CANNES, France (AP) 鈥� When Michael Cera was announced as joining the cast of a movie for the first time, the prevailing response was: Hadn鈥檛 he already been in a Wes Anderson movie?
So seemingly aligned in sensibility and style are Cera and Anderson that you could easily imagine a whole fake filmography. It is, for a slightly more corduroyed corner of the movie world, an actor-director pairing as destined as Scorsese and De Niro 鈥� even if 鈥淭he Phoenician Scheme鈥� is (checks notes one last time) their first movie together.
鈥淚 would remember,鈥� Cera deadpans. 鈥淚 would never have passed up the opportunity.鈥�
鈥淭he Phoenician Scheme,鈥� which Focus Features releases Friday in theaters, stars Benicio del Toro as the international tycoon Zsa-zsa Korda, who after a lifetime of swindling and exploiting has decided to make his daughter, a novitiate named Liesl (Mia Threapleton), the heir to his estate.
Cera plays Liesl鈥檚 Norwegian tutor Bj酶rn Lund. And because of the strong leading performances, you couldn鈥檛 quite say Cera steals the show, he鈥檚 certainly one of the very best things about 鈥淭he Phoenician Scheme" 鈥� and that's something for a movie that includes Tom Hanks and Bryan Cranston playing a game of HORSE. Bj酶rn is an entomologist, which means Cera spends a sizable portion of the movie in a bow tie with an insect gently poised on his finger.
鈥淗e is sort of a bug, himself,鈥� Cera, speaking in an interview at the Cannes Film Festival shortly before says with a wry smile. 鈥淎nd he sheds his skin and becomes his truth self.鈥�
If Cera鈥檚 role in 鈥淭he Phoenician Scheme鈥� feels like a long time coming, it is. He and Anderson first met more than 15 years ago. Cera, 36, was then coming off his early breakthroughs in 鈥淎rrested Development,鈥� 鈥淪uperbad鈥� and 鈥淛uno.鈥� A comic wunderkind from Ontario who stood out even among the 鈥淎rrested Development鈥� cast as a teenager, Cera had caught Anderson鈥檚 attention.
鈥淚t was something arranged by an agent in New York and we went to a kind of cocktail party,鈥� Anderson recalls by phone. 鈥淲e were with Harvey Keitel, too. So it was me and Harvey and Michael Cera 鈥� a totally unexpected combination. But I loved him. For years I鈥檝e kind of felt like: Why haven鈥檛 we already done something together?鈥�
For Cera, the meeting was even more memorable.
鈥淚 remember being very excited to meet him," Cera says. "I remember him being very disarming. Obviously, he was like a luminary inspiration. He has had a huge impact on my general sense of taste. I discovered his movies when I was a teenager and watched them over and over.鈥�
鈥業t seemed like it had already happened鈥�
They nearly did come together on a movie before 鈥淭he Phoenician Scheme.鈥� Anderson had a small role for Cera in but when its production schedule got pushed, Cera had to drop out because of the coming due date for his first son with his wife Nadine.
鈥淚 was kind of worried that I blew it," says Cera, 鈥渢hat I missed the chance to sneak in.鈥�
But even though Anderson and Cera didn鈥檛 work together until 鈥淭he Phoenician Scheme,鈥� they developed a relationship. Cera, who aspires to write and direct his own films, would send Anderson scripts for feedback. 鈥淲e became friends,鈥� says Cera.
鈥淚n the case of this movie, it was everything short of written for him,鈥� Anderson says. 鈥淎s soon as we had the idea of the character, he was the guy who (cowriter Roman Coppola) and I started talking about. I think we talked to him about it before there was a script or anything.鈥�
鈥淚t seemed like it had already happened,鈥� adds Anderson. 鈥淎nd it was a very good fit, a natural thing.鈥�
Adjusting to Anderson's ways
Cera quickly adapted to Anderson鈥檚 unique style of moviemaking, in which the cast collectively stay at a hotel, begin the morning in makeup together and remain on set without trailers to retreat to. 鈥淎t first, you鈥檙e kind of exhausted,鈥� says Cera. 鈥淎t the end of the first day, you go: OK, I need to eat a bigger breakfast.鈥� As the production went along, Cera often sat right next to Anderson to watch him work.
One very notable characteristic of Bj酶rn is a Norwegian accent. If there鈥檚 anything more fitting than Michael Cera being a Wes Anderson movie, it might be Michael Cera doing a Norwegian accent in a Wes Anderson movie. It鈥檚 also a bit that, in 鈥淭he Phoenician Scheme,鈥� has a touch of spoiler to it. Cera calls it 鈥渟ort of a jaunty, playful representation of an accent, not purporting to be a home run.鈥�
鈥淲hen I brought up the accent to Wes, I said, 鈥楬ow should we go about this accent?鈥欌�� Cera say. 鈥淗e was kind of caught of guard. I think he hears the movie in his head and maybe hadn鈥檛 figured that in. It was something Wes had to compute.鈥�
As Anderson describes it, Cera was determined. 鈥淚, at a certain point, was a little reluctant, like, I don鈥檛 know if we need it,鈥� says Anderson. 鈥淗e was like: 鈥楴o, let me show you what I鈥檓 going to do.鈥欌��
A determination in absurdism has long marked Cera's best performances. Though a private person who has resisted all urges to get a smartphone, Cera is remarkably fearless when it comes to the most awkward moments. It鈥檚 a seriousness of purpose that, whether singing 鈥淭hese Eyes鈥� in 鈥淪uperbad鈥� or waving hello as Allen in that's made Cera a favorite of successive generations. Even in a billion-dollar blockbuster, Cera can be unassumingly hilarious.
鈥淚 feel like most people don鈥檛 know I鈥檓 in that movie. I mean, not a in a bad way. It was great for my personal disposition to get to be part of it,鈥� Cera says. 鈥淚 can say I鈥檓 in it, but I can walk around. I鈥檓 nowhere near the center of the movie. I鈥檓 not on the poster, put it that way. (Laughs) My nephew went and saw the movie with my sister. Afterwards he was like, 鈥業 thought Uncle Michael was going to be in this movie.鈥� It was a nice lane for me.鈥�
Cera's transition to behind the camera
Just before the premiere of 鈥淭he Phoenician Scheme鈥� in Cannes, it was announced that Cera, after writing a handful of scripts including an adaptation of Charles Portis鈥� 鈥淢asters of Atlantis,鈥� will make his directorial debut with 鈥淟ove Is Not the Answer,鈥� a film he wrote that has a cast including Pamela Anderson and Steve Coogan.
鈥淵ou have a little more control over your destiny if you try to create something, even though it鈥檚 hard to get it off the ground,鈥� Cera says. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 better than sitting around. You鈥檙e like a hired contractor as an actor, and it鈥檚 a great thing about it. But I think a lot of actors end up becoming frustrated directors because of how many opinions you have about the proceedings.鈥�
It may have taken many years for Cera and Anderson to finally team up, but it could have come at the right time, just as Cera is 鈥� ahem 鈥� shedding a skin. In any case, theirs remains an ongoing collaboration. Anderson tapped Cera for an ad they recently shot for Mont Blanc. Does that mean he's officially part of the troupe?
鈥淭hat鈥檚 up to him," says Cera. 鈥淚 would never say no.鈥�
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
