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Top Questions Answered
Top Questions Answered
For the Fans
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ROY: [looks at the camera, brows raised] Let's try this again, then? [clears his throat] Sam, what is the plot of 1917? SAM: [smiling, snickers, before clearing his throat and gets into the frame] Hi! The story of 1917 [glances at Roy] is about two soldiers who have an important mission. [places arms on the table] They have to give an important messages to soldiers [quietly interrupts and says 'colonel'] - [rolls his eyes] Colonel - before they get ambushed and killed, so, it's kinda of a race with time, you can say. [looks at Roy] Is that alright? I feel like it is, no? ROY: Yeah, sounds about right to me. [looks at the camera] Also, it's in April. SAM: [groans at Roy's addition] And on a Tuesday. ROY: [turns to look at Sam] Friday. SAM: [shakes his head, smiling] That's the joke. Stop ruining my jokes. |
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ROY: Ah, another one for Sam. [nods to his right, towards Sam] [nudges and says 'Don't be jealous.'] What's one skill you learned from a role you still have? That's a bit confusing. They're asking if you learned a skill for a role, and still have it? What, like, tap-dancing, or something? Not if you still have that role. SAM: [smiles as he nods] Huh huh. I think that's what they mean. [looks at the camera] This is a hard question since I am very skilled to begin [snorts] with but - [glances at Roy when he snorts, glares, but keeps on talking] - I did some scout training for Moonrise which was forever ago. Wow [turns to look at Roy] 8 years ago? [looks back into the camera] I learned about birds and really got into birdwatching. And I'm still pretty good at that. ROY: [nods] That's true, you watch a lot of birds. You're always pointing them out. Do you know how to, like, start a fire using sticks? That's a scout skill, right? SAM: People never pay attention to birds and yet they are all around. Isn't that weird? I think that's a human skill but yeah, I know how to start a fire. I knew before Moonrise though. ROY: [raises brow] Did you? Oh, you did. That's just inherent to those born in Auckland, yes? SAM: [looks back at Roy before looking at the camera again] I did. It's among surviving skills. Like peeing. [rolls his eyes] [snorts] What's inherent to Germans? ROY: [thinks] Punctuality. SAM: [pauses, stare at Roy for a minute] Punctuality? ROY: [nods] Yes, we're always on time. [looks at Sam] Is birdwatching a popular pastime in Auckland or are you just a bird nerd? SAM: Shut up. [laughs, blushes a little] Birds are important. People never pay attention to birds and yet they're all around. Isn't that weird? ROY: [nods, as if in deep contemplation] I often think about what Earth would be like if we didn't have the ambient noise of birds. SAM: It would be very unsettling. Even the sight of a bird in the sky, on a branch, on the sidewalk, shitting on you. Everyone stops when they notice a cat, a dog, a cow, even ducks - because ducks are amazing, that's fact. [nods, runs his hand through his hair] But, they don't care about birds. And it's sad because there are more than pigeons, robins or sparrows out there. ROY: [turns to look at the camera] Please, stop and take time to remember the birds. |
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SAM: Oh look! [grins and points] It's for you! So. Roy, [turns to look at Roy] is the 1917 movie based on a true story? ROY: [straightens up, looks at the camera] No, I mean, they're things that happened but not in the exact sequence of the film. Sam Mendes' grandfather fought in the war, so a lot of the inspiration for the plot came from stories Alfred Mendes told. But, no, Sam and I aren't playing real characters. It's more so an amalgamation of stories from different soldiers. [looks at Sam] Anything to add? SAM: [nods, arms crossed, looking at Roy as he speaks] I like the name Alfred. ROY: [laughs] It's a good name, yeah. SAM: [laughs] I just don't have anything to add! You said it perfectly. And Alfred doesn't get enough credits. ROY: What about Batman's butler? |
