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Robert Pattinson in Bong Joon-ho's 'Mickey 17'
Warner Bros.
MANILA, Philippines — Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho found it a relatively easy choice to cast Robert Pattinson as the titular character in his latest film "Mickey 17."
Based on a book by Edward Ashton, the movie features Pattinson playing Mickey Barnes, who signs up to be an expendable — each time he dies while on the job, a new version of himself is printed out with all his memories intact.
Things take a turn when Mickey drops onto his bed to find another version of himself already there, making them "multiples." Multiples are taboo, and in the words of Mark Ruffalo's Hieronymous Marshall, in cases of "multiples," all individuals are exterminated.
In an interview, Joon-ho was asked what made Pattinson the perfect choice to play Mickey, and the "Parasite" director was struck by the actor's goofy side when they first met.
The filmmaker also praised Pattinson as an incredible actor with range, given his performances in "The Lighthouse," "The Batman," and "Good Time." The South Korean director said that in casting his titular lead, he took into consideration that Mickey's actor would be doing two very different roles.
"Robert was really the actor that came to mind when I thought about who could play these two very different roles and accomplish this," Joon-ho said. "So, I didn’t really have to think long about who I wanted to play this role."
Joon-ho added he made the offer to Pattinson very quickly, and the actor immediately agreed to do it, "It was a very smooth and happy casting process."
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The director was also asked how Pattinson added to the character he had written; Joon-ho usually writes and directs his films.
He shared how he added detailed descriptions to the Mickeys in his adaptation, but pointed out that they were "just words on a page" because it was up to the actor to give them life.
"Rob brought in so much of his own creativity and so much of his own ideas to add detailed nuances to the characters. I was so surprised and impressed by everything he contributed to the characters and the film," Joon-ho said.
As Mickey 17, Joon-ho said Pattinson was great at actualizing the detailed ideas he had, but the actor went to a whole new dimension for the character of Mickey 18.
"He really surpassed the boundaries I had set for this character, added so many specific ideas and brought such a new energy, things that I never even imagined, really," the director shared, adding that Pattinson would improvise on set with quirky dialogue and fun moments.
Distributed in the Philippines by Warner Bros. Pictures, "Mickey 17" screens in local theaters beginning March 5.
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