Asteroid City's Jason Schwartzman Reflects on Working With Wes Anderson for 25 Years (Exclusive)

Wes Anderson keeps a tight circle. The critically-acclaimed director has often recycled the same leading stars over the years, working with the likes of Adrien Brody and Jeffrey Wright on a number of occasions now. That said, his most frequent collaborator is Jason Schwartzman. The two began working together in 1998 with Rushmore, which was Schwartzman's first feature film and Anderson's second directorial endeavor. Schwartzman and Anderson would go on to work together seven more times, with their latest project coming in the form of Asteroid City.

Speaking to ComicBook.com at the Asteroid City press junket, Schwartzman reflected on his 25 years of working with Anderson, sharing an anecdote about how the director has retained his sense of child-like wonder.

"One thing that's the same is, on Rushmore, there's a scene where I drive a go-kart, and we were shooting it that day, and he drove up next to me on this go-kart was like, 'Follow me,' and he took off in this go-kart, and I was like, 'Oh, s--t. Okay,'" Schwartzman recalled. "We left the set and everyone's like, 'Where are they going?' We drove all around. We raced all around Houston. He was dying laughing, and I could see this joy on his face. He loves to be part of this. He loves to be in the movie. That a prop is not just a prop, it's a thing you can get in and be in and feel."

While that particular experience came when Schwartzman and Anderson were just beginning their film careers, Schwartzman emphasized that Anderson still carries that magic with him on every subsequent project.

"He has that still with every [project]," Schwartzman continued. "The sense of just sheer exuberance and there's no other place he'd rather be. I think the only difference is like now he doesn't have to steal a go-kart to go have it. You just have to borrow a golf cart and just drive down Asteroid City Way."

Asteroid City has its wide theatrical release this Friday, June 23rd.