Peter Sarsgaard apparently jumped on the Kelly Reichardt bandwagon, and his expression of admiration earned him a job. Like many, Sarsgaard has come to admire the patient, contemplative filmmaker whose credits include this year's Meek’s Cutoff, Wendy and Lucy and the road-trip drama Old Joy. But when he wrote her a letter stating his appreciation for her work, Reichardt responded by offering him a role in her next picture.
While working the European press circuit on behalf of Green Lantern, Sarsgaard revealed to C7nema (via The Playlist) that the director’s next film, tentatively titled Night Moves, involves three environmental terrorists who plot to blow up a dam. Sarsgaard, who admitted to being “passionate and committed to the film,” went so far as to compare it to the documentary If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front, about Portland environmentalists who go to extremes to protect a centuries-old tree. In that doc, he reportedly found the motivation for Reichardt’s character and unlocked the key to playing someone who might be driven to commit an act of terrorism.
As expected, this sounds completely different than anything Reichardt has done in her previous films, and yet, it’s still a very character driven and emotionally compelling hook, so I understand why she would be drawn toward a story of this nature. The idea of Sarsgaard giving himself over to Reichardt for a human drama is intriguing. I wonder if Michelle Williams, Reichardt’s unofficial muse, will be one of the other two eco-terrorists?
I also find it funny that Sarsgaard is talking about Reichardt while promoting a relatively soulless film like Green Lantern. Well, if hamming it up alongside Ryan Reynolds convinced Sarsgaard to sprint back to indie films with greater merit, than the blockbuster served a purpose.
