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[Thisstorycontainsspoilersfor[ThisstorycontainsspoilersforLee Cronin The Mummy.]
Jack Reynor has two opinions about the new ending to Lee Cronin The Mummy.
For starters, he has the honor of joining the list of actors who have played the Mummy — a lineage that began with Boris Karloff’s archetype in 1932. The mummy. He also realizes that by swapping places with his character’s mummified teenage daughter, Charlie Cannon solves one problem but creates another for his wife Larissa (Laia Costa) and their two other children. This downbeat ending didn’t quite land with test audiences, resulting in a more audience-pleasing finale via additional photography.
Instead of completing Charlie’s final sacrifice for his 17-year-old daughter Katie, his mummified self is transported to the prison cell where the Wizard (Camille Hayat) is being held. The latter is the party responsible for kidnapping Katie eight years ago and transferring an ancient demon to her. The film then ends by stating that Charlie will return the demon to the wizard so that his family can be properly repaired.
“You make these decisions because you want to give the audience what they want, and I understand that,” Reynor says. “Is it a better movie, objectively? I don’t know. I liked Lee’s original ending.” Hollywood Reporter. “But I also understand that if I went to see this movie with my teenage kids and they were upset because it was so depressing at the end, then maybe I would be too.” [more in favor of the coda]. So I see the advantages of both for different reasons.
It’s been a busy couple of years for the Irish actor. On May 6, he will be seen in the Priyanka Chopra and Jonas-led film fort Season 2 as a former CIA agent. then power songhis fourth collaboration with Irish director John Carney, hits theaters in a few weeks. He plays an agent for a young man portrayed by Chopra Jonas’ other half, Nick Jonas. Additionally, he has an undated cast of Gareth Evans, Colt is my passportis in preparation, as is the second season of Presumed innocent. Rachel Brosnahan plays the defendant character’s lawyer.
The second season of the hit anthology series on Apple TV takes on new source material and has no relation to the first season starring Jake Gyllenhaal. But Raynor insists it will still scratch the same itch as season one.
“I wouldn’t say it’s any different from night to day,” says Raynor. “I would say the visual aesthetic and tone of the show definitely resonates with the first season.” “The interpersonal dynamics in Season 2 are different from Season 1, but it’s definitely not such a big departure that people feel like they’re watching a different show.”
Below, during a conversation with THRRaynor also compares The mummyThe experience of filming his first horror film, Ari Aster’s midsummerbefore revealing what kind of film he would reimagine next if given the choice.
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After shooting some high-profile films and some high-profile series, what are you doing at 30,000 feet now, career-wise?
Over time, my perspective on my career changed. My ambitions have changed, and I feel better about things now. I really enjoy my job. Some things arrive, some things don’t. But I tend to work with really great people, and they’re often nice people too. So I always find it a pleasure to go to work, and I’m very lucky that the work I do supports the lifestyle I want to live, which is very important to me. So I feel good about it.
Obviously the industry is changing very quickly, and we don’t really know what it’s going to look like in the next five years in terms of theater, streaming, etc. If I could, I would love to continue making feature films because my love is in films, but I also really enjoy doing these limited series. Jumping into something for one season is a bit like making a feature film. I like to tell a complete story from end to end before moving on to something else. I’m not someone who enjoys coming back to things for a second or third time. I think that’s the nature of me wanting to tell a lot of different stories rather than telling the same story at length.
As an Irishman, it must have been pretty special to make a film for Warner Bros. In Ireland with an Irish director (Lee Cronin‘s The mummy).
It was pretty wild, man. We all felt very proud to be an Irish team from the ground up. The vast majority of the people who worked on this film are my friends, and I’ve worked with them before on films throughout the last 15 years of my career. Even my wife, Madeleine [Mulqueen]He was the photographer of the shots. So we were all very proud of the fact that we got the chance to swing into something that was very ambitious and hopefully a really fun theatrical experience. It’s also great to wake up in bed in the morning.
Lee is a great director and a great guy and it’s easy to get behind him because he loves doing it so much. This is not always the case. I’ve worked with directors who were either burned out or underqualified, and it’s very difficult to get excited about working with people like that. But it’s easy to get excited about working for Lee Cronin because, man, he loves it so much.
(Spoiler warning.) Fans of the genre will forever remember you as Ari Aster’s “Bad Friend.” midsummerAnd while Charlie Cannon has his flaws, do you appreciate the opportunity to be a more sympathetic character in your return to horror?
Yes, but in the back of my mind, there was always this feeling that Charlie wasn’t convinced he was qualified to be a father. That was the driving idea for me with the character. In the end, he sacrifices his life to save his daughter, and becomes the mummy instead. So you can look at this through the lens of it being an act of selfless love and sacrifice for his child.
On the other hand, this is a guy who has just spent the last eight years tormented by the feeling that he never should have been a father in the first place. His sacrifice is almost like a respite for him: Okay, great. I’ll be the mother now, but I won’t have to deal with this family shit anymore. Whether people interpreted it or not in the movie, that was always an interesting idea in the back of my mind.
