To get an idea of the kind of charmed life actor/writer/director Brady Corbet has led —he’s starred in films directed by Lars von Trier and Sean Durkin and counts Olivier Assayas as a friend— here’s what he told the AV Club recently about how he met Michael Haneke and was cast in the remake of “Funny Games.”
“I actually had met Michael Haneke at a screening of ‘Code Unknown‘ in Los Angeles many years ago. I wasn’t even living in Los Angeles, but I happened to be there during a retrospective of his work at the Egyptian. So I met him then, and he and I exchanged email addresses. And then I found out that he was making a movie in the States when I was 17,” Corbet explained. “And so I decided to reach out to him and his casting director and see if I could put myself forward for it. And then —to my obviously great surprise— they actually cast me. And they cast me very quickly: I read for it and he cast me the next day.”
It’s not every actor who has that rare combination of talent and good luck, but that’s what makes Corbet so fascinating to watch. And with his latest directorial effort “The Childhood Of A Leader” just recently released in cinemas, he’s gearing up for a new project.
The Wrap reports that Corbet’s next project will be “Vox Lux.” He’ll write and direct the film, marking a sharp pivot to new territory with a drama telling the story of pop star Celeste who achieves fame through “unusual circumstances.” Given Corbet’s penchant for the eerie (ie. “Simon Killer” and “The Sleepwalker,” both of which he directed and co-wrote), it’s a safe bet this will have a similar flavor.
Production on “Vox Lux” kicks off in January.
Brady Corbet did not direct Simon Killer or The Sleepwalker.
He has writing credits for both but Mona Fastvold directed The Sleepwalker and Antonio Campos directed Simon Killer.
The Childhood of a Leader is his debut as director.