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At the beginning of John Carney’s Oscar-winning film OnceGlen Hansard’s wandering character is robbed mid-performance, leading to a foot chase through the streets of Dublin to recover what rightfully belongs to him. In the Irish director’s new film, Power songPaul Rudd’s Wedding Band frontman Rick Power witnesses an older driver being mown down in a similar fashion, only the Dublin-based street artist chose to shrug his shoulders when Rick asked him why he didn’t go after the thieves. This moment defines Rick’s decision to reclaim what is his after former band player Danny Wilson (Nick Jonas) stole one of his songs and turned it into a hit without giving him credit.
Carney – who used to play bass in Hansard’s band The Frames – is constantly finding new ways to tell music-centric stories. from Once (2007) and Start again (2013) to Singing Street (2016) and Flora and his son (2023), he enjoys representing his fellow musicians, but admits that it is also necessary.
“I’m having a hard time raising money for something that’s not musical. I haven’t been able to. Music should be front and center,” says Carney. Hollywood Reporter In support of the film’s theatrical expansion on June 5.
to Power songOriginal music, Carney has since re-teamed with Gary Clark, his co-writer Singing Street. Clarke, former lead singer of Scottish pop band Danny Wilson, lent the name of his group to Jonas’ character. Surprisingly, Jonas only co-wrote one song titled “Amazing” for Power song The soundtrack, which is heard in parts at two different points in the film. But other than that, Jonas, despite being one-third of the platinum-selling Jonas Brothers, hasn’t tried to over-assert himself in the songwriting process.
“He came to the project shortly after, and was like, ‘If you need me to participate. ” [in the songwriting]”Let me know,” Carney says. “But he never said, ‘I want a piece of this or a piece of that.’ I was actually very grateful for that.
Carney explains why he welcomed Jonas’s tact. “When actors or songwriters say they want it [to get involved in the songwriting]Mostly because of my film, Oncewon the Academy Award for Best Original Song.[[Start again“‘Lost Star’]was also nominated for an Oscar,” says Carney. “You can often feel that some people are just there hoping the song will really work. So I’m grateful when people… [such as Jonas] Like, “If you need me, call me, but I’m not trying to bring my voice to this project.”
If there is another collaboration in the future, Carney will invite Jonas to co-create a track from scratch, which he is currently doing with another obscure pop star.
“I’m doing something with a very cool star from this world, but I’m not allowed to talk about it yet, which makes it seem really interesting,” Carney teases. “We’ll be working on music together, but I can’t tell you who it is.”
Below, during a conversation with THRCarney also discusses whether a music biography is of interest to him.
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I admire that you continue to find new angles for musically themed stories. Isn’t there a lack of capabilities? Or is it a struggle to find a new take every time?
I find it difficult to raise money for something that is not musical. I couldn’t. Music should be front and center. If you say, “I want to make a live drama without music,” it will be difficult to raise the money to make that film. And I quite like the challenge, actually. I quite like being told: “These are the goalposts today, and you’ve got to put the ball there. They’re not wide, but you do those things really well. What have you got?” I absolutely love not having carte blanche to make any movie I want. Not that I quite like it, just that it’s fine for me.
In these terms, I’m like, How do I find the characters and stories I want to tell about the human condition in the world of music? And if I’m being honest, there’s no shortage of them. I know a lot of musicians at many different levels and stages on the road. It’s a long, complicated world you get into when you start playing music and certainly when you start doing it professionally.
Inspiration for Power song It came about when I saw the elderly delusional rock singer putting his baby in the back of the car. Thus, I needed a middle-aged leading man who could somewhat do the music and help finance the film. Was Paul Rudd part of a very short list?
Yes, there were a few people we thought of, and then we left the film when they didn’t show up. We put it off for a while until Paul came on board. I met him on Zoom for another project, and then I proposed to him Power song Because the other thing didn’t happen. And he said very quickly: “I’m here. I’m going to make this movie with you. Tell me where I am and where I start.” Once he was on board, the movie became real. As a filmmaker, you have to put all these pots on the fire. I do anyway. There are six or seven things on my laptop that are simmering low, and I need an actor or someone to activate one of them. That’s the way I work, so Paul was definitely the one who launched it.
Have you ever been in Rick Bauer’s shoes? Have you ever felt like your business has been elevated in some way, shape or form?
No, but at different times in my career, I’ve been in a place where I felt like, Am I being valued in this scenario here? It was more arrogant with me. It was like, Do people respect me? Am I being recognized enough? But it never got to the point where I thought I was actually losing money or that people were making money off the back of my head [of my work].
In fact, if I think about it, there were a lot of times where I could have said, “Where’s the money this movie made? I haven’t seen any of that money.” It doesn’t help that I’m Irish, but I’m grateful to be here sometimes. My American friends say, “Stop. You don’t have to do this for free anymore.” When I first came to America for the studio, I said to myself: “Oh, I’m going to sleep on my friend’s couch in Brooklyn.” And they were like, “No, they’ll put you in your place.” And I was like, “I’m going to swim. I’m going to get a boat to America.” And they were like, “No, they can fly.”
