[Only IN Hollywood] Angelina Jolie enthralls, ‘Beetlejuice’ entertains as Venice fest opens
VENICE, Italy – Angelina Jolie enthralls as opera singer Maria Callas, Beetlejuice returns and he is just as much fun, Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson (Dolly de Leon’s “cutie pie” in Triangle of Sadness) seduce, and Jude Law grips as an FBI agent. Those are the early highlights so far as the 81st Venice International Film Festival unspools in this seaside destination.
As the world’s oldest film festival and one of the most prestigious nears its halfway mark, the biggest buzz is how Angelina breathes life into one of the greatest opera divas of all time in Maria.
Directed by Pablo Larrain and written by Steven Knight, Maria is anchored by Angelina, who gives her finest performance in years as the iconic La Divina, with memorable supporting turns by Pierfrancesco Favino and Alba Rohrwacher as the butler (Ferruccio) and housekeeper (Bruna), respectively.
The film concentrates on the final days of the beloved soprano with flashbacks, including her romance with Aristotle Onassis (Haluk Bilginer).
In the press conference for the film at Palazzo del Casino, I asked Angelina what were some of the striking things about Callas that resonated with her as a woman and as an artist.
The actress answered, “There are so many. Both Alba and I had many emotional days on this. The thing that stood out to me most, once I passed the music and many things, was getting past the Maria that we all think we know.”
“I sat with her glasses on, her Greek hair, her robe, and thought of her alone in her kitchen with Bruna and Ferruccio and who that person was and allowed that human to come forward and her loneliness. I think it’s also quite sad.”
“I wish she was here today to see this kindness to her life because when she passed, the last experience she had, she went out and she tried (singing again), and the critics were so cruel.”
“They were so cruel to her and she wasn’t not trying but she was older and she wasn’t as good and they were mean. I don’t know if she passed knowing that she did her best and she was appreciated and loved. I think she may have died with a lot of loneliness and pain.”
Here’s a clip from the press conference:
More on Jolie in a coming column. Aside from Maria, the early standouts include Justine Kurzel’s gripping The Order, based on the true story of a Neo-Nazi group with a riveting cast led by Jude Law, Nicholas Hoult, and Tye Sheridan; and Halina Reijn’s Babygirl, sexy as hell involving a torrid affair between Nicole Kidman’s CEO and Harris Dickinson’s intern.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which opened this festival on the island of Lido, facing the Adriatic Sea, is one of those rare sequels that does not disappoint.
The comedy-fantasy-horror is just as fun as the 1988 original, thanks to director Tim Burton and returning cast members Michael Keaton (in the title role), Winona Ryder (Lydia Deetz), and Catherine O’Hara (Delia Deetz). The sequel includes Jenna Ortega (Astrid Deetz), Monica Bellucci (Delores), Justin Theroux (Rory), and Willem Dafoe (Wolf Jackson).
Below are some excerpts from Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s press conference in Venice.
Tim Burton
The filmmaker on why the original is much-loved to this day and how he found his way back to it:
“It’s interesting because people asked about it, but the funny thing about Beetlejuice, as much as I love it, is I never quite understood why it was a success. So, I never could place it to anything except it’s something personal to me.”
“And then after all these years, being able to work with Michael, Catherine, and Winona again on it, just made it more personal, more special. Then with Jenna, Monica, Willem, and Justin, people who got into the spirit of it and felt it. So, it was a very personal project for me.”
“The past few years I got a little bit disillusioned with the movie industry, I guess you might say. And so, I just realized, if I’m going to do anything again, I just want to do it from my heart and something that I want to do.”
“Because for many years, it’s a bit like the Lydia character in this movie. As you grow older, sometimes your life takes a little bit of a turn. You go down another path. And I sort of lost myself a little bit, I felt.”
“So, for me, this movie was a re-energizing, kind of getting back to the things that I love doing and the way I love doing it with the people I love doing it with. And I realized that the only way for me to be a success is that I have to love doing it.”
“I got a little bit lost sometimes along the way. But now, with this one, I feel like…it didn’t even matter how it turned out. I just enjoyed and loved making it with all of these people. So, that was the main thing (applause).”
On why it took 36 years to make a follow-up and how Wednesday played a role:
“And I didn’t even watch it (Beetlejuice 1 before I did it (sequel) (laughs).”
“But we’d been talking about it for years. Winona and Michael occasionally, every few years, would talk about it.”
“But I did get re-energized doing Wednesday (which he also produces and has directed several episodes). Walking the Carpathian Mountains in Romania (where Wednesday is filmed) kind of does something to a person.”
“I was thinking about it beforehand but it just kind of came together because with Wednesday, trying to shoot a TV thing on a movie schedule was fun in a weird way.”
“Then meeting Jenna, obviously, was such an important thing for me, and working with her. And just thinking about the Lydia character and what happened to her 35 years later, and thinking about my own life, and what happens when you get kids or you get relationships, whatever.”
“So, it just became a very simple, emotional movie. It’s like a weird family movie. I was not out to do a big sequel for money or anything like that. I wanted to make this for very personal reasons.”
