(L to R) Famke Janssen and Brett Gelman talk ‘Boy Kills World’.
Opening in theaters on April 26th is the new action thriller ‘Boy Kills World,’ which was directed by Moritz Mohr and stars Bill Skarsgård (‘John Wick: Chapter 4‘), Jessica Rothe (‘La La Land’), Michelle Dockery (‘The Gentlemen‘), Brett Gelman (‘Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile’), Famke Janssen (‘X-Men‘) and Sharlto Copley (‘The A-Team‘).
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Famke Janssen and Brett Gelman about their work on ‘Boy Kills World’, the plot, their characters, the action, their first reaction to the screenplay and working with director Moritz Mohr.
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Michelle Dockery in ‘Boy Kills World’. Photo: Lionsgate.
Moviefone: To begin with, Famke, can you talk about your character and why everyone fears her?
Famke Janssen: Well, I think she’s misunderstood. I think this is someone who’s being confronted with her past, and it’s been a bit dodgy and shady. So, she’s now down a very slippery slope of a mental state that’s not stable, a family history that’s probably very troubled, and a very violent, obviously present time that we’re in, in the world and in this movie. So, I would say unhinged, to put it lightly.
MF: Brett, can you talk about your character and his odd commitment to theater? Did you draw influence from any former directors that you have worked with?
Brett Gelman: It was fun. I mean, that was great to sort of be this maniacal dictator who wants to be an artist and a writer. There’s nothing more fun than playing an insane director, even if it’s just for a few moments like it is in the film. Yeah, I’m always channeling some of the stranger directors that I’ve worked with in the past who would flip out, or acting teachers.
Brett Gelman in ‘Boy Kills World’. Photo: Lionsgate.
MF: Famke, what was your first reaction to the screenplay and the ‘Boy Kills World’ universe?
FJ: It was different. To me it was all going to be about, what’s the execution going to be like? How is this going to look visually? That’s where I think I was pleasantly surprised. We had an idea about it in terms of production design, costumes, the stunt team and stunt coordinator and the visuals of all of it, and the acting. But it’s a visual feast unlike anything you’ve ever seen. It’s a hyper-reality.
MF: Finally, Brett, what was your experience like collaborating with director Moritz Mohr on this project?
BG: Moritz is the opposite of how Gideon behaves as a director in the movie. Moritz is like somebody who you’d always picture holding a chocolate bar and giggling. But in a wholesome way. He was a dream to work with. He’s the perfect combination of somebody who knows exactly what they want, but then is also open to collaborating with you. The best kind of directors, beyond having vision, are the directors who have vision and then also enjoy actors. Because a lot of them hate us. Some of us deserve to be hated. Moritz didn’t give us less love. Moritz gave us Moritz love, and you can quote me on that. That’s the best quote I’ve ever quoted.
Skarsgård stars as “Boy” who vows revenge after his family is murdered by Hilda Van Der Koy (Janssen), the deranged matriarch of a corrupt post-apocalyptic dynasty… Read the Plot
What’s the plot of ‘‘Boy Kills World’?
The new movie stars Bill Skarsgård as a young man known only as “Boy”, who vows revenge after his family is murdered by Hilda Van Der Koy (Famke Janssen), the deranged matriarch of a corrupt post-apocalyptic dynasty that left the boy orphaned, deaf and voiceless.
Driven by his inner voice, one which he co-opted from his favorite childhood video game, Boy trains with a mysterious shaman (Yayan Ruhian) to become an instrument of death and is set loose on the eve of the annual culling of dissidents. Bedlam ensues as Boy commits bloody martial arts mayhem, inciting a wrath of carnage and blood-letting.
As he tries to get his bearings in this delirious realm, Boy soon falls in with a desperate resistance group, all the while bickering with the apparent ghost of his rebellious little sister.
Who is in the cast of ‘Boy Kills World’?
- Bill Skarsgård as Boy
- H. Jon Benjamin as Boy’s “inner voice”
- Jessica Rothe as June 27
- Michelle Dockery as Melanie van der Koy
- Brett Gelman as Gideon van der Koy
- Isaiah Mustafa as Benny
- Andrew Koji as Basho
- Famke Janssen as Hilda van der Koy
- Sharlto Copley as Glen van der Koy
- Yayan Ruhian as a shaman
Bill Skarsgård in ‘Boy Kills World’. Photo: Lionsgate.
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