Hes also a man of many ventures.
Besides herding abluegrass-playing band of outcasts, Amziah also supervises a premiere honey-making operation.
you’re free to check out the full conversation in the video above or in the transcript below.
image via SXSW
Andrew, can you give us a brief synopsis of your film?
And then a lot of other, let’s see,hijinksensue freewheeling chaos, anarchy.
MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY: A lot of music.
Image by Photagonist
MCCONAUGHEY: Then, it becomes a Western.
PATTERSON: The second half of the movie’s a Western.
New characters got introduced, new dynamics.
The character Amziah blossomed in that.
“I took the 360 pages and I cut it down, cut it down, cut it down.
Then Matthew and I met.
PATTERSON: I did have tremendous opportunities afterThe Vast of Night.
Not that I dislike studio movies, but I wanted something that had my fingerprints all over it.
This low-budget science fiction film from Prime Video accidentally ended up becoming the perfect movie for its era.
Image by Photagonist
Matthew, I’ll come your way now to touch on signing on for this.
MCCONAUGHEY: I didn’t feel like I needed a break.
I just ended up taking a break, did other things, wrote a book.
Image by Photagonist
Another version of storytelling with less filters.
And then this is all the band.
Amziah has taken folks in along the way.
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If it doesn’t make sense, well, it oughta.
If it ain’t true, shit, say it quick.
So, when I read it, I knew the people.
Image by Photagonist
I knew the places.
I’ve been around them.
They’re on the outskirts of places even I’ve lived.
Image by Photagonist
A lot of the world will look at this and go, “Who are those people?
What planet is that that they’re living on?”
Did you have that with Amziah, and if so, when?
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MCCONAUGHEY: I think I understood Amziah pretty well, pretty early.
The legend in his own story?
Whether he pulls it off or not.
Image by Photagonist
An aristocrat of the heart is Amziah.
He makes people the center of the universe when they’re around him.
I just found that there’s poetry in that guy, in that voice.
The life, the way he moves, everything’s musical.
The way he hears.
This film is very musical, and it’s arguably a musical.
Six tunes in it that we sing and perform.
I heard the meter in my own mind very quickly.
I wanted to be a part of it.
In that way,she doesn’t have any real takes that werewrong.
You know what I mean?
I always say that if you watch a documentary, is there any better acting than somebody honestly reacting?
Anyway, that’s a gift she had.
And she was comfortable in front of the camera.
Just keep that along the way, wherever you go.
I’ll let you sing her praises a little more.
So, even with all your experience, is there anything you saw her do that inspired you?
MCCONAUGHEY: Well, what I was just saying.
So, it simplifies everything.
She’s not going to give a false reaction to anything that I do.
So, that’s a lot of fun to be on the other side of the camera.
For the four of you now, I don’t know many specifics about your characters.
I’m going to assume that all of you play characters that are in this community.
COLE SPROUSE: My character’s easy.
It’s financial stability.
MCCONAUGHEY: Just looking for a good hairline.
JAKE HOROWITZ: I think found family.
I’ll speak for my character, for Remick.
TONY REVOLORI: I think there’s a lot of kindness in Amziah.
So, at the end of the day, that’s where that kind of comes in.
Pulling her out of her shell a little bit, Kateri, the character.
We pushed it until magical stuff happened, some stuff that you’re free to’t script.
It’s a scene that kind of comes out of the screen and fills you up.
I get the tingles when I see that scene.
It was like,wow.
Just the way he was so cool about it.
So, yeah, that was my real “aha” moment.
REVOLORI: I got to work with my older brother.
Especially to do that on an indie movie was great.
That was just fun.
Ive always wanted to throw shit off of a bridge.
Listen, Im a kid at heart.
SPROUSE: For two seconds.
JAKE HOROWITZ: Man, every day.
But really, the first day.
Andrew gave me basically my first job in a movie since eight years ago now.
So, just day one, showing up to act alongside these totally incredible people and experiencing that.
Also, theres a scene early on.
Thats exactly right.”
[Tony] laughed at something that I said, and I was like, “That’s perfect.
Thats the two of them.
They shit around with each other.”
That was it, and you find it on camera.
Its the best feeling ever.
HOROWITZ: I’ve got to be honest, not so much.
His style of directing has remained basically the same.
LOOKINGGLASS: Every day was just really wonderful.
Just having to be under everybodys wing was really nice.
I learned a lot.
Particular scenes that I wasnt in, just watching everybody work and everything was really nice.
I cherish those memories.
MCCONAUGHEY: My favorite moment was probably getting stung by that bee 10 days before production started.
Because I found out real quickly I washighlyallergic.
So, I got stung early.
But we made sure that I was picking up that massive amount of bees on the last day.
We made sure it was the last day.
PATTERSON: We had some good producing.
MCCONAUGHEY: Good producing, good scheduling.
Because if I do get bit, Im done for five days.
“Weve already used that McConaughey.
Weve got him shot out.”
REVOLORI: Who got stung?
MCCONAUGHEY: I did!
LOOKINGGLASS: I got stung.
MCCONAUGHEY: You’re not allergic?
MCCONAUGHEY: I’m allergic.
How to Rewatch a Movie in 10 Days.
The reality is, we’ve now talked about music, bees, stunts.
I can’t thank these people enough for going on that journey and taking that bold swing.
I really hope that that’s what people take away and experience when they watchThe Rivals of Amziah King.
Build a community where people are excited and believe in your vision.
Oddly enough, that was Texas for me.
I made my first film here.
I made it on I-35 in Hillsboro, Texas.
That also happened here.
That’s all I can say when it comes to that.
