He’s already won Best Supporting Actor honors from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the New York Film Critics Circle, and five other critics groups. He’s the frontrunner for the Best Supporting Actor, but despite the acclaim for his performance in Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog,” Kodi Smit-McPhee is attempting not to pay too much attention to it. As he noted in a conversation last month, he may only be 25 years old, but he’s been on “a long and very personal journey” when it comes to his acting career.
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“I started acting when I was very young and it was by the means of my dad asking me if I wanted to do it for fun,” Smit-McPhee says. “And my sister does it as well. And my dad’s an actor. So it’s a very special place where we started. And I also had the blessing to travel with my dad for a really long time. And in hindsight, that’s something I hold very close to me. So to see where it’s got to today and the biggest landmark for that is to hear people talking about whatever award it might be. So yeah, I’m humbled. But at the same time, I think it’s healthy to not pay too much attention to it. I take it, as of now, as a token of appreciation that it’s even in people’s mouths as a discussion and we can see where it goes from then on. I never did it for any endeavor for awards, but I will say it brings me a lot of joy and relief to hear that and feel that I’m being recognized for all the work that I’ve put in for over all these years and to be seen in that way.”
During our interview, Smit-McPhee revealed how intense the rehearsal process was, how Campion compares to some of the other directors he’s worked with, and if he’s got something special ready for the big red carpets in the months to come.
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The Playlist: I saw you were at the LACMA Art+Film Gala last night and you brought the Gucci. I never ask fashion stuff, but your ensemble was so good. How did that outfit come your way?
Kodi Scott McPhee: Thank you so much. I do have his stylist I work closely with, and he’s a great friend of mine, Jared Ang, and he’s always wanting me to do daring things. And I believe, for myself specifically, being an actor and having to do red carpets and stuff like that, I don’t want to be daring all the time. I think there’s a time and a place for it. And so I think LACMA was a lovely place to be initiated into that world of showing what I’m really capable of in terms of my fits and things that I feel like express me.
Were there a number of options or did he convince you on this one outfit?
No, there’s no convincing me. If I don’t like something, I’m not wearing it. But in this, as I said, I gave him the freedom to give me options that may be more daring and there were two or three, including an after-party event option. But we settled on that one together. It was very chic.
Very chic and very fun. Let’s talk about this movie. Did Jane reach out to you personally about the role?
I obviously received the script and in my own time and in my own environment fell in love with it. And obviously, Jane being connected to it, it’s a no-brainer. It became a real passion piece for me to be a part of. And yeah, I had an audition. I don’t think it was actually stated that it was an audition. It was more a general meeting slash conversation. But once she had met me and asked me about my interests and things like that, she asked me to uplift Peter into the room and she started asking him questions and exploring his life off-script. And then eventually we did do a cold read for a couple of scenes that she had prepared. So, a lot of it was improv, which I’m a lot more comfortable with than the traditional cattle call of LA auditions, having to prepare something and having a timeframe to do your best in front of prestigious people that you look up to and admire. I really love the freedom of this experience. So, yeah, it was ideal.
From your perspective, how would you describe Peter without giving the end of the movie away?
He is an extremely strong individual, extremely confident in who he is. He has a huge unconditional love for his mother, and he takes on the responsibility with grace to protect her and to look after her and support her as they’ve both gone through a hugely traumatic event in their life, which only bonded them closer. I think a lot of people tend to judge him off the bat. And I think he proves to us that if you don’t fit in a box. You don’t necessarily have to force yourself into one. You can embrace who you are completely, and you can still be masculine. You can still be strong. You can still be all of those great things, no matter who you are, what you look like, or what you’re interested in.
Did you feel you needed to understand him more that you needed to read the book as well, or did you feel it was all on the script?
Anytime that there’s been a book being adapted into a movie that I’ve been a part of, it’s extra detail there, it’s extra source material which you can pull more from that’s straight from the mouth. So anything that is not there I’ll fill in the blanks. I’m happy to do that, but anything that exists, I’m going to utilize all of that. So it’s always great. And especially because when there is a book or a novel that’s being adapted, you can’t fit everything from the book on screen because of the timing reasons. There’s a lot more that you can hide and use as a reserve for your character to explore later in other scenes.
One of the great scenes in the film is between you and Benedict towards the end where he’s offering you a cigarette. Can you talk about the thought process that went in before you shot the scene?
