15:11film myself

15:11and really doing the film i didn't know who she is i was just feeling her from the inside but

15:17not from

15:17my brain you know they always say that uh the buildings get the best lines but actually is it the

15:22three spirited characters that actually get the best lines yeah i think so and the best costume too

15:28i didn't hear a lot about um obviously his p.a. piece and uh the costume part was phenomenal

15:32i've heard amy talk about how you know the corsets are actually more painful than they were

15:36practical is that the same for all characters i've said you think it's actually the pain that they go through

15:40no my character doesn't wear a historical costume i wear a modern costume so we have a prada and

15:48mui mui mui mui mui they gave us the clothes and so my character is wearing modern day clothes so

16:02they

16:03just make it look old and also not too serious so i didn't have any pain yeah was it your

16:10first time

16:11working with the man on your left yes how did you enjoy the experience i love him i love him

16:18i love this man i love this man and i love this man he's the best person on earth i

16:25think he's the

16:26best actor just incredible incredible talent incredible human incredible um as audiences do we

16:35need to know a lot about russian literature going into this or can we go in with absolute fresh

16:39eyes yes i think i think the the name says it on you know idiots i think it's we're all

16:45idiots and

16:46we take life too serious sometimes and i think especially in these days that we live in we all need

16:51to be reminded of the idiot in us you know it must be all about the casting talk me through

16:57the process

16:58of uh then uh amy and johnny on board is it a case of uh you going to them they

17:02auditioning uh take

17:04back to starts um i think basically malgo and i just too i read the script completely loved it

17:11absolutely loved malgo's work and misha's and we talked about who who we thought would be good

17:19we and we talked about it a lot and we both agreed on these two amy lou and johnny and

17:26once we

17:27thought about them we couldn't think about anyone else what are the qualities which say let's start

17:32with amy what are the qualities which anna possesses which amy could embody and interview she's so

17:40truthful and funny and just completely original and so her own self as well as inhabiting another

17:52character at the same time and she's just completely brilliant and how about johnny into it

17:56right now johnny was i i mean it was so fun thinking of johnny as dostoevsky and

18:05everything about him he's so creative and clever and funny and so versatile it just seemed like it

18:11would be great

18:12can i ask a broad and vague question because obviously you guys do such an important job

18:19and i very rarely get to talk to a classifier and in the last few years i feel like you're

18:23really

18:23getting your flowers yeah there's a lot more like uh categories within uh yes yes we've only been

18:29waiting 98 years but we're here now you can't get rid of us how has it been received like your

18:34friends and

18:34your colleagues and all that like surely it's just like champagne was popped yeah it's just great

18:39everybody was so happy and thrilled for us um you know so i guess at this stage how does a

18:46campaign

18:47work for the department when it comes to award season or something like do you do you apply same

18:52as any other actor or actress or director or something how has it worked you know um the distributors kind

18:57of

18:58get behind us in the same way that they do the other heads of department and actors and the other

19:04creatives and obviously we haven't had as much practice with the talking doing this sort of thing

19:09as everyone else but we're going to learn um i send on uh the idiots then i'd be asking people

19:15if they

19:15need to you know what do they need to know going into it but i would like to know from

19:19you what will

19:20people feel coming out of the idiots what are their reactions people i hope they'll feel

19:25really exhilarated and will have i mean i think people will learn some stuff and also feel exhilarated

19:35and surprised and have laughed and felt moved and also just been on an incredible roller coaster

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