Directed by Aaron Schimberg, A Different Man is a black-comedy psychological thriller movie that stars Sebastian Stan, Adam Pearson, and Renate Reinsve. The story follows an aspiring actor, Edward, who lives with neurofibromatosis and is undergoing a medical procedure that cures him of his condition. But he loses out on a role in a play to Oswald, who also lives with neurofibromatosis. Oswald, unlike Edward, is very confident and charismatic despite his disfigurement, and this starts to affect Edward’s mental state.
The movie premiered on September 20, 2024, and has received favorable reviews from the critics as well as the audience. A Different Man holds a 91% critic score and an 83% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Sebastian Stan, who has been a part of 8 Marvel movies and 1 television series, in his recent interview, revealed one harsh truth he learned while working on A Different Man.
Sebastian Stan talks about his experience working on A Different Man
Marvel actor Sebastian Stan, who is gearing up for the release of The Apprentice, in which he plays young Donald Trump, shared his experience of working on his recent release, A Different Man. Stan played the character of Edward, who lives with a genetic disorder, neurofibromatosis, which causes tumors to grow in the nervous system and skin.
Edward is an aspiring actor who, because of his condition, is very demotivated and lacks confidence. The people around him have crushed his spirit, and the constant rejections and stares of strangers just wear him down. Edward takes part in a clinical trial that works for him, and the tumors from his face are removed, and he goes back to looking like just Sebastian Stan. However, he finds himself in competition with Oswald, who also lives with the same condition.
Stan mentioned in his interview with GQ that at times when he had long stretches between his call time and his make-up, he’d walk around in the neighborhood wearing facial prosthetics. The actor noted that it was one of the ways to get a little taste of how different his life could have been. He shared that one day he went to his local coffee shop, and the lady who had been working there for years and knew him was at the counter.
She was so busy handling stuff, and suddenly she turned, and she didn’t expect to see me. I could see the shock going immediately into overcompensation.
The actor noted that Adam Pearson, who has neurofibromatosis and also plays Oswald in the movie, had mentioned to him that these were the reactions that he’d often get. The British actor told Stan that a person with a disability is often met with shock, verging on repulsion, and guilty, over-the-top kindness. The director of the movie, Aaron Schimberg, who risked exploring how disability can impact a person’s life, was born with a cleft lip and palate.
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Stan mentioned that his experience as a famous person is nothing compared to what Pearson, Schimberg, and people with disabilities go through, especially in public. But he pointed out that the public’s stare for a person with a disability and someone famous is somewhat the same, and that helped him embody the character.
Sebastian Stan says working with Adam Pearson is ‘very easy’
The Marvel actor is recognized as one of the most underrated ones in the industry, but his recent choices of projects have been giving him the push into the limelight he deserves. A Different Man is a very unique story that Stan was very happy to be a part of. In his interview with People, he opened up about working with Pearson, who lives with neurofibromatosis. He said,
I was kind of gathering different pieces from different places. And a lot of Adam’s experience that he shared with me was helpful in that regard. It was easy to work with Adam, and I feel like we got along very quickly. I think with the director it was all just about trust and making sure that we were all on the same page. And once you have that, it’s just off and running, you know?
Adam Pearson also added that he had an honest conversation with Stan about their upbringing and life experiences. He pointed out during the interview that disfigurement and disability are two unique terms that individuals do not understand unless they want to. Pearson mentioned individuals can lose social anonymity in society in 2024 in two ways: either they have some kind of disagreement or disability, or are a celebrity.
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Pearson concluded that even though the Marvel actor could not know the level of invasion of privacy he has faced, the actor could relate it with stares and camera phones. He lastly added that he’s going to be friends with Sebastian Stan for the rest of his life.
A Different Man is in theaters now.
Frequently asked questions
What is the movie A Different Man about?
A Different Man is a black-comedy psychological thriller directed by Aaron Schimberg, starring Sebastian Stan, Adam Pearson, and Renate Reinsve. It follows Edward, a struggling actor with neurofibromatosis who undergoes an experimental procedure to change his disfiguring facial condition. After reinventing himself, he lands the lead in a play based on his own life, only to be outshone within the production by Oswald, who shares the same condition but has confidence and charisma, sending Edward’s mental state into a spiral.
What harsh truth did Sebastian Stan learn while making A Different Man?
According to the article, Stan wore facial prosthetics off-set, during breaks between scenes, to understand the experience of living with a disfigurement. At his regular coffee shop, a longtime barista turned and, not expecting his altered appearance, reacted with visible shock that quickly shifted into overcompensation. Stan said this showed him firsthand the daily reactions his co-star Adam Pearson, who has neurofibromatosis, experiences, and it informed his portrayal of Edward.
How did A Different Man perform with critics and audiences?
A Different Man was released in U.S. theaters on September 20, 2024 by A24, after premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2024. At the time of the article it held a 91% critics score and an 83% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes; those scores have since risen to roughly 93% critics and 89% audience. The film stars Sebastian Stan as Edward, a character with neurofibromatosis, opposite Adam Pearson and Renate Reinsve.
