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'The Incomer' director Louis Paxton and stars Domhnall Gleeson, Gayle Rankin and Grant O'Rourke stopped by THR's Studio at Park City to talk about their new film. Paxton breaks down the origin of this movie and how he was obsessed with the idea of abandoned islands and the stars say filming this movie felt very "immersive" and didn't require much acting.

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00:00but there was a day
00:00when you were not well
00:01and we had to
00:02put the bird costume
00:03on someone else
00:04but that wasn't
00:05they were not stunts
00:06yeah not a stunt double
00:07and it was very brief
00:08you know what I mean
00:08you wouldn't even know
00:09we can call a spade a spade
00:12most of the time
00:13most of the time
00:14you see somebody
00:14in a bird costume
00:15with someone else
00:19I'm going to start
00:20with you Louis
00:20tell me where
00:21tell me the origin story
00:22of this movie
00:23where did this
00:24like
00:25okay so
00:26I'm Scottish
00:27my family
00:28are from
00:28all over Scotland
00:29but my mum's family
00:30are from the north
00:31and that's where
00:31we have these islands
00:33they're very remote
00:34and I've been going there
00:36since I was very young
00:37I grew up around
00:39you know
00:40just
00:40this kind of
00:41neolithic
00:42stone
00:43standing stones
00:44and you know
00:45half sunken shipwrecks
00:46and
00:47all of these
00:47abandoned
00:48kind of crofts
00:49and you know
00:49I just
00:51I always found it
00:52incredibly kind of
00:53evocative
00:54I think
00:55I became quite
00:57obsessed with the idea
00:57of abandoned islands
00:58and
00:59the more research
01:00I did
01:01the more I found out
01:01about
01:01places like
01:02St Kilda
01:03and Swana
01:04and these
01:05these islands
01:05that
01:05you know
01:06were inhabited
01:07for a long time
01:08and then at some point
01:09they had to leave
01:11and I think
01:13yeah
01:13this story
01:14kind of
01:15that's where it started
01:17and
01:18and
01:18me and Grant
01:19started working together
01:21and
01:22yeah
01:23we can
01:23build the comedy
01:24out from there
01:26the three of you
01:26what is the most
01:27had you ever been
01:28to one of these islands
01:29or what's the most
01:30remote place
01:31in
01:32in Scotland
01:32or in
01:33that region
01:33that you'd been to
01:34before this
01:35I
01:36probably
01:36I've been to
01:37Skye
01:38which is probably
01:39like
01:39entry level
01:41isolation
01:41but I did
01:42choose to
01:43kind of
01:44I took myself
01:45on a
01:45kind of
01:46self-imposed
01:47retreat
01:48to kind of
01:48a black box
01:51and
01:52it was
01:52pretty isolated
01:53it was amazing
01:54though
01:54was that
01:54in preparation
01:55for this film
01:55or just
01:56oh no no
01:57that was just
01:57for my life
01:59oh
01:59it's very
02:00100% true
02:01yeah
02:02yeah yeah
02:02did you come to
02:03any grand revelations
02:05yeah I can't speak
02:06about it right now
02:07but
02:08yeah
02:08we'll be seeing
02:09the fruits of that
02:10yeah yeah
02:11exactly
02:12I'm a different person
02:14yeah
02:15it was pretty
02:15incredible
02:16you too
02:16have you
02:17yeah what's
02:17you know
02:18Louis and I
02:18actually
02:19worked on
02:20season 6
02:20of Shetland
02:21the BBC
02:23crime drama
02:24together
02:24which was filmed
02:25on Shetland
02:26which is
02:26hundreds of miles
02:27north of Scotland
02:28so it's almost
02:29closer to
02:30is it Norway
02:30or
02:30yeah
02:31yeah
02:31that's pretty remote
02:33but the nice thing
02:33about Scotland
02:34is that wherever
02:34you go
02:35there's always
02:35something that's
02:36very familiar
02:37about wherever
02:37you go as well
02:38because it's a
