STACK January 2016 Issue 135

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visit DVD&BD FEATURE
30 JANUARY 2016
DVD&BD
Joel Edgerton writes, stars, makes his
directorial debut, and throws out the
psycho-thriller rulebook withTHE GIFT.
He spoke to Scott Hocking.
P rolific and affable Australian actor Joel
Edgerton can now add ‘Director’ to an
impressive CV that also includes
screenwriting and producing. The Gift is his first
film calling the shots behind the camera, while
also penning the script and starring as the
antagonist – a creepy loner named Gordo, who
insinuates himself into the lives of a married
couple (Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall). It’s a
cautionary tale about the sins of high school
past returning to demand penance.
“The initial impulse for the film is this idea
of being 25 years out of school and getting
that tap on the shoulder from someone you
knew from school that you didn’t treat so well,”
explains Edgerton.
The Gift ostensibly resembles the ‘stranger
from hell’ thrillers popular during the ‘80s and
‘90s – films like Pacific Heights, Single White
Female and The Hand That Rocks the Cradle .
However, Edgerton was determined not to play
by the formula's rules.
“The real rule of suspense thrillers is that
the audience should never know
where they are or what’s around
the next corner,” he explains.
“And that became the tone for me;
whatever I think the audience is
going to expect, let’s do something
else. Those movies help us
because when the second act
comes along and my character
somewhat recedes into the
shadows, all those other movies
create the expectation that I’m
going to pop out at any second,
and I really relished the ability to
build a plot based on being subversive to those
other movies.”
Edgerton cites Michael Haneke’s 2005 thriller
Caché, in which a married couple are menaced
by an unseen antagonist with knowledge of the
husband’s past, as a template for The Gift.
“You didn’t even really meet the antagonist
in the movie, and yet you were so unsettled as
a result of the pressure put on the relationship.
The relationship, and how it was being
dismantled, started to take the foreground
focus. That was the lesson that convinced me
we could succeed in doing a movie that wasn’t
typically a ‘buckets of blood’ kind of thriller.”
Edgerton says that his decision to also direct
The Gift was a result of his satisfaction with
how the story was unfolding on the page, as
well as financial considerations.
“I knew it wouldn’t cost very much money,
and I knew if I was going to direct my first
movie, no one was going to give me tons of
money. Then there was the fact that if I wanted
to play Gordo, I wouldn’t have to be directing
and acting every day. I think I was in front of the
camera for like six days in twenty-three. It felt
manageable.”
Having worked with some renowned
Hollywood filmmakers throughout his career,
Edgerton acknowledges their indirect influence
on his approach to directing The Gift. But those
who ultimately inspired him were closer to
home.
“Every director I’ve worked with has rubbed
off on me in some way,” he says. “How
decisive and well prepared Ridley [Scott] was,
the same with Scott Cooper – incredibly well
prepared and an ability to work with actors. But
mainly it was the austerity, style and substance
of directing that my brother Nash and David
Michôd apply to their work. Really just treating
the story in simple terms, not trying to draw
attention to yourself as a director, but knowing
where to place the camera to serve the story.”
Edgerton hopes that the film will resonate
with Australian audiences after proving to be a
surprise success in the US.
“We succeeded in the end
of summer blockbuster season,
which was amazing given that
you’re competing against pre-
existing franchises with an original
story, which is very hard.
“I just love it when new shit
comes out,” he adds. “Otherwise
Hollywood will cannibalise
itself; they’re rebooting
shit every year and it’s all
valid stuff and people pay
to see it, but I just love
original stories.”