As big as the entertainment industry is, it has a small world side too You hurt my feelings star Owen Teague can attest to that as much as anyone. The Florida native’s career really took off when he was cast to play a younger version of Ben MendelsohnBloodline character Danny Rayburn only appears in photos and old home videos, as this leads to a proper flashback and a pivotal role as Danny’s troubled son Nolan. Andrea Riseborough also played his mother in the series, and the pair later starred in Michael Morris’s To Leslie (, which gets the ever One of the most most unlikely Oscar nominations .
In the case of You Hurt My Feelings, writer-director Nicole Holofcener previously cast Teague in A series led by Kathryn Hahn, Mrs. . Fletcher , so the Oscar-nominated filmmaker approached Teague for the role of Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ son in the character-driven comedy-drama. His character, Elliott, is an aspiring writer who wants to hear honest critiques of his work, and Teague has something to do with that.
“Elliot doesn’t believe his work is the best, he wants to hear the truth. That’s what I say about anything I do Feeling. I’m always a little uncomfortable when I hear ‘well done,’ because I don’t know if I can believe it,” Teague told The Hollywood Reporter .
Teague was most recently in Wes Ball’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and Apes casting director Debra Zane happens to be the one who made him appear in Bloodline those old photos and people from home movies. In Matt Reeves’ War for the Planet of the Apes sequel (2021), Teague is reportedly playing Caesar’s (Andy Serkis) son Cornelius, and as Serkis’ longtime Fans, getting the chance to pick his brains about performance capture is the highlight of his career.
“[Andy Serkis] had a meeting with me, and he’s one of the reasons I became an actor,” Teague said. “So it’s something I’ve wanted to do my whole life, and it’s a dream come true to be able to do this job and play this character. I remember Andy saying, ‘You get used to [performance capture] and after the first week you don’t Worry no more. “He was absolutely right.”
Kingdom of the Apes is also Teague’s first blockbuster lead role. protagonist, and it was once pointed out to him that he struggled with self-doubt.
“Three weeks before we started filming, I had a little bit of an existential crisis and I was like, ‘I can’t do this,'” recalls Teague. “But then you find your way back and you realize you know who you’re playing. I’m not a bad guy either, so I know people are going to love working with me, at least I hope so.”
Currently, Teague is very optimistic about his new chapter in the Apes series.
“For the first time I’ve gone away and been like, ‘This is going to be awesome. We’ve made something totally amazing ,'” Teague shared. “I hope it’s true. God, I’ll look stupid if it sucks, but I have faith in everyone involved in this movie.”
Below, in a recent conversation with THR, Teague also discusses his role in Bloodline A memorable first encounter with Mendelsohn on set, before sharing his to Leslie Oscar controversy.
So I have to be honest with you. Every time I see you, I think of a young Ben Mendelsohn before I can quickly adapt to the new work on the screen. This is probably not what you want to hear, but your
Bloodline The characters make such a strong first impression . Is it true that you were originally hired to play a younger version of Ben in the photo?
Yes, it’s random. I’ve been acting all my life, but I’ve pretty much only done plays. When they cast that young [Danny Rayburn] character, looking so much like young Ben was almost what got me the job. And then at the end of season one, [co-creators Daniel Zelman and the Kesslers] were kind of like, “Hey, we’re writing this son character [Nolan Rayburn] for season two.” So maybe they thought I could act and look like like him.
When you first met Ben Was he struck by the resemblance?
I really don’t know how he feels. We first met on the beach in Islamorada, one of the scenes with young Danny. It’s one of those Bloodline flashbacks where young Danny gets beaten up and we’re all there: me, Norbert [Leo Butz], Ben and Kyle [Chandler]. I still I was a kid, so I was intimidated by everyone. And then I remember Ben just looking at me and saying, “Hey, you really want to do this, don’t you?” I was like, “What do you mean?” He was like, “Act.” I was like, “Yeah. ’” He said, “Well, it’s a lonely life, but it’s okay.” That was the first thing he said to me. I was like, “Wow, this guy is very warm.” But he was very, very nice to me. He was also very generous as I was still a novice. I do a lot of drama, but this is different from a show like Bloodline. So he led me through a few things, but everyone on that show really cared about me.
