‘Asteroid City’ Press Conference: I Don’t Think Anyone Knows What The Film Is About

Photo from Focus Features

Attending the virtual press conference for Asteroid City, one thing that immediately struck me was the blind admiration each of the stars of the film have for filmmaker Wes Anderson. Even as Anderson struggled to explain the origins of the idea for the film, the cast shared how they all came to be a part of it and what an honor it was. Though his projects remain polarizing, it’s clear that actors are banging down the door for an opportunity to work with him.

Below are a few notable excerpts from the press conference. Asteroid City is now playing in theaters. Check out Joe’s review here.

Wes Anderson on developing the concept for Asteroid City:

“I would say that the quick answer would be usually, for me, starting a movie, starting to write a script, is usually not an idea for it.  It's a couple of ideas.  Two or three things.  And I would say this one the three ideas were, one, Roman Coppola and I created this thing together. We wanted to write a part for Jason Schwartzman at the center of a movie that would be something he hadn't done before.  So that was number one.  That's the beginning.  And we didn't really know what it was, but we sort of had a few notions about what this character was going through.  The second thing was we were interested in the setting of 1950s kind of New York theater.  One or other golden age of Broadway-ish thing.  In this case, sort of the Actors Studio variety of it. And the other thing was, we thought we'd tell a story of the play they're putting on.”

Jason Schwartzman on Wes Anderson’s pitch:

“…he said, you know, what I'm sure everyone here gets excited to hear, which was, ‘I've got an idea for something.  I'm working on it with Roman.  I can't tell you much, but we have an idea for you for something.  And we're gonna work on it and we'll get back to you when it's more completed.  But you should be excited.’”

Bryan Cranston on speaking with Wes Anderson following filming:

“I remember writing to Wes a little earlier after we had finished the film, and I said, ‘How are you feeling about it?’ And quite honestly, Wes, you said, ‘I think it might be a really nice poem.  I don't know about a film just yet.’”

Scarlett Johannson on what’s unique about working with Wes Anderson:

“What's unique about it is, well, I think we're all kind of circling the same thing.  It's that sense of comradery that you have.”

“And that's how it feels on the set.  You know, when I got there, my work was sort of truncated into a short period of time.  And I could not have done it without, you know, having my scene partner, Jason, there.  And he was immediately completely available, present, I don't know, rehearsed.  It was just, like, falling into this, like, comfortable pocket, you know?”

Tom Hanks on the vibes of set:

“You know those old movies about Hollywood where they're on the lot, and some days there's a cowboy, and there's a showgirl, and there's a roman gladiator, and there's a guy dressed up like he's [in Charles?].  That's what it's like hanging around getting ready to work.  We're all in our costumes all day long. We're all dressed in these different things.  And we are.  We're all on hold ready to go, to go do the work on the set.  We're just incredibly focused and concentrated.”

Jake Ryan on reuniting with Wes Anderson 10 years after Moonrise Kingdom:

“I was just excited to reunite.  And after I got the part, I just, I don't know, I felt like I wanted to prove to myself that I've grown up a little bit, I would say.”