Nude scene outside Pine’s comfort zone
TORONTO — Outlaw King star Chris Pine says he doesn’t want his nude scene to overshadow the period epic.
The actor expressed frustration during a press conference Friday at his body part becoming a “Google alert” the day his film opened the Toronto International Film Festival.
Pine said that’s despite the fact there is so much bloodshed and violence in the movie, “it nearly makes your mind spin.”
“That, somehow, to a human modern audience is not nearly as interesting, or revelatory or exclamatory [as] someone showing A) a sex scene, or B) their penis,” said the Star Trek star, whose latest feature kicked off the 11-day festival.
“Is it out of my comfort zone? Of course. You know, I don’t want this film to be all about that moment.”
Still, Pine said he and director David Mackenzie discussed the narrative value of nudity, and ultimately decided it was important to highlight his warrior character’s basic humanity.
Pine stars as Scotland’s legendary Robert the Bruce, who is forced into exile after attempting to claim the Scottish throne from oppressive English rule. “Underneath the emperor’s clothes, human beings are mewling, puking children,” he explained, while speaking alongside cast members that included Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Tony Curran.
“I thought it was really important to show that we are animals, ultimately. And there’s a final scene in the film where I say that we’re beasts. It’s not about God, and it’s not about words, it’s about nothing more than, like, we’re animals in the savannah and that tiger’s going to come over and one of these animals is going to win.”
Outlaw King hits Netflix on Nov. 9, and Mackenzie expressed gratitude to the streaming giant for financing the medieval tale.
Although he calls it “obviously a big-screen movie,” Mackenzie says there is a distinct advantage to working with a streaming company.
“I’m also delighted by the reach that 191 territories released at the same time is going to give the film,” he says of the project, shot in the ultra high definition resolution of 8K.
“It’s almost certainly going to have the widest audience of any film I’ve ever made.”
The Toronto International Film Festival runs through Sept. 16.