With directorFerdinando Cito Filomarino’sBeckettnow streaming on Netflix, I recently spoke toJohn David Washingtonabout making the conspiracy thriller. If you haven’t seen the trailers, Washington plays an American tourist vacationing with his girlfriend (Alicia Vikander) in Greece who becomes the target of a manhunt after a tragic accident. Forced to run for his life, he attempts to travel to Athens to clear his name at the American embassy while being hunted by the authorities.Beckettalso starsBoyd Holbrook,Vicky Krieps, and was written byKevin A. Rice.
During the interview, John David Washington talks about why he wanted to play this role, what might surprise people about the making ofBeckett, why his character is the antithesis of John McClane fromDie Hard, why he loved shooting in Greece and the beautiful locations captured on film, how Vikander was only on set for two days to film her role, and how many of his friends and family asked him to explainChristopher Nolan’sTenet. In addition, we also briefly talked about his upcoming projects,Gareth Edwards’True LoveandDavid O. Russell’suntitled next film.
Check out what he had to say below.
COLLIDER: So I always like to start off with a fun question or two. So I wanted to start with how many of your friends and family members have asked you to explainTenetto them?
JOHN DAVID WASHINGTON: Just about every one of them, I’m going to go with a healthy 20, 25 people.
You’re fantastic in that film and Nolan is unlike any director, but have has it been one of these things where everyone’s trying to get you to talk about the ending and explain everything?
WASHINGTON: Yes. And I have the luxury of time, which I can say, “Oh, you know, I forgot. You know what? I forgot. You should have asked me a couple months ago. I’ve done forgotten. I’ve moved on. I’ve moved on.” It’s fun. That’s what he does. He sets it up to for multiple viewings, and this was no different.
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Before you became an actor, you used to play football. Do you still have days where you miss playing football or are you sort of like, this is a lot safer for me being an actor.
WASHINGTON: It’s a lot safer with me being, somewhat actually… Nolan had me fighting for my life, running for my life. I was like, this kind of rivals training camp, but I’d much rather be doing this. I do not miss football. Some of the comradery, maybe locker room stuff, yeah. But for the most part, I don’t miss getting my ribs broken and stuff and concussions anymore. If I’m going to do it, it’s going to be on a Nolan set. I’d rather do it there than on the 40-yard line.
The last few years you’ve been offered a lot of cool projects. What was it aboutBeckettthat said, I want to do this?
WASHINGTON: Well, honestly, it wasn’t really even about the script. It was about working with Ferdi and Luca. When I met them, this was, 2018,BlacKkKlansmanhad just come out and we were sort of doing the press tour of it all. I was just thought these are just lovely people. They were so knowledgeable of film and I found myself, I’m a student of the game, and I’m like I can learn from these guys. I can learn about film, about cinema and why something is good.
I know what I feel when something’s good, but they can help me explain why sometimes. I just wanted to work with them and it’s a very familial atmosphere that they set, and this was like the first meeting and I was just, “Oh man, that’s great.” So it was more about working with those people because we got along so well.
I love learning about the behind the scenes of the making of a movie. What do you think might surprise people to learn about the making ofBeckett?
WASHINGTON: That there was maybe six different languages on set. Yet we all came together and were able to have the same vision for a story, which is the power of storytelling. That people from different backgrounds, from different countries, literally can come together and find common ground to make something beautiful, something they believe in. That’s what sports taught me as well.
Whatever your politics are, wherever you come from that you can find a common ground, an understanding, a respect for everyone. To be on the same page and then do what’s right for the story, and that takes humility in my opinion.
So it was a great example of humility, across the cast and crew. Again, literally like maybe seven different languages that were being spoken on the set. And here we are, on the same page. That’s encouraging to me. That’s just very powerful to me. To know that we don’t all have to be from the same place. We don’t all have to have the same background and we can still have the same idea for something that’s good.
I have to ask, did you watchDie Hardbefore filming this? Because Beckett and John McClane have some similarities in terms of the fact that they’re just normal people that get thrown into a crazy situation.
