Kodi Smit-McPhee Quiet Confidence, Chronic Pain and ‘Power’


This interview contains major spoilers from “The Power of the Dog.”

As for the performance of Kodi Smit-McPhee “Power of the Dog“Film director, Jane CampionI always wanted more.

More lisp. More sneaky, fox-like body movements. And – dammit – more combs! (His character runs his fingers through the teeth of the comb when he’s worried.)

“I was always thinking, ‘This is too much,'” 25-year-old Smit-McPhee said in a video call from his family’s home in Melbourne, Australia, with his willow 6-foot frame and wide eyes filling the screen. “But I tend to unconsciously belittle my characters, so it doesn’t matter if the directors ask me to open up a bit.”

Smit-McPhee’s character, Peter, is the silent heart of Campion’s western, which is now in theaters and broadcasts. on Netflix: A shy teenager who both annoys and brings out the softer side of masochistic cowboy Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch), who raises cattle in rural Montana in the 1920s. (The movie was shot in Campion’s native New Zealand.)

“I think the first impression was, ‘This kid is so light on his feet, so sensitive, probably naive,'” said Smit-McPhee, who is confident and genuinely philosophical in a black tee and ball cap. life. “But we learned that he has a greater power to it.”

While Smit-McPhee read the script and Thomas Savage’s 1967 novel, he enjoyed the ambiguity of the role and said it allowed Peter to arrive at his own interpretation of his motivations. She worked with an accent specialist, a body movement coach, and did meditation and dream work, all of which served to push herself to perform at her most subtle.

“Jane pushed me to explore new territories,” she said. “It was just a few nights before I went to bed thinking ‘I’m going to have to totally commit to this’.”

The role is the latest in a career built around sensitive, curious characters. Smit-McPhee first came to public attention in the 2009 adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road” as a son navigating a post-apocalyptic hell with his father. and the evil but kind-hearted Nightcrawler from the recent “X-Men” movies.

In a one-hour chat, Smit-McPhee discussed how his struggle with chronic pain helped him deal with Peter’s alien status and what he understood from the movie’s ending. These are edited excerpts.

When you first met Jane Campion in Los Angeles in 2019, she asked you to have a conversation with the character of Peter. What was this like?

It was very free and forgiving compared to other auditions I’ve done. From a director’s point of view, you see how much this actor understands the spirit of the character and fills in the gaps in the script. I tried to stay away from my own thoughts as much as possible.

What do you have to do with Peter?

Physically, people around him tend to consider him a little weak or not man enough. This is something he dealt with 100 years ago and we still deal with today – the negative effects on how you see yourself when you’re told you’re not strong enough or when people assume that about you. But in the same breath, when you realize how much value you add to the world and to others, you gain confidence and love for yourself.

In one scene, he dismembers a rabbit he killed in his bedroom. Are you stingy with blood?

I’m not stingy when it comes to blood, but I’m 100 percent stingy when it comes to cutting meat. My girlfriend watches TV shows like “Nip/Tuck” and “Botched” and I get nauseous when I try to make myself watch those scary scenes. But in Peter’s spirit, I forced myself to get used to it.

Despite not being a pillar of traditional masculinity, Peter is extremely confident. Where does this confidence come from?

I believe this has a lot to do with the very secluded and isolated environment he grew up in, and the trauma experience – he had to physically cut off his own father when he committed suicide. Being isolated, she had no expectations from others about how she coped with her traumas.

Diagnosed at age 16 Ankylosing spondylitis, a medical condition that causes fusion of the vertebrae and chronic pain. Were you concerned with Peter’s sense of being a stranger?

Definitely. I wasn’t as physically gifted as other kids, and it tormented me a lot in my teenage years before I learned how to deal with it. But I used the chronic pain and emotions to push me further into my effort with curiosity. I found myself in libraries a lot; I would find loads of books about what turns indifference into a feeling of control or freedom. But my knowledge didn’t help me become a non-excluded person, it just made me grateful to have been excluded from where it took me intellectually, spiritually, and physically.

Due to a severe cataract related to your condition, your left eye was visually impaired while filming – which means the scene where you catch a matchbox was pretty tough.

They let the camera roll and it probably took me 20 times to catch the matchbox because I don’t have depth perspective – every time someone hands me something, I think it’s closer than it actually is. But I finally got it and it was without a chuckle, that’s good!

Did you argue about your characters, or did you just let the dynamic game go?

We had a very, very deep discussion about our characters – there’s so much internalized, so it was about talking about all those things that were vague in many ways in the script and in the book.

Like what?

Kirsten [Dunst, who plays Peter’s widowed mother, Rose] And I had an idea – it doesn’t exist in the book and I should be clear about it because that would change the whole story – that Peter actually killed his father as well. It was our little secret that would make a strange connection between them and she would translate it, but the audience wouldn’t know how to put her finger on it. But apparently some people put their finger directly on it!

What do you think of the ending?

Peter was completely killed [Phil] with anthrax. And he didn’t have to plan it from A to Z, he really is someone who acts in the moment.

Interested in Phil?

I’m still not sure if Peter is starting to feel his own intimate and sensual feelings for Phil or if it’s all just a means to his own ends, but it creates a deeper layer where Peter begins to explore his sexuality and perhaps self-discovery. She had to sacrifice her love for him and Phil.

Do you think Peter’s mother knows that he killed Phil?

I think Rose knows and doesn’t want to ask. The same goes for Jesse Plemons’ character – when he hears about anthrax, he knows Phil won’t touch anything that has anthrax because he’s so knowledgeable in these areas. People don’t ask what they already know.

“The Power of the Dog” wasn’t the only movie you shot close to home during the pandemic – you also play singer Jimmie Rodgers in Baz Luhrmann’s movie. Elvis biographywas filmed in Australia and will be released next summer. What was it like jumping from a western to the glow of a Luhrmann movie?

My first day on set, I was supposed to be in the background of a scene, but then Baz Luhrmann said, “I have a great idea, I want you to get on the table and sing.” And it gave me the option to say yes or no, but especially after working with Jane, I said yes. You shouldn’t just worry about what other people will think.

What would your dream role be?

I’m a big fan of surrealism, so it would be great to play Salvador Dalí – I guess I kind of look like him in a way.



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