Photo Credit: Claire Folger / Lionsgate
TIFF 2019: “Knives Out” world premiere and red carpet with Christopher Plummer, Toni Collette, Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, and director Rian Johnson
Director Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out” – which arrives in theatres on November 27 - is an extremely clever and fun whodunit with an incredible cast, so it is no mystery that the film drew a big crowd at The Princess of Wales Theatre for its world premiere and red carpet event. The Phoenix Film Festival teamed up with journalists Mariana Mijares and Barbora Soskova Dudinska, and we had a blast chatting with Johnson and the cast.
Christopher Plummer at TIFF.
PFF: Mr. Plummer, you’ve starred in many serious roles in recent years, like “All the Money in the World” (2017), “Remember” (2015) and “The Exception” (2016). Did you enjoy working on “Knives Out” as a change of pace?
Christopher Plummer: Oh, I loved it! It was great fun. Dear old Ryan is such a wonderful writer. Interesting, different sort of writing.
Toni Collette at the world premiere of “Knives Out”.
PFF: How do you compare the Hoover family in “Little Miss Sunshine” with the Thrombey family in “Knives Out”?
Toni Collette: Equally dysfunctional. Maybe this family is a little more affluent. (Toni bursts into laughter.)
BSD: What attracted you to this type of genre, filming mysteries?
Daniel Craig: It’s a lot of fun, and (this movie) is a piece of entertainment for families. Everybody (on the film) got into the tone of it. Everybody got into the feel of it. I watched it once, and I’m going to watch it with an audience tonight, and (the film) makes me laugh.
PFF: How did this experience compare to “Logan Lucky” when you played Joe Bang. It looks like you had fun in both.
Daniel Craig: I try to have fun, when I work. I always do.
Jamie Lee Curtis at the world premiere of “Knives Out”
MM: What was the most fun about being involved with this movie, and what was the hardest?
Jamie Lee Curtis: The fun of it is being part of a group. The difficulty is learning how to listen in a room full of 15 people (who) are all talking at the same time. It really strengthened my skills as a listener.
PFF: I understand that you’ve had this idea kicking around for about 10 years. When you were making “The Brothers Bloom” (2008), “Looper” (2012) and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” (2017), were you itching to get started on this film?
Chris Evans, left, Ana de Armas and director Rian Johnson on the set of “Knives Out.” (Claire Folger /Lionsgate)
Director Rian Johnson: I’ve always loved whodunits, and I’ve always tried to think of what I would do for (one). About 10 years ago, I had the basic idea. I just chewed on it since then, but when I actually sat down to write it, it all happened very quickly.
Jeff – a member of the Phoenix Critics Circle – has penned film reviews since 2008, graduated from ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and is a certified Rotten Tomatoes critic. Follow Jeff and the Phoenix Film Festival on Twitter @MitchFilmCritic and @PhoenixFilmFest, respectively.