02:38small country
02:39but that's
02:39probably the most
02:40remote
02:40yeah
02:41yeah
02:43where
02:43do you have
02:44a good
02:44remote story
02:45otherwise
02:46if you don't
02:47I have
02:48I have no good
02:48remote stories
02:49we can move
02:49on
02:50the next
02:51like deeply
02:52important question
02:52that I had to
02:53ask is where
02:53did you get
02:54the sweaters
02:54that you were
02:55in the movie
02:56because that
02:56was very important
02:58to me
02:58while watching
02:58I just saw
02:59today
02:59that someone
03:01attacked
03:01a Shetland
03:02Wool company
03:03had tagged
03:03our picture
03:04saying
03:04are jumpers
03:05in this movie
03:06I think it's
03:07the Shetland
03:07Wool company
03:08but I'd have
03:09to
03:09some of them
03:10were handmade
03:11yeah
03:11a lot of
03:12them are
03:12and they're
03:13on Fair Isle
03:14a lot of
03:14the jumpers
03:15are handmade
03:16by these
03:17old ladies
03:17who do
03:18nothing
03:18but just
03:18weave
03:19you know
03:19and knit
03:20all day
03:20so yeah
03:21I think
03:22we've got
03:22some of it
03:23is the Shetland
03:23Wool company
03:24and then
03:26yeah
03:26so shout out
03:27to Shetland
03:27Wool
03:29when you
03:30were doing
03:31the sort
03:31of initiation
03:32rituals
03:33of explaining
03:34to each other
03:35like the mainland
03:35versus the island
03:36I'm curious
03:37if they're
03:38like what the
03:38alts were
03:39in figuring out
03:40the telling
03:41of Lord of the Rings
03:42for example
03:42was that
03:43just like the first
03:44thing that came to mind
03:45like oh of course
03:46the first thing
03:46I'm going to tell
03:47someone who's been
03:47living on a
03:49nearly uninhabited
03:50island is about
03:51the Lord of the Rings
03:52or like what was
03:53the kind of
03:54brainstorming session
03:55I suppose there's
03:56like you know
03:56for the islanders
03:57they have this
03:58kind of oral history
03:59of you know
04:00folkloric storytelling
04:01and I was looking
04:02for like what are
04:03the you know
04:04the big stories
04:05that kind of
04:06bind many of us
04:07in modern society
04:09and you know
04:09I grew up with
04:10Lord of the Rings
04:11it was such a big deal
04:13when those movies
04:13came out
04:14and I feel like
04:15the sort of
04:15legacy of that
04:16is massive
04:17and they still
04:19have this really
04:19you know
04:21strong fan base
04:21and I feel like
04:22there's so many
04:22people you talk to
04:23where you can just
04:23connect over that
04:24very quickly
04:25and so it made
04:26total sense
04:27that you know
04:27Daniel coming to
04:28this island
04:28that would be
04:29like his lore
04:29you know
04:30those are the
04:31stories that
04:31mean a lot to
04:32him and that
04:32have kind of
04:33helped him
04:34through life
04:35yeah
04:36there's also
04:36a good 20
04:37minutes of footage
04:38that's not produced
04:39obviously
04:39because you're
04:39keeping fit at all
04:40and of Donald
04:40just improvising
04:42his telling
04:42of the Lord of the Rings
04:43which was phenomenal
04:44to say
04:45yeah
04:46incredible
04:47yeah
04:47what would be
04:49if you were
04:49as yourself
04:50going to be
04:51explaining to
04:51someone retelling
04:52some sort of
04:52story
04:53would you also
04:53do Lord of the Rings
04:54or what would
04:55your
04:55what would you
04:56pick
04:57oh crap
04:58I have not prepared
04:59for this question
05:00I don't know
05:01I don't
05:01yeah I wouldn't
05:02know Lord of the Rings
05:02as well
05:04I guess
05:06Harry Potter
05:07maybe
05:08I like the
05:08Harry Potter
05:08stories
05:09but I mean
05:10like also
05:10it would have been
05:11fun to just
05:11like tell the Bible
05:12but in the same
05:13style
05:13you know what I mean
05:14it's hard though