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SAM: Okay, Roy. What was your first reaction to the 1917 script? [looks off camera] Can I add to that too or...? ROY: [looks up to his left] I think I said this already but, it's very timeless. And it's not a war film that's overblown with moments of heroism, you know? I think it does a very good job of portraying these soldiers as victims of war. It's very realistic and practical in its emotion. And I think if you're writing a script for a war film, it would be very easy to rely on violence and horror to get an emotional reaction from an audience, but the violence felt more as a fact of life rather than an exploitation. [looks back at Sam] That was a bit long. A very long way of saying the story felt very real. SAM: [nods as Roy starts talking, raises eyebrow, frowns, tilts head and nods again] Just a bit. It's January still, right? [smiles] But I get what you're saying. It was easy to rely to the characters and immerse you in the story. ROY: It is, yes. I think they're very easy to project on to, they have experiences and feelings that are very human. It's easy to feel the story through them. SAM: That's the thing, this is a story about...just people. Because they were people, soldiers are people and in that time, they used to be thrown into the war with a weapon in hand and [speaks with a thick British accent] Best of luck mate! ROY: [nods] Yes. I think, if you [looks at the camera and nods] want to understand the context of that time and the first World War better, give Peter Jackson's film They Shall Not Grow Old a watch. |
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ROY: Alright, Sammy. How was the movie 1917 made? [looks to Sam] SAM: [stares at Roy] With cameras. And actors. And a fantastic director in Sam Mendes. And a fucking amazing crew and cinematographer. [pauses] Wait, can I curse? [makes a face and mouthes 'sorry'] [laughs at Sam's curse and shrugs] We had an amazing cast but the crew deserves so much praise for what they did. From the script to the shooting experience, there was a lot of thought put into details to make this as authentic.[the rest of the time Sam speaks, Roy is looking at the table or off camera, nodding] [glances at Roy] We actually went through a boot camp to really act and think like soldiers of the first World War. But, when it came to shooting it there was a huge rail on the ground. [looks at Roy] Remember that? And that line in the sky that carried the camera to make it as smooth and natural as possible. And...should I stop? ROY: Yes, you don't want to spoil the special features for the DVD release. [smirks] SAM: [laughs] Oh my god. ROY: [laughs] There was a lot of waiting for weather as well. Remember that? Waiting for overcast. Never have I cursed sunshine so much in my life. SAM: God, I know. [laughs] Looking back, we laugh about it now but it was so frustrating. Everyone was so ready and we couldn't shoot anything because of the continuity. And we wouldn't just wait for half an hour. Sometimes it would be hours - plural - before we could hear Sam screaming to go. [looks at Roy] And then it was a mad house with everyone rushing to get into place to get that one scene going. [looks at the camera, smiling] It was great. ROY: [gestures to Sam] The man thrives on chaos. |
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SAM: Okay, Roy. What was your first reaction to the 1917 script? [looks off camera] can I add to that too or...? ROY: [raises brow] Haven't you talked enough? [grins] I think being given a lot of scripts to read you start to know... like, realize within the first few pages when one's going to really stand out. I was very immersed. Is that a reaction? Sam and Kristy just... they wrote this script that flows so smoothly, and it all takes place a century ago but the story felt very personal, very timeless. [looks to Sam] Anything you'd like to add? SAM: [shakes head before nodding] Yes it is [faint 'babe', trying to keep himself from smiling] Me? No. I pretty much felt the same when I read it. ROY: Well, that's that. Next one? SAM: Do you want me to turn it off? ROY: [looks at Sam, brow raised] What? No, I want you to read the next one. |
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ROY: [scans the screen] Oooh, a fun one. [turns to his right, looking at Sam] Tell me, Sam: what was the coolest part of the 1917 set? SAM: A fun one. [laughs a little] I don't know, can I spoil things or...? I really loved the battlefield. Like, this land that seemed so serene and yet tragic at the same time, you know? [looks at Roy] I also really loved the bunker. ROY: [subtly rolls his eyes and grins] Yeah, that bunker was impressive. It was all really impressive, right? The scale of it. I feel like even being there, filming it, I didn't see the entire scope of the production. SAM: It was one of those projects that made it...so enjoyable to work on? Because the production was so on point. And there was so much going on at the same time? It was hard to see it all but the final result is just phenomenal. ROY: It's massive. When we were on set I had train myself to not be constantly looking around. Like, this setting would've been normal for Schofield. [looks to Sam] But I'm in that trench thinking, "What?! There's more?!" It's something where you don't really grasp the entire scale until you're in it, and then again when you see it in - [turns back to the camera, smirks and points] - the cinema. SAM: Oh my god. [leans in head back, laughing] That was so bad. That was so, so bad. |
