The new movie Vice reunites writer/director Adam McKay with a number of familiar talents, including Christian Bale (The Big Short) and Steve Carell (The Big Short and both of the Anchorman features), but you may have forgotten that this is his second time working with Amy Adams as well. Their first collaboration was a good time ago, and the actress didn't have the largest part in the film, but she was a part of the ensemble that made Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby. That was 12 years ago, and a lot has changed for Adams and McKay in the time since, but according to the former, she still sees a lot of same creative energy in the director that she witnessed when he was making super silly comedies:
Definitely it's a different research process, but actually when we went into Talladega Nights he knew everything about... I mean, I think Adam is just one of those people that just loves learning, and he is just voracious in his love of learning and reading. And I feel like all of that energy is contagious, and he had that on Talladega Nights; he had it here. But it's been a pleasure to watch his evolution.
I had the wonderful opportunity to sit down with Amy Adams earlier this month during the Los Angeles press day for Vice, and my first question for her was about her relationship with Adam McKay, and how it's changed since they first worked together. For her personally it was certainly a different experience making the Dick Cheney biopic, as it took a lot living in Lynne Cheney's skin, but what was remained consistent between both productions was the energy she witnessed from the writer/director, who she recognizes as a creative who dives head first and deep into the world of whatever material he's bringing to life.
It's something you'd expect McKay to do with his more recent and seriously-minded features, The Big Short and Vice, but evidently he had a similar work ethic and attitude making his more ridiculous movies as well.
In Talladega Nights, Amy Adams played Susan, who doesn't really make a huge impact on the story until the third act - which is when she delivers the key motivational speech that inspires Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) to get his act together and ready to complete in the race that would turn his life around. The movie was released one month before Junebug, the film that resulted in her first Academy Award nomination, and since then she has been nominated for an Oscar four more times. Much like McKay, her career has completely changed in recent years, but that really just made now the most perfect time for them to bring their energies back together.
Case in point, there is a lot of heat surrounding Amy Adams' performance in Vice, as she is seen as a strong contender in this year's awards season. She has already received attention from the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards for her performance, and she has been nominated for prizes from many different critics groups. And while the Academy Awards won't be announcing competitors in their categories until the new year, it is expected that she will be up for Best Supporting Actress.
You can watch Amy Adams talk about her experiences working with Adam McKay on both Talladega Nights and Vice by clicking play on the video below.
In addition to Amy Adams, Christian Bale, and Steve Carell, Vice also co-stars Sam Rockwell, Tyler Perry, Justin Kirk, LisaGay Hamilton, Jesse Plemons, and more. The film will be arriving in theaters everywhere on Christmas Day, December 25th, and we'll have more from my interviews with the cast and filmmakers coming you way in the next few days.