Well, based on the fact that we’re talking now, that job is open A lot gives you more doors. Is this how you feel too?
Oh, of course. Debra Zane, the casting director of Bloodline , also cast Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes , just came back from filming. She has supported me since I was a teenager. So I wouldn’t be here without that show, and I don’t even know half of the industry and the craft. Bloodline is my school and I owe everything to it.
One of the doors that opens is You hurt my feelings. Is there anything unusual about your casting process?
Well, from Mrs.Fletcher. She cast me as Mrs. Fletcher, so she just sent me the script. Her presentation was really good. It wasn’t like, “Would you like to do it?” It was more like, “What do you think? Did you like it?” (laughs.) I was like, “Sure, I know. I want to do it.” So that’s how it happens, and it’s always nice when people you’ve worked with before want to work together again. I also know some of the producers and some of the crew on Montana Story and other projects, so there’s a sense of on-set camaraderie . It felt like a group of friends got together in New York to make a movie.
Owen Teague, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Michaela Watkins in You Hurt My Feelings Just my opinion of the picture company
As a young actor, when you’re working with a team like Nicole, Julia [Louis-Dreyfus] and Tobias [Menzies], are you looking carefully and listening to any Something to use on the road?
completely. In every show, you learn something new, sometimes because you approach something in a certain way. Maybe you made a mistake, or maybe you didn’t fully realize the message you wanted to convey in your own work. Sometimes it’s because you watch other actors’ work and you like their approach. So I always look at actors who have more experience than me. It’s been that way since the beginning, and I’m grateful to be working with some legends. So you do pick things up. -Dreyfus) smothered him, both figuratively and literally, as the ending showed.
(laugh. )
He wished she would be more honest with him, with less false compliments. Do you think he has a general point about the need to be more honest with each other?
It’s good to be open and honest with each other. Personally, I very much understand Elliott’s thinking, and that’s one of the things I have in common with him. Elliott doesn’t believe his work is the best, he wants to hear the truth. That’s how I feel about everything I do. Either you’ll get compliments on your work, or people will tell you it sucks, in which case it feels bad, but at least you know they’re being honest. And when someone tells you you’re really good, you always ask, “How do I know that’s true?” So I definitely see where Elliott comes from, especially as someone who creates stuff for other people . I’m always a little uncomfortable when I hear “well done” because I don’t know if I can believe it.
My biggest takeaway from this movie is that every class has Highs and lows. Sure, work may dry up, but so will your confidence in it. Your career is clearly on the rise right now, but are you prepared for the inevitable ups and downs?
omg that’s a good question and I’d love to know the answer that’s because I will do that then. ( Laughing .) I’ve been lucky enough to have a lot of work over the past few years that a lot of actors have not had. But one thing I’ve learned from the pandemic and the changes in the industry is that it’s important to enjoy life outside of work. I was always very much equating myself to myself no matter what I was doing, so I had to learn to separate a little bit. It’s not that I don’t value it; it’s that I don’t value it. I just don’t want it to be the whole purpose of being alive.
So I’m glad to learn about this and have some success with it, because it actually makes the job easier. When I start doing something that’s really good or something that I’m really connected to, it becomes more valuable and then I can walk away. It doesn’t matter if I’m not connected to something or something doesn’t do what I want. So it’s just about finding stability in life outside of industry.
Owen Teague and Andrea Riseborough in To Leslie Image courtesy of Momentum
So, last October, I was with Michael Morris about To Leslie, and this It was a month or two before things got absolutely crazy. Since you were probably filming in Australia at the time, when or how did you first hear about what happened to Andrea Riseborough?