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SAM: Mmm... [smirks, leans back a little as he looks at Roy] Roy, who is the best actor of all time? ROY: [without hesitation, smirks and looks back at Sam] You? SAM: [laughs, playfully shoves Roy] Good answer. No but, seriously. Who do you think is the best actor of all time? ROY: [shakes his head] I couldn't even begin to answer. The market is teeming with talent. Can I nominate the entire cast of Uncut Gems? SAM: [raises eyebrow] Even Adam Sandler? Of all time? [raising an eyebrow] ROY: [looks at Sam, mildly offended] Of course Adam Sandler. [pauses to think] Winona Ryder! Or should I be naming people who've left us? [shrugs] Who do you think? I bet you've been asked this before. SAM: [smirks] Henry Sommer is a force. ROY: [shrugs] He's alright. SAM: [laughs] And I don't know, I guess dead or alive, doesn't matter. Someone who you think is a great actor. ROY: [looks to the camera] The pool of talent is bottomless. Naming one is impossible! |
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SAM: For Roy. [leans a little forward] What's the best memento you kept from one of your movies? ROY: [leans back, stares at the ceiling] I did get to keep Billy's lifeguard shorts from Stranger Things. Usually they don't let you take wardrobe home, but, I asked very politely. [looks to Sam] How about you? Did you keep anything, illicitly or otherwise? SAM: [raises an eyebrow, staring at Roy] You kept the shorts...? Really? [nods] [shakes head, grinning] I wouldn't say it if I had stolen something. I did keep the hat from Moonrise and the fur from Game of Thrones. I wanted to keep the wheelchair but they said now. [pouts] ROY: [narrows his eyes] Where would you even keep it? SAM: In the living or the study? What? [narrows his eyes back] It can be a nice decor item! I know it's no Gucci chair. [rolls eyes] |
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ROY: [breathes in, sighs, reads the question on the exhale] Where was Sam Toomey born? [tips his head to the side] Alright, Sam. Enlighten us, where were you born? SAM:[leans very close to the camera] You're not a Game of Thrones fan, what's wrong with you? [laughs, pulls back] I was born in the land of the white cloud, in Aotearoa or more commonly known New Zealand. I'm a kiwi from Auckland so you know, makes me cooler by default. [nods, reaffirming] [puts his elbow down on the table, rests his head on his hand] What about you, Roy Sommer? What kind of fruit are you? ROY: An apple, I think? We eat a lot of them. [looks to the camera] The accent isn't fake! I'm from Köln, Germany. SAM: [laughs] You don't have to look all threatening German here! ROY: [rolls his eyes] SAM: [rolls his eyes mockingly] Next, yeah? |
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SAM: [moves lips as he reads, quietly] Oh. Interesting. [looks at Roy] Roy, what's one thing you hope people take away from 1917? ROY: [without hesitation] War is terrible. [looks to Sam, shrugs] Really, earnestly. It's terrible. I think we often rely on film to show us things we don't see or don't consider. This all happened so long ago it's easy to distance ourselves from it and think ourselves incapable of creating a similar reality. But, [tips his head to his right] it's necessary to be reminded not just of the destruction- but the basic, human toll it takes on us. The film itself has moments of heroism, and while those moments are beautiful, and important, I hope after watching the film people are inspired to think about how to avoid war completely. [looks back at Sam] What do you think? SAM: [raised an eyebrow] War is terrible but it's also still very much present today. We see the result of it every day with the refugees situation and yet people don't really get it. And I don't know if our film is going to make them pause and think about the trauma of war and how it destroys everything. They will think about how horrible it was- [gestures his hand toward his back] -back then. But because they are so far removed from it and how it's not happening at out front door, they don't really understand or see the impact it has. But, I do hope that they can be shaken a little by the horror of war. ROY: [nods] I think that about says it. |