Director Sean Ellis, Orlando Bloom, John Turturro and Caitŕona Balfe discuss 'The Cut' at the Variety Studio at TIFF 2024.
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00:00I basically came in at my lightest weight and started to eat as I went through the movie
00:04because I couldn't have had the brain function.
00:06I basically, I kind of teared down the food over a three-month period until just before
00:11filming I was at my lightest and I dropped to about 52 pounds and I was 185 when I started.
00:19So I dropped quite a lot of weight and I was very mentally challenged.
00:30Thank you all for being here.
00:35I want to start by asking Sean what drew you to this story and then how did you get these
00:40guys to sign on for it?
00:43I read the script.
00:46Mark Lane sent me a script and I was, he didn't know this, but I was actually looking for
00:50a boxing movie and this script was a boxing film from a completely different angle and
00:56I was fascinated by this angle and it felt original and fresh, you know, a fresh take
01:02on a boxing film and I was then lucky enough to have these guys, well Orlando had already
01:12read it before me and worked with it, with the writer Justin Boyle and Mark Lane so...
01:18We were very excited when Sean paid any attention to the script because we were all fans of
01:23his and the work he's done and it required a certain kind of visual thing to make such
01:29a small space and like contained movie work so well but yeah, so that was, he was like
01:35a big get for us.
01:38And then John and Katrina, they read and...
01:42Even bigger gets.
01:43Even bigger gets.
01:44We were all very happy.
01:45I think it all comes from that material, you know, that's the common goal that you have,
01:50finding a group of people that really have an affinity to the material and want to work
01:56with you on, you know, realizing that material.
01:59Yeah, like you said, it obviously shows a different side of boxing but there's so many
02:04iconic boxing movies in, you know, film history.
02:08In the boxing sequences, how did you go about differentiating the cinematic language, making
02:15it unique and then in terms of the performances, were there touchstones from other movies that
02:20you looked toward to your performances?
02:23Yeah, I mean, you're going into the boxing genre and you're going to be standing against
02:32giants so it was trying to figure out with the limited resources that we had and the
02:39limited amount of days that we had to shoot it, how to make it effective and to add something
02:46into that boxing genre that had not been done before.
02:50And the problem that we had was most of the film literally takes place in a hotel room
02:54and so that created quite a problem as far as how do we generate a cinematic feeling
03:01and translate the emotions that the characters are going through in a cinematic way in a
03:07hotel room, which is a bit limiting.
03:09So it was kind of devising a way of using the camera to slowly, slowly move so close
03:17and so claustrophobically into the actors while they're performing that you're sort
03:22of held captive to their performance.
03:26Are there other boxing movies that the three of you look to for inspiration on your performances?
03:33I mean, you're a big boxing fan.
03:37I watched, I mean, I'm a fan of Paul Newman and Somebody Up There Likes Me was a movie
03:41that I just always loved as a, you know, I think there's a sort of vulnerability and
03:51torture, self-torture thing to boxers and to people who live in that, the pugilists.
03:58What was that movie you told me with the mountain in it?
04:01It was amazing, that black and white movie.
04:03Requiem for a Heavyweight.
04:05Yeah, Requiem for a Heavyweight.
04:07I watched Requiem for a Heavyweight and I was just like, oh, it was just so heartbreaking.
04:11But these are like older movies, but I did grow up watching Rocky as well, of course.
04:16So I was right in the sweet spot.
04:18I was probably 13 or something when Rocky came out and that was like, you know.
04:23Yeah.
04:24Orlando, I have to ask you, there's obviously a lot of gnarly body stuff in the movie.
04:31How was the training for that, the dieting and the exercising?
04:35How did you get into the physical shape for the film?
04:39Yeah, we started, we sort of shot in reverse chronological order because, I'll get that
04:45right one day, reverse chronological order because it was like I basically came in at
04:52my lightest weight and started to eat as I went through the movie because I couldn't
04:56have had the brain function.
04:57I basically, I kind of teared down the food over a three-month period until just before
05:02filming I was at my lightest and I dropped to about 52 pounds and I was 185 when I started.
05:10So I dropped quite a lot of weight and I was very mentally challenged as well, I would
05:16say.
05:17And, you know, you feed somebody a tuna and cucumber long enough, you'll…
05:22Your brain starved of calories, basically.
05:24Yeah.
05:25So, I mean, you came to us at your lightest because it was going to be impossible for
05:29him to work while dieting.
05:32So, you know, he came to us at his lightest and then he starts to eat.
05:37So that meant that we had to shoot the film, the ending first and the beginning of the
05:42movie at the end.
05:43So he eats all the way and puts the weight back on that way and that meant over the 25
05:48days that we were shooting, he was putting on the calories and then it's edited in reverse.
05:55Is that type of transformation exciting to you?
05:58Obviously, you were early on with the script or is that daunting?
06:02Exciting.
06:03I think I really wanted to make…
06:05I think I really was excited about going into that.
