PARK CITY – Matthias Schoenaerts is back. Well, you probably didn’t know he was gone, but the 41-year-old actor had taken most of 2018 off after shooting four movies in a row. He returns with Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre’s “The Mustang,” a drama inspired by a real-life prison program where inmates help train wild horses that also stars Jason Mitchell, Bruce Dern and Connie Britton, among others.
Schoenaerts took some time before his first Sundance premiere and hitting the slopes to talk about the project and what he’s up to next.
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The Playlist: Let’s talk about “The Mustang.” What made you want to do this movie?
Matthias Schoenaerts: Many things, many things. The context, the setting, the relevance, the challenge to play such [an American] character, especially me coming from another culture. The poetic component with the horses. The re-humanization of a lost soul. All these elements.
READ MORE: Echoes of “The Rider” in “The Mustang” [Sundance Review]
Do you remember what sold you, though? Was it the script, was it Laure telling you about the programs because I know she did a lot of research writing the script.
I mean, it was a passion project. She’s been working on it for five, six years. She loves horses. And she’s been horse-riding herself, you know. And she wanted to do a movie about horses, basically. She was like, “Eh, so many things about horses. We’ve seen so many good movies and bad movies.” And one day she runs into this article that speaks about this rehabilitation program. And all of a sudden, “Wow, that’s a new angle on the relationship between humans and horses, and it has a very urgent relevance.” And then she started digging deeper and deeper and deeper, and she was like, “Wow, I wanna make something about this.” And then she developed it and fought for it really hard to get it made. And then, somewhere along the way, I came on board and I was touched [because] it’s a real actual program; it’s not made up. So it’s a very sensitive subject, and it has, you know, the poetic quality of the thing? But then the brutality of it all, the desperation of it all. The sensitivity of it all. So I like that contrast between the tenderness and the absolute violence. And it coexists. I love that.
I can’t remember, have you worked with horses a lot in the past?
No, no, no.
Was that scary? Are you an animal person?
I love animals, but a wild horse is a wild horse. It’s a huge animal, and it’s a force of nature. We had three stages, we had a completely wild horse, a semi-wild horse and then a tame horse. I mean getting into the ring – I forget how you call it – but it’s quite an experience. It’s a very humbling experience, and that’s also what the process is about. It’s all about instead of having the attention for the animal. You can’t impose anything on the animal, ’cause the animal is just gonna get savage on you. You will not tell the animal when you want to touch it or when you can come closer. The animal will touch you, will teach you. So you have to rediscover the other – I don’t want to generalize – but in an environment, survivalist environment, which prison is, everybody’s about their own survival.
Yeah.
You only have attention for what you want and you’re gonna impose that on someone else. Whatever, any way possible. Violence, non-violence, manipulation, whatever the fuck it is.
Was there anyone that you spoke to that gave you any insight into your character?
We visited four maximum security prisons and we sat down with lifers and longtime inmates for five, six hours to have a real conversation. It was not just a superficial encounter like, “Oh hey. Oh, I’ve seen prison, now get the fuck out.” No, it’s about sitting down and really spend time with these people. There’s a constant in this and that’s disharmony. Disharmony and abuse and violence and the perpetuation of hurt, and all that type of stuff, which is being perpetuated in the incarceration system. That’s why a lot of people are trying to engage themselves in prison reform. There’s a lot of initiative, there’s a lot of goodwill to change the system, which is a vicious industry. A lot of people don’t know about it. And this is explosive. San Quentin is a model prison in terms of rehabilitation programs. But most of the prisons are not at all on that program.
Which prison were you shooting at?
We were shooting in the Nevada State Prison, the oldest prison in the country, which was empty for the last [few years]. They built a new facility about half a mile away but it’s nasty stuff. They still had a gas chamber in there where they execute. It’s a nasty awkward place. I slept there before we started shooting. I just wanted to feel the space. So, I decided to sleep there. I thought I would sleep there for a week, and after two days I was like, “Yeah, it’s done.” I mean, I’m not a superstitious fellow, but that place is haunted. I’m not fucking kidding you. There’s some weird and awkward stuff. Of course, it’s projection in your imagination and all that stuff, but it’s an awkward place. And then this guy took me to this gas chamber; I couldn’t last five seconds in there. “Let’s get the fuck out.”
They don’t still use it, do they?
They still use it. They still use that gas chamber. That’s the only thing they use the facility for still. At that time they were still using it.
Jesus.
It’s not nice.
It’s interesting to hear you talk about criminal justice reform, and as we, in the states, come up with the next election it’s very much something that people are talking about. It makes this film is very timely in a way.
It’s about re-humanizing, but people turn into statistics, numbers, and that’s all it is. That’s what people are nowadays. Especially also individuals in prisons are reduced to numbers. I think we live in a time where there’s a need for re-humanization. Also, I don’t wanna be too cynical about modern day.
Are you looking for roles that are more, I don’t wanna say political, but more socially-conscious? Is that stuff that you think about?
As soon as something is emotionally relevant, it is political. Even saying “Hi” to someone is political, I think. You know what I mean? Being nice to someone, being an asshole to someone is political. Everything is political without be explicitly political. So, I think it’s emotional relevance. And then, of course, you have your social conflicts, historical conflicts, cultural conflicts, and whatever, you name it. But, yeah, absolutely, of course.
You just made this movie “The Laundromat,” right?
Yeah. I have a supporting part in that. I mean, it’s a big ensemble; you have two main characters, and then you have a zillion supporting characters. It’s about the Panama Papers. And then before that, I did “Kursk” which is about a historical catastrophe. Yeah, I mean, it always needs to have something that feels relevant to me in some way. And then, of course, relevant is very subjective. I mean, what I think is relevant might completely be irrelevant to someone else.
Do you know what you’re doing next besides surviving going down a mountain tomorrow?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ve got a couple of projects lined up. I’m doing “Ruin” with Margot Robbie. Justin Kurzel a brilliant script. I’m doing “The Sound of Philadelphia” directed by a French director. It’s like a family crime drama set in Philadelphia, which is really nice. Then there are five or six things coming up, but the dates are not set yet. But the projects are out there and eventually will happen. I mean, I stopped shooting for ten months. First thing I shot – again, I needed a big break- was the Steven Soderbergh. So, now I’m hungry. I hope I don’t break my neck tomorrow, because that would be the end of it, but I’m really hungry. I can’t wait to get back to work.
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Spoiler alert: Schoenaerts did not break his neck skiing.
“The Mustang” opens in limited release on March 15.