Nichols offers up his two cents’ worth
Writer/director discusses inspiration, creative collaborations behind Midnight Special
In the latest Jeff Nichols effort, Midnight Special, Michael Shannon portrays a desperate father transporting his young son (Jaeden Lieberher) to a secret location before a mysterious cult or federal authorities track down the child with special powers. The dad has an off-duty cop (Joel Edgerton) to assist him, but it becomes clear the odds are stacked against them.
The 37-year-old Nichols offers this thoughts:
On the Midnight Special narrative:
“I knew specifically I wanted to make a government, sci-fi chase movie that’s like a sub-sub genre. That’s cool, but I knew I couldn’t settle for just that because it would be hollow and empty.”
On providing the story with depth:
“I tried to ground the movie in a smarter narrative trajectory. And I balanced the genre trappings so each would help the other.”
On the inspiration for Midnight Special:
“My son went through this illness, and I was paralyzed by the fear of how to deal with it. So I wrote about it, and it became Midnight Special.” On attracting accomplished actors who have great reputations:
“It’s all about clarity in the process. I take them the script and I say, ‘Here is what it is. Do you want to make this?’ That’s a powerful place to start.” On Edgerton: “Sometimes, he makes it too easy, and there isn’t enough resistance. I would tell him, ‘ Do what you need to do and don’t help me out so much.’ ” On Shannon: “There was no film without him. He was there when I originated the idea, and I believe the idea might never have existed without him.”