Michael Cera walks the carpet against the backdrop of Wes Anderson’s new ‘The Phoenician Scheme’ world premiere. The prestigious showcase formed part of the illustrious Cannes Film Festival. Cera shared his enthusiasm for the film in the company of cast co-stars Wes Anderson and Benicio del Toro. We talked about his shocking casting as the Norwegian entomologist Bjorn.
In ‘The Phoenician Scheme’, Cera plays lead violinist Bjorn. He is initially employed as a private tutor to the pampered capitalist Zsa-zsa Korda, played by del Toro. Cera joins Anderson for the first time in this film. Anderson is never one to shy away from an idiosyncratic storytelling style and extreme detailed precision.
So when he got the script for ‘The Phoenician Scheme’, he was shocked. Only by watching it did he understand how deep he had gotten with the movie. “The biggest surprise — when Wes sent me the script — I didn’t expect to be along for the whole ride,” he stated.
Cera characterized his time working with Anderson as an emotionally rewarding and intellectually enlightening experience. He was keen to see the creative process at work. Private dinners in the editing suite gave us a powerful backdrop to experiencing Anderson’s studio-first approach to filmmaking. Cera was present for most of Anderson’s rehearsals throughout the production process. He would rather spend his breaks with his wife and their two small children.
“You just want to make sure you nail it. Working with Wes, you work away at it until you do feel good,” Cera explained. “He’s very relentless in that pursuit. At that point too, you have a huge amount of confidence as an actor because you are assured it’s going to be you. You’re dealing with the person who’s not going to budge until it’s in.”
“In addition to this traditional role, Cera emphasized how collaborative all of his work was, especially alongside heavy-hitters such as Benicio del Toro and Mia Threapleton. ‘To collaborate with people like Wes and Benicio and Mia and watch them do their thing and watch the movie come together, it’s very gratifying,’ he remarked.”
In addition to his role in ‘The Phoenician Scheme’, Cera teased an upcoming commercial in which he stars alongside Wes Anderson and Rupert Friend. He most recently starred opposite Anderson in a Montblanc ad, deepening their collaborative rapport.
Though he can’t yet talk in detail about what’s next, Cera said he’d love to work with Anderson again. Speaking of the mutually satisfying partnership he had with Wes, he added, “I want to work with Wes again…
As ‘The Phoenician Scheme’ begins its journey through film festivals, audiences and critics alike anticipate how Cera’s performance as Bjorn will resonate. And he is pleased to discover the complexity of his character. It’s a fruitful collaboration with Anderson, one that brings an exciting new texture to his ever-growing filmography.
