Michael Shannon makes his directorial debut with ‘Eric LaRue.’ Magnolia Pictures
‘Eric LaRue’ — 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 ‘The Little Drummer Girl’ a bunch of years ago. And we’d also known each other through mutual friends for many, many years. I adore him and Michael is one of the finest actors I’ve 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 ‘The Little Drummer Girl’, 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 Skarsgård in shown in ‘Eric LaRue. ’ Magnolia Pictures
["Ron desperately tried to make sense of what happened, and I believe he was in shock. When you’re lost at sea, you find a piece of driftwood, and he’s holding onto that for dear life, and that is religion for him. He finally finds something where there’s an explanation and there’s a clear reason why this happened and there’s a greater plan, and that gives him oxygen that helps him through this. I think he’s ready to just succumb and be devoured by this intense grief, and there’s a very particular kind of grief where you feel lonely in it because you’re not part of the victim’s family. You’re part of the prosecutor’s family.
So people won’t 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 it’s 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 ‘Eric Larue’ and the Art of Directing
Cinema Sugar (x) Thanks SwedishDelish
[Edit AS parts: "4. On the other side of the coin is Alexander Skarsgård. A vampire, a viking, Tarzan. What did you see in him that made you think “He’s perfect for a born again, boner-concealing dimwit!”
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. He’s just one of the sweetest guys you’ll ever meet. He has a big, big heart. You have a real teddy bear of a guy. It’s funny, he gets cast in these parts where, I think much like with me, he’s a big guy who’s capable of being intimidating. But that’s 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, that’s hard to say. I love them all, and there’s 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, “Have you talked to your wife about it?” And he’s like “No, but I’m going to.” I love that scene for Ron. For Judy, I mean the woman’s knocking it out of the park in every frame of the movie. I also don’t want to give too much away, but there’s one from her later in the film."]
