MICHAEL FASSBENDER: I just got the email from him saying, Whats up?
Take a look at this and tell me what you think.
And I just got back to him the next day and I was like, Im in.
It was a very short correspondence.
It was very quick.I had such a great time with him, working onHaywire.Hes just such a unique filmmaker.
It was a very quick yes for me, for sure.
Image via TWC
REGE-JEAN PAGE: Steven is efficient in all things.
He communicates efficiently on set.
He communicates efficiently before the cause.
The combination of Steven and Koepp is a very powerful one.
I just loved the script.
I loved all the characters when I was reading it.
Image via TWC
It was an easy read.
You know straight away, when you just go through a script fast.
There was a flow to it.
There was an intelligence to it and a humor.
So, it was the piece itself that really drew me in.
And then, for me, theres the doubt of, can I play this sort of person?
Image via Focus Features
I havent played somebody like this before, so thats going to be exciting.
Its lick and stylish and sexy, and the tension is there.
PAGE: Its a very signature Soderbergh movie, in that way.
Black Bag is a Steven Soderbergh directed thriller from Focus Features. Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Regé Jean Page and Marisa Abela lead the cast, along with Naomie Harris, Pierce Brosnan, and Tom Burke. The story, which is currently under wraps, was written by David Koepp.
You hear the soundtrack kick in and you feel like youre coming home.
You feel like youve been adjacent to this world before.
But did you actually see the character as either or both of those things?
I dont think theyd be particularly ashamed of that.
But no, I dont think anyones irredeemable, least of all these characters.
Would you serve your country or your wife?
Where do your loyalties lie?
That applies to every character in the piece.
That was one of the strengths of that first read.
Where that line is drawn is where we really find the interesting pieces of them.
Does he feel very much the same?
Does he feel like hes evolved in any specific ways?
FASSBENDER: I think it would be more about how I would see myself change.
It felt the same.
Hes super-precise and laser-focused.
He has an understanding of angles and geometry of how to film something.
We moved at a fast pace back then, and we did on this.
And then, he also has hardly really any notes for the actors.
Theres a real confidence in his casting.
Steven Soderbergh’s film was critically praised, but audiences aren’t turning out.
Michael, because of what your character is trying to uncover, the little details are really important.
Is that something that really is important to you, in the way it is to your character?
FASSBENDER: Im very different to George, in terms of the meticulousness and his intelligence levels.
What did you notice or learn about him, as an actor and a scene partner?
FASSBENDER: Thats so sweet to say.
He really dialed into it.
Its so funny and it seems so real.
Its such a great scene.
PAGE: It feels like its happening in the moment.
We actually did have a lot of fun with that scene, so Im glad that came across.
I have a similar feeling about your scene with Marisa [Abela].
The vulnerability she finds because of what youre giving her, that scene is a gorgeously real human interaction.
We all get that from each other in those big dinner scenes.
You should be dreading that with all your might.
And we were coming in ready to go every day because it was so much fun.
Its six actors sitting around a table, and he had to keep that interesting and alive and dynamic.
PAGE: I read that differently.
I thought Steven relished it.
FASSBENDER: I rub my hands when Im nervous, as well.
He did say to me, This is the scene that I need to get my head around.
This is the trickiest thing to shoot.
But none of us had any doubts that he would.
And then, he was coming up in the middle of the table, coming through with the lens.
How he makes those cuts is brilliant.
Did you have that thought, at all?
Does anything compare between the two for you?
FASSBENDER: We rehearsed it, as well.
We rehearsed that scene for two weeks.
I always just remember being scared to be a part of that film.
And I remember August Diehl, the guy that comes out with the big boot of beer.
And then, having somebody brilliant, like Quentin [Tarantino].
When I read that script, I didnt think about it.
Thats the detail that he has.
Its that detail that elevates projects and stories to the next level.
Steven is a devil for the detail and for how to do it correctly.
But how did you end up doing a Korean thriller together?
What was that experience like?
FASSBENDER: Were big fans of Korean cinema and director Na [Hong-jin] is one of our favorites.
Wed both seenThe Wailing, which is amazing.
So isThe ChaserandThe Yellow Sea.
Alicia actually reached out to him.
Shes really good at that.
And then, they started a correspondence and he just came to us with this film.
We were like, Great, we get to work together again.
I was working with a stand-in, and she was working with my stand-in.
But it was a fantastic experience, and Im really excited to see the outcome of that.
Hes a real talent, and all the actors, as well.
Theyre a very, very talented bunch.
What do you look for in a script and project?
PAGE: Its the quality of the material and the quality of the people that youd be working with.
Its putting yourself in an environment where you will grow and where you get to do good work.
It can be comedy.
It can be the depth of the psychological threat of this thriller.
Its just the quality of the work and the quality that people, always.
And then, you decide to do aButch and SundanceTV series with Glen Powell.
How does that happen?
What led to that moment, and can you sign me up now for multiple seasons?
PAGE: Thats people coming together.
That came out of working with the Russos onThe Gray Man.
I think thatGlen and I enjoy each others company.
Its a story that feels like a great place to hang out, so it was a no-brainer.
FASSBENDER: For me, its the last piece of a character.
Thats the great thing when all these different departments are reading the script.
They might give me something that I didnt think of.
Ellen [Mirojnick] is incredible and so talented, and she had been working closely with Steven.
And I know Steven had a very clear idea about what the look was that he wanted to present.
That was the only thing we really talked about, character-wise.
How people move and whether their clothes are restrictive or freeing is in how the character express themselves.
I come at it from almost the other end of the spectrum as Michael.
FASSBENDER: But it makes total sense, finding that physicality through the feet.
Its cool that you do it from the beginning and find it that way.
I think thats a really useful tool.
I might start doing that.
When I put it on at the end, its that last little bit for me.
PAGE: Im terrified of that.
Ellen and I have done it before.
Ellen dressedBridgerton, so she was familiar with how I like to work.
I walked into the first fitting and she was like, You want the shoes.
We have a language with that.
The story, which is currently under wraps, was written by David Koepp.
Black Bagis now playing in theaters.
Check out the trailer:
