“That was really hard”: Even Christopher Nolan Will Be Stressed by Zach Braff’s Ordeal While Filming a Scene With Michael Cane and Morgan Freeman in His $85 Million Film
- Zach Braff talks about the challenges while working with veteran actors.
- Braff recalls filming a scene with Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman for Going In Style.
- Christopher Nolan could face the same stress as Zach Braff when working with veteran actors.
Directed by Zach Braff, the 2017 heist-comedy movie Going In Style, starring Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Alan Arkin, Joey King, and more, is a remake of the 1979 comedy movie of the same name. The movie follows three retired men and their plan of robbing a bank after their pensions are canceled.
Upon its release, the movie received mixed reviews, with critics stating that despite having a talented cast, the movie was light on the laughs and it seemed like they played it safe. Going In Style received an average score of B+ by CinemaScore. Filmmaker Zach Braff talks about working with legendary actors, and it is not quite what one will expect.
Zach Braff gets candid about working with legendary actors Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine
Filmmaker Zach Braff appeared on Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum, where he was asked about how challenging it is for him to work with veteran actors, including Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Alan Arkin, and more. The filmmaker explained that it is indeed challenging for him to work with actors who have been in the industry for a long time and have proved their worth. Braff was asked if he had to be careful with his words while giving them direction on set, to which he said,
I found that all actors, even if they’re living legends or if they’re brand new actors, really want a leader, and I feel that as well as an actor. If you’re confident and you know your s**t, I’m interested in what you have to say. And of course, every morning directing Morgan Freeman, I’m giving myself a pep talk.
The actor-director continued to share that the funny thing with Freeman is that he really wants to do one take, so when they are like, ‘let’s do another’, they’d just hear, ‘Why?’ Braff clarified that maybe Freeman just likes to mess up with people and knows that they’ve got to do it again. However, he explained that one has to have the courage to direct them, but people really do want leaders; they don’t want to just be left with no idea of someone’s vision. The filmmaker recalled a scene from Going In Style,
Going In Style was huge. I mean, I had not only had bank robbery, but I had those guys doing stunts. There’s a scene in the movie where Michael Caine is driving one of the shopping electric carts and Morgan’s in the front basket, and they’re driving it down a street in Brooklyn, and that was it. I had those guys doing stunts. Yeah, that was really hard.
Zach Braff explained that one of the reasons why it’s hard and tricky is because the legendary actors are doing stunts, the crowd’s there, Paparazzi is there, and above all, there’s a 100-person crew to take care of. He mentioned that it’s hard sh**. He also mentioned a scene from A Good Person where Freeman had to pull an all-nighter. Braff stated that it was tough not only because they were asking the actor to pull an all-nighter but also to perform with his best energy at his age.
Even Christopher Nolan with complex storylines could face the same stress
Christopher Nolan is known for his tricky scenes in the movie, like The Trinity Test in Oppenheimer, which people assumed to be CGI, but in reality, the filmmaker recreated the scene. He used a combination of Ping-Pong balls being smashed and paint being chucked on the wall, along with a luminous magnesium solution. Or when the truck flip scene from The Dark Knight, which, once again, people assumed was CGI, but it wasn’t. (via Unboxed by Croma)
Nolan used a piston placed in the ground to launch the truck and cause it to flip. Using two sets combined with good old-fashioned stunt work created the gravity-defying hallway fight scene in Inception. These are some of the most iconic scenes filmed by Nolan for his movies, but it can be rightly said that working with two senior actors, especially getting them to do stunts, cannot be more tricky or stressful than planning these scenes. Nolan who is known for his complex plotlines in his movies, can also face the same stress when working with veteran actors.
The filmmaker has worked with Michael Caine in almost all his movies, and according to ScreenRant, the filmmaker believes that Caine is his lucky charm. Apart from just bringing in the luck for him, Caine has been a part of Nolan’s work because the filmmaker is impressed by how professional, prepared, and effortlessly good he is.
The filmmaker believes that having someone as prepared as Caine can be a good example for the actors on set on how to do their jobs properly. Which notes that maybe filming with legendary actors, especially stunts, can be tricky, but they are so good at their job that it shows. No filmmaker has escaped the stress of directing veteran actors, but the trick is to make them feel comfortable and, as Zach Braff stated, be a leader and wait for them to deliver.
Going In Style is available to stream as VOD on Prime Video, Fandango at Home, and Apple TV.