Well people started texting me about it and my mom Actually heard about it before I did it. I was in Australia and hardly noticed anything that wasn’t about Apes. But she called me, and that’s how I heard a lot of things that maybe I should know. (laughs.) I didn’t follow it very closely, but I’m really glad she got the nomination. I remember filming our scenes on the To Leslie set and I was completely overwhelmed by what I saw and arrived at Shock play. Its whole scandalous element is ridiculous. She’s an amazing actress. She deserves an Oscar nomination. Why is this a scandal? But that’s just my opinion.
Either that movie or
I mean, I don’t know I have any opinion about those movies. I make them because they make sense and I like them. So that’s the extent of my thoughts on how they’re going to be consumed. You want people to watch them and get something out of them, but it never feels good to make something that no one watches. So when people find something like To Leslie or
Montana Story, especially when they are worth discovering. But I didn’t really think about it too much.
So you got your biggest as of last year at Wes Ball’s
. How did you get started with performance capture? Did you ask anyone for guidance?
Well, we all talked to Andy Serkis. He and I had a meeting, and he was part of the reason I became an actor. So this is something I’ve wanted to do my whole life, and to be able to do this job and play this role is a dream come true. The hardest part is learning how to wear a suit all day with a camera strapped to your head. But after about a week you get used to it, and I remember Andy saying, “You’ll get used to it, and after the first week you’ll stop worrying.” He was absolutely right. The rest of the motion capture is what you would do in other situations, and the difference between a human being and whatever you’re playing is just a costume, so you don’t even really think about it that much. It’s just acting, no difference. So I quickly and happily took it, it was something I wanted to do more of. So I wish I could because I really like it. It’s actually free. Bring the fun of acting down to what it is. You can be whoever you want to be, and it doesn’t have to bear any resemblance to who you are in real life. So you just have to put yourself in that existence and exist. marvelous.
How did you take on the huge number one responsibility for the studio movie and help Setting the tone?
Well, this is interesting. I didn’t really think about it until I had dinner with one of our producers, Jason [Reed], one night. He has a way of saying very real things, but in a way that makes them feel a little lighter than they would otherwise be. He was like, “Okay, you set the tone. You’re number one.” And then it just hit me. I was like, “Oh my God, I am.” So three weeks before we started filming, I had a little bit of an existential crisis and I thought, “I can’t do this.” But then you find your way back and you realize You know who you’re playing. I’m not a bad person either, so I know people will enjoy working with me, at least I hope so. So, after I rectified that and regained my confidence through character discovery, it was fine. It’s not even something I’ve really thought about. If you do a good job, be a good person, and help your co-workers, then you really don’t need to think about it.
You can feel what you’re doing, even if it won’t be fully Render for a while?
completely. In fact, most of it came from Wes, as he believed so deeply in his direction. He’s very imaginative, so he was able to paint this picture for us, which actually made it easy for us to imagine all these things. The other actors support each other, we’re a really tight team and it’s easy to do a film like this with these guys. I try not to name any of the characters, but when I look at the other actors on set, I see what I believe in my mind is this mix between them. So in the end we don’t think of ourselves as human beings. We call ourselves “apes”. We are apes. So it was very fulfilling for everyone, and we also created a very detailed world for ourselves. So it’s not hard to imagine what this movie will be. Usually, when you leave a project, you think, “Well, who knows what’s going to turn out. Half the editing.” But this is the first time I’ve left a set and said, “This is going to be great. We made something totally amazing.” I hope that’s true. God, I’ll look stupid if it sucks, but I have so much faith in everyone involved in this movie.
Well, I can’t wait to watch it, glad to see you happening now what.
Thanks. It’s funny because I’ve heard it a few times lately, and I’m kind of like, “Huh. What’s up?” (laughing.) So I guess something is going on.
12353255091235230071 You hurt my feelings Playing movie theater . This interview has been edited for length and clarity .