In the characters I play, I always like to find shades of both sides of the argument. It keeps your characters dynamic. I’m always looking to play characters that seem really unsympathetic on the page, but then there’s something human and relatable about them that the audience can feel some kind of kinship with, even if it’s just through humor.
(Spoiler warning.) There is a scene in which Charlie harshly says that his wife shares the blame for Katie’s disappearance. She was kidnapped while he was watching, but the wizard has been using the chocolate bars to take care of Katie for a long time. He apologized immediately, but it didn’t mean much to Larissa at the moment. Did you ever look at his final sacrifice as a huge apology to his wife and daughter?
I did, but I never settled on one side of the argument or the other. I’m comfortable on the fence. It’s a great apology. It’s taking responsibility. It is essentially a healing gesture between them, but at the same time, the appearance of this action almost leaves Larissa in the same difficult position as before. It’s like, You will get your daughter back, but now you will lose your husband. You still have this thing to deal with. So he leaves her in dire straits. Maybe it makes the situation a little better or different, but there are two arguments to be made for this.
(Spoiler warning.) Lee Cronin told me that the film was originally going to end with your character’s sacrifice, and then test screenings told him it needed to give the audience a thrill. This becomes the witch’s moment of retribution as the mummified Charlie is supposed to transfer the devil to her. Did you have to come back months later to add this scene?
Yes, we went back and picked it up, which was great because that was the only day it became the mummy. It’s fun to get into the makkah We want to be part of this legacy. The character of Boris Karloff is an icon for me, in particular The mummyThe opening image is of him (1932) in a coffin. Christopher Lee’s 1959 film is also iconic, so it was sick. It was great to do this even for just one day.
(Spoiler warning.) It sounds like you agreed with the option of ending on a more audience-pleasing note.
You make these decisions because you want to give the audience what they want, and I understand that. Is it an objectively better movie? I don’t know. I loved my original ending. But I also understand that if I went to see this movie with my teenage kids and they were upset because it was so depressing at the end, then maybe I would be [more in favor of the new ending]. So I get it both ways. I see the advantages of both for different reasons.
In terms of the atmosphere on set, how would you compare the most disturbing day? The mummy Versus the most worrying day midsummer?
They are two very different types of films. There were technical struggles and difficulties and things we had to overcome the mummy. We were working ourselves to the bone trying to get it into the box, but it never felt like torture. There were times midsummer Where was the torture? There is no doubt about it for several reasons. The conditions we were filming in were very difficult. We were making what I think should have been a $30 million movie for $10 million. It was a great lesson in putting ten pounds of crap into a five-pound bag every day.
We had a multilingual crew the mummyBut on midsummerthere was a Hungarian component of the crew and cast. There was also an English and Swedish speaking part of the crew and cast. Therefore anything that needs to be done must be communicated to all departments in all languages. And when you’re under a lot of time constraints and your budget forces you to hit the wall, it’s tough. So there were days midsummer When people were very on edge and in a very different way The mummy.
Both films allowed you to master the art of the “WTF” face where your eyes widen and your jaw drops. Maybe you’re just posting it on camera, but have the people in your life caught you doing it?
(He laughs.) That’s a good question. I think my wife sees me doing it from time to time, though it’s definitely embellished for movie moments. I don’t see much in real life that shocks me as much as I see in the films I make. “Gormless” is probably an adjective my wife would use to describe that face, so I’m definitely emulating it in real life.
Your fourth tour with John Carney, power songhits theaters at the end of May. Is it certain now that he will involve you in everything he does? Or do you not take anything seriously?
I never take any job I do for granted. I feel very lucky in every job I have. But it’s great to have the opportunity to work with the same people over and over again. My longest streak is four times with John, and I feel really happy. I’ve worked with Ben Wheatley three times now. We did one movie together, which was Free FireThen we filmed two seasons of the show[[Strange angel]together, which was great. Joe Russo and I have worked together twice, same with Stanley Tucci.
I’m really lucky to be able to come back and work with the same people. It’s very helpful and convenient when you already have a rapport and brief with the director or another actor. You don’t need to go through all this difficulty explaining why you do this or that. You get straight to the point, which is great.
I’m amazed that John still finds new ways to tell music-related stories. You play as the agent of boy band character Nick Jonas. Have you pulled anything from actors in your own life?
Yes absolutely. All you have to do is walk into the WME lobby and look around for five minutes. You’ll learn what the tone is, and it’s the same with CAA. It’s a fun movie, and I’m definitely playing someone who’s kind of like a crypto agent. I like to declutter my clients a little bit.
I met John V Singing StreetThis is also where I first worked with Lucy Boynton. Did you just meet for a Gareth Evans film?
This is correct. We just remade a great Japanese gangster movie I love called A Colt is my passport. I’ve wanted to work with Gareth ever since I saw him the raid In 2011. I actually went to see it at the cinema with Lenny Abrahamson after we finished What did Richard do?We were amazed by this movie. We both loved it. So I always had a big ambition to work with Gareth.
