AUSSIE RULES

JOEL EDGERTON TALKS SEX SCENES AND SIBLINGS…

You’re pretty self-deprecating about winning the role of nate in Red Sparrow… well, look, i mean, let’s demystify the acting situation. if you’re a megastar, they put you in movies, or you’re right there at the spearhead of the development process. i hate to demystify this, but i think it’s worth it sometimes. that’s the beauty of looking back on movies. i actually enjoy hearing those stories: “i wonder what that movie would be like with insert name of 10 other actors?” But what i will say is: thank God it was me, and i had a wonderful time doing it. if you ever happen to find out if anybody else was offered the job, don’t tell me. You and Jennifer had pretty intense torture scenes and violent moments to film. Who do you think had it worse? Jen definitely had it worse. if you ask any actor, i can guarantee that nine out of 10 of them would say that sex scenes and graphic sex scenes are the hardest scenes to shoot. and then if you add on top of that that those sex scenes [in this film] are not consensual moments, i think that that makes it even tougher, too. For her – on one hand, you’re talking about the awkwardness of being naked in front of a crew. and on another level, you’re talking about the psychology of having to be physically aggressed by a bigger man, and how you compartmentalise that as an actor is different for every individual. But it’s not easy. to take your kit off in front of a crew? it’s awkward and it’s embarrassing. For anybody out there who thinks that even a tender love scene would be fun for an actor to shoot, take it from me, it ain’t. You’ve worked a lot with your brother, nash, throughout the years – does having a brother in this business help? we did film school together —and when i say that, we just ran around with video cameras and made stuff and learned to use ancient editing equipment. and every step of the way as our careers have moved on, we’ve supported each other and have been around. nash has done stunts on a lot of movies that i’ve worked on, and he helped me on The Gift with stunt work and with some additional photography. we’re always in the shadows of each other’s projects in some way, either on a level of thought or a deeper level of help. So we’re never more than at arm’s length away from each other, technically or emotionally. and it really helps to have a brother who i’m appreciative of his talents. he’s the inspiration for me to be a filmmaker. i second-guess myself a lot, and i’ve had nash many times just go, “dude, just set a date. tell everyone you’re going to do it, get out there, and start making it.” You’re working together on Gringo (see page 68). Were you always going to be playing a role in that? there was a crazy conversation about me potentially playing both brothers [of the character Edgerton plays], but nash was very smart to realise that wouldn’t work. like, it took me years to shake the fact that armie hammer [who played twins in the Social network] didn’t have a real brother. i was coming out of a meeting in hollywood and saw him, and i was thinking, “how cool it is that he gets to meet this director. But does his brother get to meet the director, too?” [laughs] JC