05:14because you're
05:15you're in Star Wars
05:16and Harry Potter
05:16so
05:17they were both
05:18the only franchise
05:19that we could actually
05:20yeah yeah
05:20and so then I was like
05:21yeah yeah
05:21yeah yeah
05:22you don't want to
05:23take people out
05:24of the movie
05:24was it
05:25was filming
05:26was it
05:28as strenuous
05:28I guess
05:29wouldn't be the
05:29correct word
05:30but like how
05:31how cushy
05:32versus not cushy
05:33was the actual
05:34filming for you guys
05:35I think strenuous
05:36is a fair word
05:38depending on the day
05:39wasn't it
05:40like there were
05:40like the exterior
05:41days were pretty
05:42yeah
05:42full on for everybody
05:44yeah
05:44yeah
05:45there were some
05:45gorgeous
05:47sunshiny days
05:47and then it'd be
05:48totally clear
05:49but then also
05:50at that time of year
05:51in Scotland
05:51you get these
05:52infestations of midges
05:53which are like
05:55tiny
05:55I meant to ask
05:56what those are
05:56I read about that
05:57they cloud around you
05:59and everybody has to
05:59wear these nets
06:00over their faces
06:00I think they're called
06:01gnats over here
06:02yeah
06:03but they were quite
06:04full on
06:04and also like
06:05we'd prepared for
06:05everything in terms
06:06of wind
06:08we thought it was
06:09going to be windy
06:09we thought it was
06:10going to be cold
06:10we thought it was
06:11going to be rainy
06:11and then it was
06:12like blazing hot
06:12sunshine and midges
06:13so yeah
06:14the only thing
06:15that keeps midges
06:15away is the wind
06:17though we'd be like
06:17oh good the wind
06:18is dropping
06:19fuck
06:19like you know
06:20I hope the wind
06:20comes back
06:21yeah yeah
06:21yeah we were wishing
06:23for all the opposite
06:23things
06:24so like can it
06:24rain
06:26bleeds
06:27how would it
06:28compare to like
06:29other shoots
06:30you guys have done
06:31other productions
06:32like was it
06:33one of the more
06:34strenuous
06:34I found it really
06:35immersive
06:36I found it to be
06:37really helpful
06:39in I mean we were
06:41literally kind of
06:42at the end of the
06:42earth
06:43at the end of
06:45our earth
06:46in Scotland
06:48in John O'Groats
06:49which is just like
06:50the end of our
06:51the United Kingdom
06:53and you know
06:54our production design
06:55and costume design
06:57and you know
06:59our locations
07:00Neil and Arthur
07:01and Sarah
07:02and everybody
07:02like were just
07:03so meticulous
07:05and passionate
07:06you felt really
07:07immersed in the world
07:08so like
07:10it was
07:11yeah immersive
07:12and also
07:13that kind of
07:14took away
07:14some of the
07:14the feeling
07:15of like
07:15being strenuous
07:16like you kind of
07:17wanted to be
07:18in that environment
07:19right
07:19yeah totally
07:20yeah yeah
07:21did you feel that way
07:22yeah less acting
07:23less acting
07:24more being
07:24yeah yeah
07:25because yeah
07:26you don't have to act
07:26as much
07:27also nailed it as well
07:28because we were
07:28so remote
07:29everyone
07:30all the cast
07:30and crew
07:31we ended up
07:31spending all our time
07:32together
07:33and really kind of
07:34there was this great
07:34atmosphere
07:35where we even
07:36spending our days
07:37off together
07:37and it became
07:38a real family atmosphere
07:39yeah so we all had
07:40this really strong
07:41sense of community
07:41while we were doing it
07:42did you use any
07:43stunt doubles
07:44or is everything
07:45that we see
07:47no
07:47no stunt doubles
07:48did we have
07:49stunt doubles
07:49no
07:50no
07:50no
07:51oh well we could
07:52I mean
07:54but there was a day
07:55when you were not
07:56you were not well
07:56and we had to
07:57put the bird costume
07:58on someone else
07:59but that wasn't
08:00there were not
08:00stunts