And just as I was about to finish the mummyHe came to me with an offer to play this character who is kind of like Alain Delon if Samurai or if circle Rouge. He’s this real cold-blooded killer from North Carolina. The film is set in 1970s Detroit, and we literally had a blast making this film. It’s just gunfight after gunfight.
Gareth is a truly impressive director. He creates everything in such a way that he drops the shots into a timeline as we shoot a sequence. So, by the time you finish your work day, you’re watching a compilation of the entire action sequence you just shot, and it’s unbelievable.
an act fort Are the events of Season 2 a nice warm-up to the madness of Gareth’s choreography?
completely. fort I greased the wheels for what was turning out to be a busy year for me. I absolutely loved working with Wolfgang Stegemann fort. He’s an amazing stunt coordinator, and I had the best time with these guys. We’ve done some impressive things. There were some feature films that I really enjoyed, so I was definitely confident going into Gareth’s film. By the way, there were a lot of exciting things happening the mummy also. It’s a little lower level, but it’s definitely there.
It was made by the Russians fort He called you since you worked together Cherrywhich is known for being a huge budget show. Have you felt the importance of any set of films you have done so far?
Yes, in terms of size, it is similar to transformers The movie I did years ago, but it was still a different beast. A lot goes into those transformers Movies that rely on marketing. There are cars from General Motors, American military equipment and all that nonsense. So this was not the case with fortbut surely you may feel that there is a very big budget behind it. We put money on display too. The display feels big and spacious. It feels like a real international spy show.
When I worked with Nick Jonas Power songDid he know you were about to go to work with Priyanka Chopra Jonas fort Season 2?
Yes, he knew I was going to go and do it. But I didn’t actually meet Priyanka until we started fort. I love these guys, man. Nick, Priyanka and their daughter Malti, a really nice family. They are just amazing people. Again, it’s fun when you come out of one job, and then you see the same people at the next job just through their relationship.
I just wrapped it Presumed innocent Season two. It’s adapted from Joe Murray Anatomy of a murderIt has nothing to do with the previous season or its source. Rachel Brosnahan defends your character. Are night and day different from season 1?
I wouldn’t say night and day are different. I would say that the visual aesthetic and tone of the show definitely resonates with the first season. The interpersonal dynamics of Season 2 are different from Season 1, but it’s certainly not such a big departure that people feel like they’re watching a different show.
Rachel went straight from Presumed innocent to Man of tomorrowAnd, although it’s a bubbly problem, it must be hard not to have a break between projects. Have you ever encountered Experience leaving one group on Friday and joining a new group on Monday?
I’ve actually gone from the mummy Saturday for Colt on monday. It was intense. I’ve done this a few times, and it’s never fun. It leaves you feeling a little overexposed to have to ditch one character and take on another so quickly. But Rachel has played her character before, so she’s already got her feet under the table that way. She’s also gorgeous, so I don’t think she’ll have any problems.
The Internet says you were on Matt Reeves’ list the Batman Several years ago. Do you think it was more than just a list of actors of a certain age group?
I didn’t hear anything except seeing this article you mentioned.
If James Gunn asked you to read for Batman on his side of the DC Universe, would you still do it? Or does this type of opportunity no longer interest you?
Yes, of course I will come to read. To return to a landscape at 30,000 feet, you just have to do things in good faith. You have to explore things. If it works and you feel like it’s the right thing, do it. But you can’t be afraid to tackle something just because it doesn’t seem like it’s one hundred percent what you want needs to do. If you’re an actor, you do it because you enjoy acting. So, if you are sent a request to record something, do so and enjoy the exercise of making the tape. See how far you can make the tape just to make a good tape. Don’t worry about the damn job. Figure that piece out later down the line. But it’s good to share. The industry likes to know that people are engaged, and it’s good to be generous at work.
If you had a green light for one day, would you use it to launch a film to write and direct? Or will you use it to star in your dream project?
There’s a 1997 film by Kiyoshi Kurosawa called medicine. It’s one hell of a movie. If there’s one thing I can do — regardless of how it’s received critically or commercially — I’d love to do something like this movie. This movie is just a cinematic masterpiece. It’s like seven In many ways, but I think I prefer it seven.
amazing.
Yes. You don’t see a lot of that stuff being made anymore, man. So I would like to make something that resembles that cinematic masterpiece. He jumps in tone. It’s a neo-noir film, but it’s also a supernatural film. The craftsmanship in this film is impeccable on all levels.
Do you want to star in it? Or write and direct it?
I want to participate in it. I don’t think there’s a silver bullet when it comes to writing and directing. I think you just have to do the hard work. Part of the exercise is working out your bullshit to get someone to say yes to it. If I had the magic wand to write and direct something, I would be too afraid to do it. It has to go through the machine a little bit.
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Lee Cronin The Mummy Now playing in theaters. Castle season two Premieres on May 6, while Power song It hits theaters May 29.