06:09I was more surprised about the mental aspect of like the sleep deprivation and not the
06:15with the depleted calorie.
06:16You're just like there's a lot going on in your brain.
06:19Also, the character was obviously boxers is living in that head space for a while was
06:24really challenging.
06:25But I was excited about the prospect of doing a physical.
06:28I think I like being physical.
06:30I'm physical in my life.
06:31So I was excited by it.
06:33Obviously, the film showed last night at the festival.
06:37Was that all of your first time watching it with an audience?
06:40Yeah.
06:41What was that like?
06:42And were you watching the actual audience when the film was playing?
06:46Somebody in my row passed out.
06:48Yeah, we had a fainter.
06:50Oh my gosh.
06:51I think we've got to put that on the film poster.
06:54I think what was amazing was, you know, obviously the film is very intense and it deals with
06:58such heavy issues, but it was like so nice to hear all the laughter and the moments of
07:03levity and see all those jokes land and all of that.
07:07I think it's always amazing when you get to have a shared watching experience.
07:11Yeah.
07:12And that's why you do it, you know.
07:13I mean, it has a horror aspect to it of what he's going through and what we're putting
07:19him through, you know.
07:21But lots of athletes really do that to themselves.
07:25And they really look at gymnasts, you know.
07:28I mean, look what they do, you know, in order to perform.
07:32So I think it's just we're all interested onlookers to athletic achievement.
07:40And in boxing, you have weight divisions.
07:43And that's always been a thing that people have to strive to.
07:48And sometimes they have to leave the division and go, you know, get bigger.
07:52So boxers are known to get really in great shape and then blow up afterwards.
07:58We don't have to get into spoilers, but there's a shocking moment toward the end of the film.
08:03What were your reactions when you first read that scene?
08:07And what was that like watching with an audience?
08:11I mean, I was definitely like, ooh.
08:14You know, you can read something on the page and it sounds one way.
08:19But to see it, it's so visceral.
08:21And I think the way it was shot and the way it was performed, I mean, that's a tough watch.
08:26A good watch, but.
08:29Yeah.
08:31I was always like, it's Conor McGregor checks into the overlook.
08:36You know, it's kind of like this insane kind of sporting horror movie at that point.
08:44I think it gets very crazy towards the end of the film.
08:48Yeah.
08:49I have a few individual questions.
08:51Orlando, your former co-star Ian McKellen recently said that he wanted to go back to the Lord of the Rings for these live action movies.
09:00Saying, let's hurry it up so I can do it.
09:03Do you have a similar reaction?
09:05Would you want to?
09:06Oh, man.
09:07Those things are amazing.
09:08Yeah.
09:09I mean, like, I don't know how they do.
09:10I guess with AI, you can do anything these days.
09:12But, I mean, like if Pete says jump, I say how high kind of thing.
09:16I mean, he started my whole career.
09:19I really don't know what the.
09:20I did speak to Andy and he did say they were thinking about how to do things.
09:24I was like, how would that even work?
09:26He was like, well, AI.
09:27I was like, oh, okay.
09:28But, yeah, I mean, like, I think it was a pretty magical time in my life.
09:32And, yeah, it's one of those things where it's like there's not a downside to it.
09:38Katrina, you're heading toward wrapping up a big part of your life with Outlander.
09:44Where are we in season eight?
09:46Has it settled in yet that that is coming to an end?
09:49Where am I?
09:50I think we've about a month left to shoot.
09:53So, I'm right about teetering close to the nervous breakdown stage.
09:57Yeah, ready to get out.
09:59No, I mean, it's like so wild.
10:03Like, it's been 11 years.
10:07So, I've literally seen everybody that I work with more than I've seen my family, anything else.
10:15These people are who I spend every day with.
10:19So, it's going to be so sad to say goodbye to everybody and not see them on a regular basis.
10:23And it's going to be so sad to say goodbye to this character that's completely changed my career and changed my life.
10:31But it's also an exciting time.
10:33It's nice to sort of step into the unknown and see what the possibilities might be.
10:38John, we're obviously all excited for Severance season two coming back.
10:42What was it like to get some of those answers from the season one cliffhanger?
10:48Well, I'm not at liberty to talk about it.
10:51No.
10:52It's interesting.
10:54It's interesting.
10:55I think it'll be a really interesting second season.
10:58So, we are delving into the unknown that the audience is waiting for and doing it incrementally.
11:11And lastly, Orlando.
11:14Katie has a big album coming out in a couple of weeks.
11:16Do you have a favorite song?
11:18Can you give us your review?
11:20You know, they just get better as they go along.
11:23She's a powerhouse.
11:25I sort of marvel at her ability to just keep knocking it out in such a major way and bringing so much joy and her sort of gusto and joie de vivre to life.
11:38It's always so impressive.
11:40But, yeah.
11:41One, four, three, baby.
11:43Nice.
11:44Well, thank you all for being here.
11:45I really appreciate it.