When you look at the filmography of Justin Theroux, with solid performances in “The Leftovers,” “Mulholland Drive,” “American Psycho,” and his most recent series, “The Mosquito Coast,” there’s no denying his talent and star power. But even the most talented folks can bomb occasionally. It just really stinks when that bomb is in front of one of the most talented filmmakers ever to live.
While speaking to Variety, as part of the Just for Variety podcast, Justin Theroux recalls a particularly humiliating audition scenario he experienced while trying to book a role in Terrence Malick’s “The Thin Red Line.”
You see, the problem began when Theroux wasn’t given a script or lines to read. Instead, he just walks into the room cold, without any idea what to say.
“I go into the room, and it’s the casting director and a couple chairs,” Theroux said. “She’s like, ‘Get behind a chair and pretend like you’re in a foxhole or something, like smoking a cigarette.’ And they’re filming it. They’re just like, ‘Get behind the chair and pretend you’re in a battle.’”
He added, “I don’t know what war we’re fighting. I don’t even know what the movie is about. It’s a war movie, that’s all I know. It’s like telling a painter to paint the house without giving them brushes. I don’t know. I need words to say. So that was a particular humiliation.”
Of course, considering Theroux is the star of the new Apple TV+ series, “The Mosquito Coast,” and has been near the top of the Hollywood food chain for a while now, it’s clear the actor rebounded quite nicely from the failed audition. But you definitely have to feel bad for the guy being put in a situation where he felt humiliated in front of one of the best auteur filmmakers alive today.
“The Mosquito Coast” is available now on Apple TV+.