There have been many times when I felt like someone was making some money off the back of a movie and I couldn’t see it. But that didn’t bother me as much as the idea of not being recognized or appreciated bothered me. There are some really good producers who have always been very good to me, and have taught me to be good to others when I collaborate with them. He taught me that it is very important for everyone to be fairly recognized, paid fairly and given fair credit. People who have anything to do with me, I just want them to go back to their families feeling good — respected, seen and heard — about what they did to me. With Rick, this is his fight. It’s not about money at all for him.
With me, I know I have a few good films in me. I just know that. I’m not a Chris Nolan where it’s whack, whack, whack, whack, whack, but I know I have a couple in me. And if I felt like someone had taken one of them from me, I can imagine it would drive me crazy. So this is an interesting place for Rick’s character. There are also a lot of deceived people who think they were stolen from but in reality they were not. So we wanted Paul to play this game in that funny place where sometimes he looks like he’s crazy, and Paul is very good at playing funny crazy.
When casting a pop star/actor like Nick Jonas, I have to imagine a lot of them would want to be active in songwriting. But I think he only co-wrote one tune (“Amazing”) that we hear parts of in the film. Was he completely satisfied with being a passenger in this?
Well, he wasn’t a passenger, but I know what you mean. He was definitely in the driver’s seat with his performance and story, but I hear you. He joined the project soon after, saying, “If you need me to get involved [in the songwriting],let me know. But he never said: “I want a piece of this or a part of that.” I was actually very grateful for that.
When actors or songwriters say they want it [to get involved in the songwriting]Mostly because of my film, Oncewon the Academy Award for Best Original Song.[[Start again“Lost Stars” was also nominated for an Academy Award. But you often feel like there are some people around you hoping that the song will really work. So I’m grateful when people say, “If you need me, call me, but I’m not trying to involve my voice in this project.”
In fact, now that I know Nick, if I were to do another music project, I’d be like, “You should come in really early to create a track with me.” I am [currently] Doing something with a very cool star from that world, but I’m not allowed to talk about it yet, makes it seem really interesting. We’ll be working on music together, but I can’t tell you who it is.
In general, what makes you prouder: turning a musician into a respected actor or turning an actor into a respected musician?
Well, as I was told in school, pride is a sin, my friend, but I know what you mean. I will change the word to something that makes me feel satisfied and impressed, Fuck yeah! This was the right casting decision. You can make mistakes, and I have made mistakes before when you choose the wrong person. But when you do it right and they deliver, it’s satisfying.
Nick Jonas has star quality as a movie actor. It has some dark depth. He is unknown. You don’t quite know what’s going on with him in a way that’s very good for cinema. Cinema works very well when you’re not sure how a character is thinking, and you have to start thinking about the character because it really grabs you. He got it naturally. When you put the camera on him, you just lean forward. This is strange.
Adam Levine, who I worked with[on[onStart again]he had a little bit of that too. I remember sitting in the audience and saying, “He’s only in a few scenes, but he’s really the star of the movie. He’s making himself the star of the movie.” Likewise, with Danny’s role as Nick, he could have just been a plot twist character and then disappears before we all get to see Rick. But Nick didn’t let that happen, which was really cool. It wasn’t like he wanted more limelight. It was like, I want to be an interesting character like an honest good guy. So there was a slight sense of satisfaction even though I knew from Zoom that he could do it. I’ve done it several other times.
Yes, unlike Nick, Glen Hansard had no acting experience Once.
That was more challenging. As soon as Glenn saw a camera or a clapper board, he panicked. While Nick doesn’t even see it. He’s so used to all that stuff. So I had to hide the cameras with Glenn, and I didn’t upload the footage in advance because that would make him nervous. I also didn’t have a boom mic; I had radio microphones. I’ll get him and Marketa [Irglová] To walk away and come back ten minutes later without telling them I was rolling. I would call him on his cell phone and say, “Just start the scene in about a minute.” And I’m going to hang up on the cell phone because we didn’t have walkie-talkies in the movie. This meant that he was really comfortable when he entered.
In terms of Pride, as you said, it made me feel like it was the best directorial move I’ve ever made. I had an instinct to have this guy bring what I knew about this specific role, and I had to think about it. I was happy about that. A lot of times, as a director, you’ll find yourself saying, “Oh my God, this is the wrong person.” If you look at Woody Allen films, he was firing people all the time, it seemed. But that’s not how I look at the movie. I’m like, I’ve got 22 days. I have to make this work. How do I make it work? And I love it. It’s nerve-wracking, and I’m pretty sure I have some ulcers that I don’t know about. I’ve definitely had a bunch of sleepless nights due to nervousness, but I love the idea of being told, “This is what you’ve got, so do what you want with it.”
So I love the tension between the actors and the musicians. They wrap each other up in an interesting way, and they both want to be each other.
Musical biopics remain very popular due to their box office numbers. Is there one you want to deal with? Or are there too many cooks in those kitchens?
It’s very hard for me to know. I have a hard time knowing which artist I would be good at creating a biography about. Am I creating a straight story from cradle to grave? Should I take two days? [out of their entire life]? I love the Beach Boys one[[Love and compassion]Because it’s strange. The scenes in the studio are very well done, progressing between two time zones. There are issues with mental illness, and it never gets that simple. So I would do something like this if I was offered a biopic about someone. I would say, “Let’s take that party or that day or that relationship.” The life of musicians is so fascinating, so fast-moving and so full of content that it is very difficult to do it all their lives.
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Power song It opens June 5 in cinemas nationwide.