08:01so yeah not a stunt
08:01double
08:02and it was very brief
08:03you know what I mean
08:03like you wouldn't even know
08:04we can call a spade
08:06a speech
08:06most of the time
08:07you see
08:08most of the time
08:08you see somebody
08:09in a bird costume
08:10with someone else
08:10that is not true
08:12that's not
08:15I hate food poisoning
08:16so
08:18and how
08:18what would you guys
08:21miss the most
08:22if you were to
08:23live on an island
08:24like this
08:24what would you miss
08:25the most
08:25the most about
08:26the mainland
08:27and or
08:27what would you be
08:28happy to be rid of
08:31the film sums it up
08:32pretty well I think
08:33I mean I think the film
08:33is pretty
08:35on the money
08:35in terms of
08:37what you miss
08:38is other people
08:39and other cultures
08:40and
08:41you know
08:43a bigger world
08:44you know
08:44and then
08:45once you go to the thing
08:47what you miss from the mainland
08:48you don't miss things like
08:50phones and stuff like that
08:51but
08:51yeah I don't know
08:53and I think just
08:53and then a sense of
08:55connection to the world
08:56around you
08:57when you're on the island
08:58is much much stronger
08:59the connection to just
09:01like
09:01being on the ground
09:03in the world
09:03in the moment
09:04is easier
09:04when you're away
09:05from other people
09:06that'd be it for me
09:07as you find
09:08when you're remote
09:08though you miss
09:09the options
09:09like I don't really
09:11spend a lot of time
09:12in jazz bars
09:12but I'd like to have
09:13the option
09:14so
09:14you know
09:15it's like
09:15it's just
09:16you feel like
09:17yeah someone's just
09:18depriving you of something
09:21I want the opportunity
09:23I'm not going to go
09:24but I'd like the option
09:25yeah
09:27okay we're asking
09:28everyone who comes in
09:29a couple of different questions
09:31let's see
09:32oh I'm going to
09:33I'm going to try this one out
09:34this is a new one
09:34what is an acting note
09:37you would be happy
09:38to never hear again
09:40faster
09:42I don't even feel
09:43like I speak that slowly
09:44but it's the one
09:45that I get the most
09:46faster please
09:47say it again
09:47but faster
09:49you know
09:49a line reading
09:50I think
09:51or
09:52and you would never do this
09:53you would never do this
09:54but you know
09:54like an imitation
09:55of a sort
09:56you know
09:58would don't love
09:59yeah
10:00don't love it
10:01I worked with a theater director
10:02once who
10:03you do the scene
10:03and then he just say
10:04that's great
10:05but do again
10:05with more emotion
10:06you're like
10:07which one
10:07pick one
10:08anyone
10:08yeah
10:09that was tough
10:10you're kind of a comment
10:11on one's face
10:12I remember doing an episode
10:13of SVU
10:14and I was the perp
10:15and they were like
10:16you're really giving it away babe
10:17you're really giving it away
10:19and I was like
10:19this is my resting face
10:20I'm just walking in
10:21with a smoothie
10:22I was like
10:24they were like
10:24sums up
10:27incredible
10:28do you have a note
10:29that you would love
10:29to never give again
10:32faster
10:35like if people
10:35would just do it faster
10:36sometimes it is
10:37just about being faster
10:43share with us
10:43I just made a note
10:45sorry I just had a pun
10:46in my head
10:47smoothie criminal
10:47that was all
10:48that was all
10:48that was in my head
10:49sorry
10:50that sounds
10:51what you hear
10:52it was worth it
10:52it was worth it
10:54smoothie criminal
10:55do you have a lot of
10:56eat
10:57that was all
10:57that was all
10:58that was all
10:58I was talking about
10:58I just didn't know
10:58that was all
10:58that was all
10:58that was all
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