This Friday, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, Antoine Fuqua’s big-budget remake of the 1960 Yul Brynner/Steve McQueen classic (which was itself a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s THE SEVEN SAMURAI) hits theaters. I was lucky enough to see it at TIFF (read my review) and overall I thought it was a total blast. Lucky me, I also get to sit down with the awesome cast!
First up was Denzel Washington and Antoine Fuqua (who I had previously interviewed at a pair two TIFF’s ago for THE EQUALIZER), and both were in fine form. I think I even impressed Denzel with my knowledge of Kurosawa!
Next up was Chris Pratt and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, whose characters are at odds in the film, but – natch – best buds in real life. And yes, Pratt is just as laid-back and charming as you’d hope.
Taking a break from the heroes, I got to sit down with Peter Sarsgaard, one of my favorite character actors, who gave me a terrific interview and – of the gang – seemed to be the biggest fan of the original film.
Next was Vincent D’Onofrio and Martin Sensmeier. D’Onofrio steals lots of scenes in this one and it was interesting getting his take on ensemble acting and playing a more heroic part post-Daredevil.
After this, I got to interview the gorgeous and talented Haley Bennett, who’s got one of the movie’s best parts as the young widow who hires the seven. With this and the upcoming THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN, Bennett’s got a big star-making season ahead of her, and she’s was an absolute joy to talk to.
Finally, I talked to two actors I really admire, Ethan Hawke and Korean superstar Byung-hun Lee, both of whom discussed how different a project this was for them compared to their own recent westerns, IN A VALLEY OF VIOLENCE for Hawke, and THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE WEIRD for Lee.
THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN opens this Friday.