‘The Bikeriders’ Director Jeff Nichols on Casting and ‘60s Subculture

Director Jeff Nichols says he’s intrigued by the idea that we’re drawn to what’s ‘inherently dangerous’ for us. It’s what sparked his interest in looking at a subculture in the ‘60s: the bikeriders. As you might already know, The Bikeriders is also the title to his latest film, which is now playing in theatres.  

About 20 years ago, the filmmaker came across a book — Danny Lyon’s The Bikeriders — and he hasn’t stopped thinking about it since. He proceeded to write the script and direct the titular film, starring some of Hollywood’ finest actors: Austin Butler, Norman Reedus, Michael Shannon, Emory Cohen, Tom Hardy, and Jodie Comer. 

Speaking about his lead actor Austin Butler, the director, who helmed Loving and Mud, said: “When you first meet him, he is probably one of the more beautiful human beings you’re going to encounter. But there’s a complexity to him. There’s a lot going on there. I think, as a performer, we’re just scratching the surface of what this guy’s capable of doing…”

Nichols spoke with SHARP about his fascination with bikeriders, assembling the cast, and how Marlon Brando became the inspiration for a key cast member. 

I read that you found Danny’s book 20 years ago, and it’s been an obsession in your life ever since. What is it about that particular moment in time — the golden age of motorcycles in America — that fascinated you?

Well, the truth is, Danny’s book fascinated me because it wasn’t just pictures of motorcycles, as beautiful as they are. It wasn’t just pictures of cool-looking people, as cool-looking as they were. It was also a collection of interviews; when you combine these very romantic, really beautiful photographs, with these kinds of unvarnished interviews, you get a complete picture of a subculture.

It’s something [that] as a storyteller is priceless — it gives you all of those little details that make things honest, that make things real. You start to look at a group of people that, maybe, a lot of people don’t want to look at, they don’t really want to understand. Danny gives you kind of all the information necessary to start understanding.

What did you immediately envision when you read the book? What was at the heart of this film for you?

I got a 2003 edition of the book, which was a later edition, and there was a second foreword from Danny [Lyon]. He talked about what had happened to the club he rode with, in the mid ‘60s. The club had changed so much — it became more violent. The club he rode with was now referred to as ‘the old outlaws,’ and they no longer exist.

That really stuck with me, the idea that these people could be involved in a thing at the beginning, that — I don’t want to say it was innocent, but it was more homegrown, more organic, these were just working class guys with jobs, families that started a social club — and over the course of the ‘60s, it metastasized into something much more dangerous. That line, and that foreword from Danny, really encapsulated that and in all iterations of the story. That trajectory was always going to be there.

You mentioned subculture. Was there a subculture that you were part of back in the day?

Yeah, somewhat tangentially. I played drums in a really bad punk rock band in Little Rock, Arkansas. And believe it or not, in the mid ‘90s, in Arkansas, there was a pretty good punk scene. It felt like ours, it felt homegrown.

I was a bit of a preppy kid, so I didn’t totally fit in all the time with that group. But that music and those clothes and the people, it felt like our community. But, because it was so attractive to the rest of the world, by the late ‘90s, you’re walking around the mall and Green Day is playing over the speakers and you realize, ‘oh, this wasn’t just for us.’ It’s like the rest of the world caught up. You end up having this thing that feels very unique, that’s part of ‘outsider’ culture, get absorbed by the rest of culture. That’s very much what I saw in The Bikeriders — that same kind of cycle is definitely happening there.

“[I want to] put things in the world that make people think about how they operate. As human beings, we’re complex creatures. We don’t always do the right thing, even though we possibly know what the right thing is.”

Director Jeff Nichols, on making ‘The Bikeriders.”

Austin really surprised me with Benny; that final scene with Kathy was such a moment. It’s very different from Elvis. Talk to me about what you saw in Austin to fit the bill? 

Well, the great thing about Austin is that he carries a complexity with him. It’s kind of like a motorcycle, right? You look at a motorcycle, and they’re beautiful. You want to get on and you want to ride one, but it can also kill you. There’s a tension in the design of a motorcycle. Austin’s like that. When you first meet him, he’s probably one of the more beautiful human beings you’re going to encounter. But there’s a complexity to him. There’s a lot going on there.

I think, as a performer, we’re just scratching the surface of what this guy’s capable of doing. When you meet him, you feel that way — you feel this really generous, great human being in front of you, but you feel the complexity. I needed that in the character.

I love the casting — you got this incredible group of actors, and each of the Vandals get to shine, even for a few minutes, be it Emory or Michael Shannon. Who surprised you with how far they took the character?

Norman Reedus, actually. He’s in a pretty small part of the film. But when we first started talking, he said, “You know, I’ve been on TV so long playing this character of Daryl Dixon. I just want to look different, I just want to be unrecognizable” and that of course suited the character of Funny Sonny because he was supposed to have crazy teeth and crazy hair. Anyway, he came, he showed up and just fully committed to disappearing. In fact, so much so that I think when they started doing marketing, people wouldn’t recognize that it was him, which was kind of the point.

There’s a scene of Johnny being inspired by Marlon Brando. Did Marlon play a major role in inspiring you and Tom Hardy? 

You know, to a degree, that scene is actually inspired by a photograph in the book. There was a real guy named Johnny that started this club in the late ‘50s in Chicago. Danny photographed a scrapbook that he kept and it had a TV Guide with Marlon Brando on the cover. Apparently, he was watching The Wild One on television, [and] that’s where he got the idea for the club. So, we plucked that directly out of the book.

But what’s interesting about it is [how] Tom took that and built more out of it. It’s not just that his character was inspired to start this club based on that — Tom really built his character out of the voice. He said, “This is a guy that is posing as the biker leader. He’s not really that guy.” He’s a father of two. He’s married, he’s got a house in the suburbs, he’s actually playing the part. So, in a way, you’ve got Tom Hardy playing this character, who’s playing Marlon Brando in a biker film. It gets a little meta, if you think about it. 

You’ve said The Bikeriders is about search for identity. How have you reflected on your own identity as a filmmaker and artist contributing to cinema today?

I mean, you want to try to put things in the world that are honest. You want to try to put things in the world that make people think about how they operate. As human beings, we’re complex creatures. We don’t always do the right thing, even though we possibly know what the right thing is.

When it comes to The Bikeriders specifically, I was intrigued by that idea that we’re drawn to things that are inherently dangerous for us. As a filmmaker, you really want to create stories that reflect some actual part of the human spectrum. That’s what I’m trying to do, in terms of identity. I just want to try to find honesty in a craft that is, quite frankly, completely dishonest. It’s not reality.

The Bikeriders is now playing in theatres.

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