Actor Adam Driver believes that his role in “Silence” was more “physically demanding” in the new action-packed thriller “65.”
The “Star Wars” alum has taken on some pretty physically demanding roles in the past and admitted that his “physicality” played a big role in his new dinosaur-packed blockbuster.
‘Star Wars’ Alum Adam Driver Believes ‘Silence’ Was More ‘Physically Demanding’ Than ’65’
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the “Marriage Story” actor took a look back at some of his most demanding roles ahead of the release of “65.” Driver plays Commander Mills, who crashes on prehistoric Earth alongside a fellow survivor, Koa, who is played by Ariana Greenblatt.
“I would still say Silence was the most physically demanding role because there was so much weight loss,” he said. “That was a long thing to maintain for four months, but 65 was definitely really physical.”
“One of the points of the movie is that because [Mills and Koa] can’t communicate, physicality became something that was really, really important,” he explained. “And so it became important to do all of those things, because the environment is a whole other character in the movie.”
This is Driver’s first collaboration with “A Quiet Place” writers Scott Beck and Bryan Wood. “65” also marks the duo’s directorial debut. Although Driver has worked with legendary directors like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola, he doesn’t see his work with “seasoned” directors any differently.
“Well, actually, what makes the seasoned directors you’re talking about so great is that they’re not set in their ways. The expectation would be that a Scorsese or a Coppola would be like, ‘Do this,’ but that’s the opposite of how they are,” Driver explained. “They couldn’t be more collaborative or open. And they, of course, have a huge cinematic reference, and they have such control over the language of cinema that younger directors don’t have. That is for sure, and they come from a time when there were more people in a room figuring it out.”
“But 65 was a unique experience. I certainly hadn’t worked with [Beck and Woods] before, but it was good,” he continued. “So I can’t really think of any [other advantages to young directors] because the seasoned directors that I’ve worked with also approach it as if they’re trying to find it again. They have that kind of humility, and they go into a project without coming up with a set way.”
Ariana Greenblatt Calls Driver ‘Very Committed’ And ‘Intense’ On Set
In a separate interview with The Hollywood Reporter, his costar Ariana Greenblatt, who previously played a young Gamora in “Avengers: Infinity War,” admitted that Adam Driver can be both “intense” due to his commitment to the role. However, that didn’t mean she wasn’t able to get the married father-of-two to break character now and again.
“Yeah, he is very committed and he is intense, but my main goal while working with him was to try to get him to break as much as possible,” she explained. “I was like, ‘Come on, man. You can’t be serious for this long.’ So I got him cookies and blankets, and I tried to be overly nice just to get him to crack a little bit. And he did! So we had our really sweet moments together, and we also share the same dry, sarcastic sense of humor. So that worked out really nicely.”
Even though “65” was not Adam Driver’s most physically demanding role, Greenblatt admitted that it was “100 percent” one of the most difficult roles of her career.
“I learned more than I have ever from this film. I learned how to deal with extreme weather and climate conditions. I learned how to deal with a lot of emotionally draining and physically draining scenes,” she explained. “So this film really has taught me a lot about the entire process, and I’m so grateful for that. But it was incredibly challenging at times. I was like, ‘I cannot do this anymore. I’m freezing. I’m blah, blah, blah.’ But I persevered, and I did it. So I’m really happy about it.
“65” opens in theaters on March 10. The synopsis for the film reads: “After a catastrophic crash on an unknown planet, pilot Mills quickly discovers he’s actually stranded on Earth — 65 million years ago. Now, with only one chance at a rescue, Mills and the only other survivor, Koa, must make their way across an unknown terrain riddled with dangerous prehistoric creatures.”
