Edgerton’s latest gift
Joel Edgerton has range. To prove it, he’s playing an Orc cop — a fictional humanoid creature — opposite Will Smith’s lawman in the upcoming fantastical thriller Bright.
Last year, the Aussie actor expanded his horizons by portraying a weirdo in the drama, The Gift, which he also wrote and directed. The 41-year-old’s latest test arrives with his role as an offduty police officer in the getaway adventure Midnight Special.
In the Jeff Nichols movie, Edgerton’s cop helps his buddy (Michael Shannon) transport his son (Jaeden Lieberher) to a secret location before a cult or federal authorities track down the child with special powers.
Previously, Nichols established his indie credentials with Mud featuring Matthew McConaughey, but Midnight Special marks the writer-director’s first studio-backed production.
That’s not why Edgerton came on board, though.
He explains himself during a Canadian exclusive interview at a New York hotel.
Q What motivated you to do Midnight Special?
A The priority was getting to work with Jeff Nichols. I just got off watching Mud, so Midnight Special was an easy thing to get involved in.
Q Did the Midnight Special screenplay strike you as unique?
A Yeah, the script is one mystery after another mystery unfolding before you.
Q Did you appreciate the misdirection when you first read it?
A I love that first scene when you think there is a kidnapping and then it becomes something completely different and the story keeps twisting and turning.
Q You play a convincing cop in Midnight Special. How did you pull that off?
A I’ve got a cousin who’s a state trooper in Alabama. I talked to him a little bit and borrowed the voice from (a cop in) a documentary called The Thin Blue Line. And I am no stranger to using weapons because I’ve shot them in movies before.
Q Did you enjoy working opposite the child actor?
A It’s like he’s this grown up person without saying he’s lost anything of his childhood. He’s a very mature thinking young man but he’s still a boy inside.
Q Is that why there’s an innocence about him on screen?
A That was the thing, he’s still a child, and off camera he is exactly like that, probably because he has great guidance from his parents.
Q You and Shannon have multiple scenes with Lieberher. Was it difficult to keep the boy’s focus?
A Not at all. We felt entirely relaxed with him, and he was fun to be around. I really think we learned as much about acting from him as he did from us.
Q Nichols showcases kids’ emoting to great impact in Mud and Midnight Special. What’s his secret?
A Jeff is very precise and he isn’t condescending. As a director, he knows what he wants, whether it’s from the child or the adults.
Q Is he an actors’ director?
A I think so. He gets the right tone out of every moment because he’s very clear without being too descriptive.
Q Does he allow improvising?
A Yeah, it’s really nice working with a director who values collaboration with his cast, even encourages it sometimes.
Q It’s Nichols first studio movie. Did it have an impact on him?
A The scale’s slightly bigger than the narratives he’s told before, but he went about it moment by moment.
Q Is it true you’ve done another Nichols movie?
A After The Gift I went up to Virginia to shoot Loving with Jeff (Nichols).
Q Did you like the familiarity of working with him twice?
A It feels like a sense of family, and there’s a shorthand and you feel like you’re getting things done quicker.
Q Any plans to direct again?
A I will definitely direct again. I’m just not sure what it will be. I am developing a couple of things. The plan is that I would be hitting it again early next year, if I can.
Q And what’s up with the Orc cop role?
A (laughs) I can confirm I am doing a project that has a fantastical element to it with Will (Smith), and it’s directed by David Ayers who did Suicide Squad, but that’s as much as I can say.