“And like I said, since I didn’t really understand the first thing – I didn’t watch the first movie to prepare for this. I remember the spirit of it. I remember everybody here, and I just go, okay, let’s just go for it.”
“We shot in pretty much the same amount of days that we did the first one. I wasn’t planning on that. I just realized, like, wow, we really did do it in the spirit of the first one.”
“This movie kind of feels new because it’s seeing through Astrid’s eyes in a way. She’s a new character, she is sort of the anchor to me in this way.”
“I always feel very grateful to the cast I’ve had. I always pretty much enjoy working with almost everybody. I got scared by Jack Palance once (laughter). He beat the shit out of me in my first movie but that’s pretty rare (laughter).”
“Every day was a new energy. I know Michael, Catherine and Winona. I didn’t know these other people very well but I knew their work.”
“And then working with them, they may say differently but they fit right in. Every single day, they brought something to the set that was new and fresh and their ideas. It’s hard to keep saying it but it gives you an artistic energy that you don’t get all the time. That’s why I was very grateful and blessed to have all of that.”
Monica Bellucci
On joining “Tim Burton’s world” as a new cast member in the sequel:
“I’m so honored to be part of this amazing cast and to enter Tim’s world. Tim is an artist and a filmmaker. He knows how to create situations that are fantastic and horrific, comic and emotional at the same time.”
“So, this helped me so much to create this monster. More than a monster, she’s a creature – Delores. And I love her duality because she’s mean but also charming and dangerous.”
“To me, she’s a metaphor for life because we all have emotional scars but she’s strong and she’s coming back. And yeah, I love this world because I love comic books as well.”
Jenna Ortega
The actress was asked about segueing from Wednesday to the Beetlejuice sequel:
“Obviously, I was a huge fan of the first one and I love everyone here. I looked up to a lot of this cast and it was wonderful to have already established a working relationship with Tim because he’s somebody whom I trust immensely and I really enjoy working with.”
“So, coming on to this one, knowing that I was joining a team of giants and people who are so special and talented at what they do, I just tried to mind my business in the corner.”
“Lydia has a daughter, Astrid, and you think that they’re going to be the same. So, for me, it was just making sure that I wasn’t ripping off lovely Winona’s work back in the day and making something new but still pulling certain aspects and things that would make them similar.”
“They’re very self-assured and opinionated and know who they are. Their anger comes from a different place. She’s maybe a little bit more…not even angry.”
“Astrid just loves dark things. Astrid has a bit more trauma and resentment towards the world and that’s what she’s working through. Yeah, that’s what I did.”
Catherine O’Hara
On the “aging” (that is, if these monsters age at all) of the characters:
“For me, there was no denying the aging (laughter). Just kind of embrace it, be happy to be alive and so happy to be back together with everyone. And it was lovely.”
“I don’t remember really discussing it so much when we came to an agreement. We just all went the way of how Lydia and Delia have come to a new place. I think both Astrid and Delia really care for Lydia, and are worried for her.”
“She’s in a weird place in her life and we can see the direction she’s going and that aligned us in a good way. Yeah, the beat goes on and if you’re lucky enough to have the beat go on, you’ve got to try to evolve and grow and we grew together.”
“And it was just so great to see Michael’s face up close again (laughs). And to have Michael’s charm come through in Beetlejuice and he hasn’t aged a bit. He was always dead (laughter).”
Michael: “Slightly moldier but there you go.”
Michael Keaton
Also on the “maturing” of his titular trickster and mischievous ghost:
“I think it’s obvious that my character has matured (laughter). As suave and sensitive as he was in the first, he’s even more so in this one. Just his general caring nature and his sense of social mores and his political correctness. Tim, am I right?”
Tim: “Yes (laughter).”
“People would ask, ‘How does the Beetlejuice character evolve?’ And we just start laughing (laughter). You’re kidding me!”
Catherine: “There is a new vulnerability though, isn’t there? Thanks to Delores. Yeah, we see a whole new side.”
Michael: “That’s true. You learn a lot more about my past from my ex-wife (laughter). By the way, he’s not afraid of anything except Delores.”
Winona Ryder
On locking eyes with Michael in one unexpected scene (let’s just say you will be humming MacArthur Park, the Jimmy Webb song originally sung by Richard Harris, after watching the movie):
“I got so lucky, one of my favorite parts was getting to stare into your eyes (turns to Michael) during our sort of duet. I was so thrilled to be with everybody again.”
“The first one had been such a special experience and just to be able to come back to it was a dream come true. My love and trust for Tim runs so deep. There’s a sense of playfulness where you can try things and you know that if it’s bad, he won’t use it.”
“It’s these opposing things where you feel so safe in that sense but you also feel just completely free. I appreciated being around that energy again. It was very similar to the first one.”
“I absolutely feel so spoiled to work with all these people. It was one of the more special experiences of my life.”
***
As the press conference wound down, Tim was asked if he was already planning another Beetlejuice film.
Tim replied, “Let’s do the math. It took 35 years to do this one (laughter). Let’s say it takes another 30 years. I’ll be over 100. I guess it’s possible with medical science these days but I don’t think so.”
Michael quipped, “Well, in my character’s case, I can do it (laughter).” – Rappler.com