Rory Kinnear breaks down his 10 different roles in A24’s latest horror film Alex Garland directs the movie after making his directorial debut in 2014 with the Oscar-winning sci-fi Ex-Machina. Garland also boasts previous horror experience, penning the screenplays for Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later and Sunshine.
Kinnear is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Bill Tanner in the James Bond films Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time to Die. His other roles include starring as Detective Nock alongside Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game, as well as playing The Creature in the popular Showtime series Penny Dreadful. ing the limited cast of Men in 2021, Kinnear stars opposite Oscar-nominated Buckley, who is best known for her work in Lost Daughter and Beast, as well as BAFTA-nominated actor Paapa Essiedu, known for his performance in the limited series I May Destroy You.
Discussing the A24 movie in an interview with Empire, Kinnear explained the intent behind his depiction of multiple characters. Revealing that he would portray up to 10 different men with various degrees of importance to the story, Kinnear said that each of them was a symbolic representation of a male threat or attitude. Describing each one as “fully rounded”, Kinnear said that while they may vary in their level of threat, they would all personify “the male tendency to belittle or spite or slight.” Check out his full comments below:
“I play nine or ten different characters […] Some are actively threatening, some of them seem fairly benign, but all of them personify different aspects of the male tendency to belittle or spite or slight. And each one had to be as fully rounded as the next, even though some of them have a very limited amount of screen-time. The threat they represent, or their lack of self-awareness, had to come from a specific place within them.”
Men is A24’s latest psychological horror hoping to cement itself among the studio’s impressive roster of award-winning titles including The Witch, Hereditary, and Midsommar. With cinematographer Rob Hardy (Ex-Machina and Annihilation) on board, the project already promises to deliver the visuals that fans have come to expect from A24 horror movies. Normally steeped in symbolism and rarely straightforward, Kinnear’s depiction of multiple uniquely sinister characters played by the same face is likely to increase audience interest and suggests that Men’s story could deliver on fan expectations.
Following in the footsteps of its recent releases such as The Green Knight, Lamb, The Tragedy of Macbeth, and X, A24 is doubtlessly hoping for another artistic hit with Men. While yet to make its cinematic debut, recent trailers teasing Kinnear’s ominous performance have certainly built on audience anticipation and seem to indicate a fitting new addition to the studio’s collection as it continues to take Hollywood by storm. Men will make its US premiere on May 20.
Source: Empire
