DiCaprio and Penn Face Off in Anderson’s One Battle After Another
Academy Award–winning actor Sean Penn stars opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, a darkly comic action thriller that marks the first on-screen collaboration between two of Hollywood’s most celebrated performers.
The story centers on Bob (DiCaprio), a former revolutionary now living off the grid with his daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti). Their quiet life is disrupted when Bob’s old adversary, Col. Lockjaw (Penn), reemerges after 16 years, and Willa goes missing. What follows is both a search for his daughter and a reckoning with the past he thought he’d left behind.
Sean Penn as Col. Lockjaw and Teyana Taylor as Perfidia
The cast also includes Teyana Taylor as Perfidia and Benicio Del Toro in a supporting role. With Anderson directing, One Battle After Another shifts between tense action and absurd humor, crafted in Anderson’s signature style.
In this Q&A, Penn reveals why Anderson’s film had him laughing through its “most torturous” moments, what it was like working with DiCaprio, and why he thinks Anderson might just be a film genius.
What drew you to this project?
Sean Penn: This script came to me like a gift. Paul is a special filmmaker and writer and has been a friend for a long time. We had talked about working together over the years, and I worked with him briefly on Licorice Pizza. So before I read page one, I sat down with high hopes and the assumption that it was going to be something I’d want to do. Paul's such an original, and I read it, and I started laughing at what he was approaching with the story right away. It was the timeliness of it, the freedom with which he wrote (and writes) was exciting, great characters all the way down the line. It was a page-turner.
I did know that Leo was involved, and we had never done anything together before and we’d been close since he was about 15 years old. Watching this great actor that he's become—that he already was when he was doing This Boy's Life. I think I called Paul right away and said, you know, where do I go?
Paul Thomas Anderson on the set with Leonardo DiCaprio.
How would you describe the film One Battle After Another to someone?
SP: I would just say it's a Paul Thomas Anderson film, and I wouldn't tell them a damn thing. Nothing. Just go see it.
ALSO READ
Mercy for None: The K-Drama That Finally Gives Revenge Its Teeth
Alien: Earth Is Must-Watch Sci-Fi and a Franchise Game Changer
What was it like working with Paul Thomas Anderson?
SP: I think sometimes people use the words too freely, whether it's a film genius or a film great, but I suspect Paul's a film genius. He has a clear vision, yet you’re always free and encouraged on his set to bring your own ideas. It's like he's got a secret, and he knows you're going to find the character just as he would hope you to find it. He's very specific, but he's really got that gift of appearing effortless in his communication, and you just find yourself trusting him and looking forward to seeing what he does with what you give him.
I like to be surprised by what I'm going to see at the end of the day, what Paul's going to do, and this one just makes me giggle. Every time. I've seen the movie several times. It's not strictly a comedy, per se—it's its own animal. But sometimes even in the most torturous stuff, I just find it's such a giggle because it's a view through an original mind. And I think we don't see enough of that in the movies. I suspect everyone enjoys that, to really be gifted with something fresh.
Penn on working with DiCaprio: "He’s perfect for Paul's writing because he will go as far out or under as it gets. I love him."
How did you craft the physicality of a character whose complexity is both scary and funny?
SP: That is hitting on something that goes back to Paul. This is exactly the area that I most relied on him for. Because I wasn't always sure. A director can communicate their vision with you, but when you have such a nuanced vision, there’s only one person on Earth who can wholly see it until we get to see it in the movie theater. I could look at him after a take and be like, “More? Less? What is it?” And he would tell me right away. He would know, and then we'd do that.
How was it working with Leonardo DiCaprio?
SP: Leo brings humongous talent and laser focus. He was attentive, and it was exciting to watch. He’s perfect for Paul's writing because he will go as far out or under as it gets. I love him.
How was it working with Teyana Taylor as Perfidia?
SP: Teyana’s a force. She's fierce. She's an extraordinarily gifted actress. It just comes on fire and so naturally to her. I was very excited to hear that she was doing Perfidia. I was aware of her, and I found her to be really gifted and very game. One of the better experiences I've had working with an actor.
How was it working with Chase Infiniti as Willa?
SP: We did some camera tests, but Paul did not want us to meet early on. And that goes to the relationship in the film. But I would see her around set sometimes, and I saw her in dailies, and I just thought, how did he find someone so perfect for this?
The cast of "One Battle After Another" (from left): Sean Penn, Chase Infiniti, Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, and Benicio del Toro
Can you talk about Benicio Del Toro’s performance in the film?
SP: In all of Benicio’s performances, I think he’s as engaging an actor to watch as anybody who’s ever been on the screen. I think he's as inventive an actor as I’ve seen, and he’s genuinely one of my favorite actors in cinema.
Can you talk about the action in the film?
SP: I was interested in how Paul was going to approach action. I thought it was going to be really interesting to see how a guy who looks at film the way he does handles this. And like everything else he does, it has an originality, it's not a copycat of one thing or another. He's always been very good with casting, but the casting of his crew is just as important. Together, they put a lot of time into thinking that stuff out—with his assistant director, Adam (Somner) with his stunt coordinator, Brian (Machleit)—it was a great team of people.
And the music also—what he does with the tone of the film through the music is always a big player, and I think it’s beautifully done in this case. I'm moved by the movie, which you don't necessarily see coming. I think that this will connect with a lot of people.
One Battle After Another'opens in Philippine cinemas on September 24.
