Before coming on board for Beau is Afraid, stars Amy Ryan (The Office) and Nathan Lane (The Producers) were not super familiar with the filmography of Ari Aster, the film’s director and A24 darling who previously brought Midsommar and Hereditary to life. Once they signed on for this movie, though, Ryan saw both — and Lane, who had already seen Hereditary, jumped on board with Midsommar, a movie that he says Aster sees as a comedy.
That’s fair; during an interview with ComicBook.com, Ryan and Lane also looked back at the experience of making Beau is Afraid and characterized that one as “joyous” and “fun-filled.”
Videos by ComicBook.com
“I don’t like horror movies, so I did not see those films until I had to prepare for this,” Ryan told ComicBook.com’s Jamie Jirak. “And then I sat down in daylight hours and watched them both. And I still have a word for Ari. The genre doesn’t sit well with me, but my God, he’s talented.”
“I’d seen Hereditary, which I thought was phenomenal,” Lane added. “And then I did watch Midsommar, and that’s a lot of fun….Well, he thinks it’s a comedy. He thinks it’s hilarious.”
You can see the video above.
In the latest episode of A24’s podcast, filmmaker Ari Aster and star Joaquin Phoenix together at last for a historic conversation on ego death, all-time lows, and going to hell and back while filming Beau is Afraid.
Beau Is Afraid is now playing in select theaters, and it was helmed by Hereditary and Midsommor director Ari Aster and stars Joaquin Phoenix as Beau, “a mild-mannered man riddled by paranoia, who confronts his worst fears on an epic journey to his hometown for his mother’s funeral.” The movie also features a star-studded supporting cast, including Patti LuPone, Richard Kind, Parker Posey, Nathan Lane, and Amy Ryan. Beau Is Afraid releases worldwide on April 21st.
