When “Snowpiercer” hit theaters in 2013, it kicked off an incredible decade for Bong Joon Ho that culminated in his historic Oscar win for “Parasite.” But one of the film’s stars wasn’t convinced that the project was a sure thing.
In a new interview with GQ, Chris Evans reflected on the experience of working with Bong on the dystopian film. He revealed that he didn’t initially understand the script and had questions about the rules of the world in which it takes place.
“When I first read the script, I didn’t quite get it,” Evans said. “I was like, ‘So…what?’ Whenever it’s a movie that’s world-building, you’re creating a completely separate environment. There’s just kind of a conceit that you have to say, ‘OK, so everyone just accepts this, this is just how it is? No one is kind of outraged that this is the structure? That’s just the norm, OK.’”
Evans continued: “You kind of have to decide what part of your brain do you spend time wrapping your head around. Do you go the intimate road and just kind of make it about the character? Do you try and make it about what it took for that society to level into that place? It’s a challenge, but you get to watch Tilda Swinton in the movie and you get to watch her approach to this larger than life character.”
Evans said that he eventually decided to stop worrying about details and place his trust in Bong based on his reputation and the clarity of his vision.
“Director Bong is such a visionary. When you’re working with someone that knows exactly what they want, even if it’s not exactly the way you saw it, it breeds trust,” he said. “And as an actor, that’s the most important thing, to trust the director. Otherwise you’re playing defense. Otherwise you’re like, ‘Alright, this first take, well, I’ll just do this, just so I can at least protect that. Then I’ll try this, but I don’t want to try that because I don’t know if they know how to use that take. Any take I give them can be used against me.’ And when you have a director who is so convinced of what their vision is, that’s when you say, ‘Great. You say jump, I’ll say “How high?”‘