WASHINGTON: I did not watch it, but I hear you. What I loved about this character is he’s like the antithesis of John McClane. He’s not cool. He’d rather Netflix and chill. You know, he’s read about Greece, but he doesn’t want to go to Greece. You know, his girlfriend had to get him to be adventurous. He doesn’t really want any trouble. I call him a master of minimalism. He just wants to go to work and go home. There’s nothing wrong with that.
He’s an ordinary man. He doesn’t want any trouble and trouble found him. And he doesn’t have the facilities necessarily like John McClain to figure stuff out. But instead, he found himself wounded and having to survive and he did that, which is what I love. He persevered, even though he doesn’t have a police background or a Navy SEAL training background. He just wants to survive and he finds a way to.
At what point of the shoot did you say, I am never running again?
WASHINGTON: Well, it’s funny, because I found out I was going to doTenetwhile shooting this. So yeah, I had thoughts of like, I’m going to maybe not run for awhile, but I knew I had another good seven months of running coming. So I was like, well, I guess it’ll be another two years, you know? Then ironically, the pandemic hit. I guess I didn’t run for a while after that.
I don’t mind running. I have a sports background. I love all that stuff. You know, I have much more respect for, the Tom Cruises of the world, Jean Claude Van Damme, all these people that can run and jump, all year long with these movies. I don’t know how they do it, man. Because it takes a lot out of you.
I really think that Tom Cruise does not get enough credit, even though he gets credit. I don’t think he gets really enough credit for what he is willing to do to make movies what they are.
WASHINGTON: I’m telling you. I think he’s doing pretty good though. Credit wise and all that, he’s doing all right. Tom Cruise is the man. I agree.
One of the things that struck me about watchingBeckettwas how beautiful it was in some of these frames. The backgrounds and the locations you shot at were amazing. Can you sort of talk about that?
WASHINGTON: I loved it. One of my favorite parts of filming it as well, is the mountains of Delphi, Vikos Gorge was one of my favorite places and you’re right. I mean, Sayombhu, our DP, I mean just captured it. It felt like it was magical when I was there. Then when you get to see it on film and yeah, he captured exactly what it felt like.
The great contrast of this beautiful backdrop in this very haunted thriller, this catastrophe that he found himself in, that he was fighting for his life. A very ugly fight for his life yet in such beautiful locations. So, it is ultimately a vacation from hell.
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So I just spoke to AliciaVikander recently and she told me the thing that I could not believe, which is that she basically only filmed for like two days for this movie. I could not believe it. Was she telling me the truth?
WASHINGTON: She’s telling the truth. It speaks to how talented she is. I mean, she’s the ultimate professional obviously, but she was really locked in. She brought a life to April in a way I could never imagine, that went beyond the pages, the words that were written and then, it just shows you how talented she is and, and yeah, she was great.
I have a two-part last question because I really want to know about both of these things. I’m a big fan of Gareth Edwards, and I’m curious what you’re able to say aboutTrue Love. The other part of this question is you just worked with David O. Russell and literally every member of Hollywood, what can you tease about that project? And does it have a title?
WASHINGTON: (laughing) Every member of Hollywood?
It’s literally everyone.
WASHINGTON: It’s everybody, it was all-star weekend, every day. I’ll put it like this. I got to hug Robert DeNiro. I got to give him a big grizzly bear hug. So I can die now, knowing that I gave that Robert DeNiro a hug and we were partners. If I don’t ever work again, I know that, hey, I got to hug Robert DeNiro when they yelled cut after the scene I was in. As far as Gareth Edwards,True Love? I can’t say anything. He’s such a unique and talented individual. And this thing is special.
Are you filming it soon?
WASHINGTON: Yep.
That’s very minimal information.
WASHINGTON: That’s right. Beckett style. Yep.
Does the David O. Russell film have a title yet or you don’t know?
WASHINGTON: I don’t even know. What we filmed and what comes out could be like night and day. I have no idea… I showed up, did my job and I left. So who knows? I have no idea.
