Spencer star Kristen Stewart has recently shared her initial reaction to watching herself in director David Cronenberg's new body horror movie Crimes of the Future. Stewart stars as Timlin, an investigator with the National Organ Registry who is looking into Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen), a performance artist who is afflicted with a unique disease called Accelerated Evolution Syndrome that allows him to grow new organs inside of his body. With the help of his partner Caprice (Léa Seydoux), he extracts them during artistic performances for the public.
Crimes of the Future features scenes of intense gore with Cronenberg stating that the film will not be for the faint-hearted. The director had previously promised that multiple people would walk out of the film's premiere at the Cannes Film Festival within the first few minutes. Cronenberg's prediction has since come true with 15 people marching out of the theater during the movie's screening. However, the film received a six-minute standing ovation and has been praised for its daring story and unforgettable visuals.
During a recent press conference (via Insider) for Crimes of the Future, Stewart described how she felt when she first saw herself on-screen during the film's premiere at Cannes. The actor admitted that she did not have much of a clue as to what the film was about during production, but after watching the movie herself, the narrative themes all made sense. Read what Stewart said about her experience below.
"We, the actors, spent every single day after work being like, 'What the fuck are we doing?' But then I watched the movie last night and it was so crystal clear to me. It's so exposing, and it does feel like you're hacking up organs when you're making something, and if it doesn't feel that way it's not worth it."
Most films are not shot chronologically, which may create a disjointed feeling for the actors when building a narrative. The first scenes to be shot may end up being one of the last moments that appear on film. However, the director has previously mapped out the filming of each sequence and story beat in detail using storyboards and marked-up scripts to allow for efficient production. This may have been the case with Cronenberg's latest film, which would have caused some confusion with the cast. However, it appears that the director's vision came together and his efforts during pre-production paid off.
Stewart also described the visceral experience of creating such a graphic film as Crimes of the Future. The actor further explained that the unique, revealing nature of acting is what makes a film truly worth it to her. Some have said that the profession of acting is baring one's soul to the world, and if critics' reviews and walkouts are any testaments to the effectiveness of the performances in Crimes of the Future, then Cronenberg's new film is one that shouldn't be missed.
Source: Insider
