For Mark Mylod, director of Searchlight Pictures’ The Menu, the biggest challenge was setting the tone This dark comedic thriller follows a group of diners who travel to a remote island to dine at Hawthorn, the fine dining restaurant run by celebrity chef Julian Slowik of Ralph Fiennes – with Some unexpected surprises (not of the gourmet variety) dining experience.
A lot, and then there’s the huge benefit of being able to shoot the movie almost in chronological order,” Mylod said of the film, which is largely based on a single scene at the Hawthorn restaurant. Classroom satire in the background.”Everyone is on set all the time, you never know when the camera is on you… It’s a way of working that the actors really respond to, and I think it gives us a sense of The immediacy and spontaneity of life and excitement these characters feel, especially when they first step into the restaurant — characters have an incredible right to be at the center of the culinary world.
Likewise, it was important for Mylod to accurately portray the culinary world “to the point of absolute obsession.” To that end, production designer Ethan To Ethan Tobman sprinkled Easter eggs and paid homage to some of the great chefs and great kitchens in the film, and Mylod also sent the script to San Francisco’s Atelier Crenn to the only three-Michelin star in the U.S. Star chef Dominique Crenn. ( For more information on Crenn and the on-screen haute cuisine she makes, see page 19.)
“The time she spent with Ralph in pre-production gave him a huge confidence boost,” said Mylod, adding that Great chemistry with Anya Taylor-Joy playing a bland diner opposite the Fiennes. “The unique and wonderful thing about Ralph is that he can bring all the sadness and he can be funny as well,” Mylod Explains. “For Anya, during lockdown, I and the rest of the world were mesmerized by her performance in The Queen’s Gambit, she was so subtle and brilliant. So I sent her the script and she loved it! I needed that character to go head-to-head with Ralph. That debate, that chess match between the characters, is at the heart of the film for me.
Mylod, who succeeds Alexander Payne as director, was initially drawn to the script by Seth Rice and Will Tracy because he knew Find the “right balance” between comedy, tension and irony. ’ After speaking with Fiennes, it became clear that the two of them were on the same page.
Mellord. Consumed by self-loathing. ”
This story first appeared in the November issue of The Hollywood Reporter Magazine. Click here to subscribe.