A great deal of thought went into those scenes. They’re conveying a lot without saying much. So, a lot of thought and brainstorming, and rehearsal went into that. We had two weeks of rehearsal time before we started shooting with Jane. Sometimes it was with the whole ensemble, the whole cast. Sometimes it was with two of us or it would be intimately, individually, me and Jane. There were those landmark scenes, that being one of them and walking to the tree in my loud jeans, being the other one that was very standout and they were supposed to convey a lot again without saying it. Jane had very specific notes that she wanted to help us get to and run that chemistry over and over again until we got there and we had the freedom to explore.
If I’ve read this correctly, you guys started shooting before the pandemic began. I think you were maybe only four or six weeks in, but then you stopped for what? Three or four months. I don’t know how much you had personally shot beforehand, but was that stressful?
No, I would say you’re right. Not so much for me, but of course, for others, I can possibly speak on their behalf. Benedict had a method approach for Phil. And he was specifically asked to do that by Jane Campion to create somewhat of hostile nature when we’re shooting and to not break out of that, especially since he himself is so far from that character. I assume for him that was a bit nerve-wracking to have to let that go. I’m not sure what his process was in terms of that, but for Peter specifically, we had shot a great deal of his stuff, I think, already. We had about two weeks to go and I believe I didn’t have that much of a challenge left. So, to be completely honest, no, it wasn’t too hard for me. It was stressful in the sense that I had to see this momentum come to a stop and the unknown is always scary in terms of when and how are we going to come back and do this? Like the whole world is experiencing something new that has been a complete reset for all of us, whether it’s our industry or personal life. It was tough in many of those aspects. It became more of a personal thing at the end of the day. I spent a lot of time with my family and made sure that they were okay and I had faith that we would get back and finish this as we should.
Can you describe working with Jane as compared to some of the other directors that you’ve worked with over your career?
I’ve loved the past directors I’ve worked with, some of them are more unknown on the indie stuff and some like Matt Reeves are really sought after and respected and followed. And they’ve all always had the freedom and I’ve welcomed them in my world to have a say and whatever part they want on my character development and my approach. And they’ve all done that. But I would say that Jane did that in a really tremendous way. She didn’t hesitate at all in pushing, not only my boundaries, but I know everyone’s, even Ari [Wegner], the cinematographer, pushing our boundaries in the best way possible in terms of getting out of our comfort zone. And sometimes we can get a little too stagnant in our approach if it’s been working long enough. So, first, it was hard. But then at the same time, the most beautiful part is when working with a masterful filmmaker like Jane, you can put your complete trust in her. So at one part, I surrendered and I went for the ride and loved doing that. And I’m so glad I did because it really made Peter who he is today. And in hindsight, it’s super rewarding.
When you saw the final film, what surprised you the most? Or maybe nothing did?
I mean, it’s hard to put into words. The thing that surprised me is that I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way after a movie before or during. I don’t think I’ve ever gone on the journey that Jane invited us to go on as well. There’s not a lot that is said and done for you in this movie. You’re not told to feel a [certain] way. You’re not told how it solidifies, or who the villain is. I think a lot is left up for interpretation. Just shocked at the tremendous talent that Jane has, to convey these messages and these stories in the way that she does.
Well, You’re getting a lot of awards attention for this performance, which is very much deserved. How do you process that? Do you try not to pay attention to it?
A bit of both, because it’s been such a long and very personal journey for me. I started acting when I was very young and it was by the means of my dad asking me if I wanted to do it for fun. And my sister does it as well. And my dad’s an actor. So it’s a very special place where we started. And I also had the blessing to travel with my dad for a really long time. And in hindsight, that’s something I hold very close to me. So to see where it’s got to today and the biggest landmark for that is to hear people talking about whatever award it might be. So yeah, I’m humbled. But at the same time, I think it’s healthy to not pay too much attention to it. I take it, as of now, as a token of appreciation that it’s even in people’s mouths as a discussion and we can see where it goes from then on. I never did it for any endeavor for awards, but I will say it brings me a lot of joy and relief to hear that and feel that I’m being recognized for all the work that I’ve put in for over all these years and to be seen in that way.
I’ll say this. When you go to the Oscars, whether you’re nominated or not, because the movie’s going to get nominated, I do hope you wear something fun like you did last night because you looked killer.
I hope so too. And we’re planning ahead. We’ll see, we’ll see.
“The Power of the Dog” is available on Netflix worldwide.
