- Title: James McAvoy praises 'Split' twist secrecy
- Date: 16th November 2016
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (NOVEMBER 15, 2016) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF PREMIERE SIGNAGE VARIOUS OF CAST GROUP SHOT POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR JAMES MCAVOY SAYING: "How was it to slip into Patricia? You know, I take every opportunity to slip into Patricia that I can get.... what?" ACTOR JAMES MCAVOY AND ACTRESS ANYA TAYLOR-JOY POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR JAMES MCAVOY SAYING: "You never get bored playing... you know, I never get bored in movies anyway, but I certainly never get bored in this. It was a very dynamic set to be on and also he's into making movies on a tight budget now, he's on a tight schedule, not just to save money but also to challenge himself as a filmmaker, get it done right and not just have the luxury and time to let you get flabby. So what that means is that you didn't just spend a day or two on one character, you were playing like five or six different characters in one day sometimes, but that was fun." MCAVOY AND DIRECTOR M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN TALKING TO MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN SAYING: "I mean, it's more about tension, right? For me, I don't think of things in terms of scares but suspense and this feeling of what's going to happen, where you're so compelled by the main character that you're concerned for them, their safety and they try to do something, they open a door, they risk something or they lie to their abductor or they try something, you start to feel this anxiety. So hopefully, when you watch it, there's this real sense of suffocation as you're watching this, desperation for them to get out of this situation." TAYLOR-JOY POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR ANYA TAYLOR-JOY SAYING: "I mean, I think it's a little bit of everything to be honest. I think it's James (McAvoy), I think it's Night, I think it's the script, I love the relationships between all of the characters. I thought it was something that had never really been explored before on film, so it was just fascinating and I was really excited to dive into it." TAYLOR-JOY AND M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN TALKING TO MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN SAYING: "You know, I don't think of it like that. I don't think of it (the twist) as dance moves like, 'Okay, I'm about to bust out the big dance move everybody wants.' It's not like that, it's more about what is the story you're telling and how are you telling that story. If I'm telling the story of you being an assassin or whatever it is, but I don't tell you that right away, I'm telling the story of you as a Dad and then as a husband and I keep going and something reveals that's the case. It’s how you tell the story, the paradigm on how you tell the story, which I find very interesting so it isn't so much about twists but really the structure of storytelling." SHYAMALAN AND MCAVOY TALKING TO REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR ANYA TAYLOR-JOY SAYING: "Genuinely, it's strange because he's right next to me but like, I'd see this movie for his (James') performance alone. He's so incredible in it and it was a real privilege to be able to watch him every day and to get to act with him, but he's phenomenal in this role, truly." SHYAMALAN ON THE RED CARPET POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR JAMES MCAVOY SAYING: "So far so good. We showed this at Fantastic Fest and all the journalists, all the bloggers and all the reviewers made an agreement in the room, while we were there, that they would not come out and spread the word (about the ending) and almost to the point where they would be vilified publicly by the community if they did do that because it’s so much of a treat, for the people who'll get it, it's a big treat." VARIOUS OF CAST AND SHYAMALAN ON RED CARPET POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS SIGNAGE AT THE PREMIERE
- Embargoed: 30th November 2016 21:33
- Keywords: M. Night Shyamalan AFI Anya-Taylor Joy James McAvoy interviews Spilt film festival premiere red carpet
- Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES / UNIDENTIFIED FILMING LOCATIONS
- City: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES / UNIDENTIFIED FILMING LOCATIONS
- Country: USA
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Film
- Reuters ID: LVA00258P4IML
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: James McAvoy has praised critics and audiences for keeping the plot twist of the movie 'Split' a secret.
The movie, which premiered at the AFI Fest on Tuesday (November 15), is the latest from director M. Night Shyamalan, someone's whose films are renowned for having a sting in the tail.
"We showed this at Fantastic Fest and all the journalists, all the bloggers and all the reviewers made an agreement in the room, while we were there, that they would not come out and spread the word (about the ending). And almost to the point where they would be vilified publicly by the community if they did do that because it's so much of a treat, for the people who'll get it, it's a big treat," McAvoy told Reuters.
He added: "I never get bored in movies anyway but I certainly never get bored in this. It was a very dynamic set to be on and also he's into making movies on a tight budget now, he's on a tight schedule, not just to save money but also to challenge himself as a filmmaker, get it done right and not just have the luxury and time to let you get flabby. So what that means is that you didn't just spend a day or two on one character, you were playing like five or six different characters in one day sometimes but that was fun."
McAvoy plays a man with 23 different personalities, including a woman called Patricia, who abducts three teenage girls, one of whom is played by Anya Taylor-Joy.
She told Reuters that the role in the psychological horror was something that she couldn't pass up, saying: "I think it's a little bit of everything to be honest. I think its James, I think it's Night, I think it's the script, I love the relationships between all of the characters, I thought it was something that had never really been explored before on film so it was just fascinating and I was really excited to dive into it."
"Split" hits theaters on January 20, 2017. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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