Fresh from her Oscar win for Poor Things, Emma Stone reunites with co-stars Willem Dafoe and Margaret Qualley in their latest project.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, the cast discussed what audiences can expect from the movie. Director Lanthimos explained his decision to cast the same actors in different roles, stating, “Casting the same few actors in different roles would provide a sense of continuity and unity between the three different stories.”
While the ensemble cast has its moments, Kinds of Kindness quickly establishes itself as Jesse Plemons’s movie.
“I have wanted to work with Jesse for a long time,” Lanthimos told Vanity Fair. “I think he’s one of the greats of our time.”
Kinds of Kindness is structured as a series of three interconnected stories.
The first story, “The Death of R.M.F.,” follows Plemons as Robert, who breaks ties with his powerful boss (Dafoe) after being asked to do something unforgivable.
The narrative then shifts to “R.M.F. Is Flying,” a tale of a marriage in crisis that edges toward body horror: a cop (Plemons) is seemingly reunited with his long-lost spouse (Stone), but becomes convinced that although she looks exactly the same, she is not his wife.
Plemons and Stone reprise their roles as love interests in “Eats a Sandwich,” with Stone’s character, Emily, taking center stage as she embarks on a mysterious quest.
“Some of the characters are trying desperately to figure out how to live and how to find comfort, and they also feel like they’re all on their own island,” Plemons says.
Known for his hands-off directing style, Lanthimos allowed his actors the freedom to explore their characters.
“I knew exactly what I was signing up for,” actor Mamoudou Athie said with a smile.
Jesse Plemons, Hong Chau, and Mamoudou Athie, newcomers to Lanthimos's work, had significant roles in this project.
Plemons noted that he found himself exploring new territories as an actor, particularly during the filming of the first story. “I was just flying by the end of that one, having the greatest, strangest time,” he says.
Athie, a graduate of the Yale School of Drama, found that Kinds of Kindness challenged him to focus on his craft. “I’ve had such a hard time settling down as an actor,” he says. But Kinds of Kindness forced him to.
The three stories were filmed back-to-back, each taking around three weeks with small breaks in between.
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