Midnight Special, the provocative new Warner Bros. sci-fi chase movie has been said to evoke touches of Starman and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Without giving too much away, a father goes on the run to protect his young son who has mysterious powers. At its core, the film explores the bonds of love and trust and the power of faith. “As a kid the way you experience films [like Close Encounters], is that there’s a sense of mystery that builds to the sense of awe,” explains the movie’s writer/director Jeff Nichols. “That’s a really unique thing in a movie and I wanted to try my hand at that.”
Stars Kirsten Dunst and Jaeden Lieberher, who plays the little boy, joined Nichols in March for a special afternoon tea to celebrate the film. “It’s been a long time since Spider Man – since I’ve been in a big movie,” said Dunst about what inspired her to participate. “I’ve been doing this so long, at a certain point you get to a place where you approach what you do differently. What that meant for me was to wait for the projects that I really truly love and filmmakers who I want to work with. And Jeff is a filmmaker who I admire so much.”
Halfway through the Q&A discussion, co-star Michael Shannon, made a surprise entrance. He was rehearsing his new Broadway play Long Day’s Journey into Night with Jessica Lange and Gabriel Byrne and was not expected to attend. Shannon explained that for the cast and crew, the movie, which was made on a modest budget with limited resources, was a true labor of love. “Everyone was there because they loved Jeff and believed in the film. They were so darn happy and curious about what was going to happen next. The crew slept in a kind of bunk house. For dinner we’d go to Jeff’s parents house and his mom would make a buffet-style dinner,” said Shannon. “I’ve been on other film sets where they had fancy catering and trailers and everyone was walking around complaining all the time.”
See photos from the intimate tea below which was held at the historic 21 Club in New York City.
Watch the Midnight Special trailer below.
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