In the lead-up to filming The Order, an upcoming movie based on a true story, director Justin Kurzel had Jude Law and Nicholas Hoult engage in an unusual preparation exercise. The film, set in 1983 Idaho, follows FBI agent Terry Husk (Law) as he investigates a series of bank robberies he suspects are being orchestrated by Bob Mathews (Hoult), the leader of a radical group.
The Unusual Prep Method
Kurzel revealed that to help the actors get into the mindsets of their characters, especially considering the heinous acts committed by Hoult’s character based on a real person, he had them “follow each other for a day.” Kurzel explained that it was about trying to ground the characters and understand them in a more real-world context. He said that with a character like Mathews, it was crucial to see them in a community, with their family, and get a sense of their daily life.
Kurzel does these “little manifestos” with actors, focusing on actions that can bring them closer to their roles. For Law and Hoult, this involved secretly following each other without the other’s knowledge. Kurzel admitted it might sound silly, but he emphasized that this simple act helped the actors focus on the perspective and feeling of having someone constantly observing and judging them, which was key to understanding their characters.
What This Means for The Order
Bringing the True Story to Life
Kurzel’s commitment to realism both on and off camera seems to have paid off. The movie received glowing early reviews after its world premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival, earning a Certified Fresh score of 86% on Rotten Tomatoes ahead of its limited theatrical release in December. Its ability to bring the true events to the screen with a strong sense of verisimilitude is likely due in part to Kurzel’s unique acting exercises like this one.
The Order’s Chance to Shine
While it remains to be seen if The Order can find a foothold in the holiday movie marketplace with big-budget blockbusters like Wicked, Gladiator II, Moana 2, and others being released around the same time, its unique brand of realism could help it stand out. The FBI thriller’s focus on real-life drama, stripped of artifice, may give it an edge among the more fantastical and splashy tentpole films.
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