Martin McDonagh is returning to the big screen with “Wild Horse Nine,” starring Sam Rockwell and John Malkovich as CIA partners. According to him, the film depended heavily on the chemistry between the two actors and how convincingly they could sell their long-standing partnership.
Martin McDonagh revealed Sam Rockwell and John Malkovich needed to act like an old married couple to sell their CIA partnership
McDonagh reportedly asked them to behave like an “old married couple.”
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, McDonagh revealed that the storyline involved two CIA agents who end up on Easter Island shortly before Chile’s 1973 military coup. The filmmaker said he began developing the idea more than a decade ago after visiting the island.
McDonagh described the film as “a combination of Bruges and Banshees.” Here, the director referenced his movies “In Bruges” and “The Banshees of Inisherin.”
Rockwell plays CIA agent Lee, a role that McDonagh specifically wrote for him. The director praised Rockwell’s performance, saying that it displayed “a kindness and compassion” not seen in his previous collaborations with him.
John Malkovich stars as Lee’s partner, Chris. McDonagh described his performance as the right balance of humor, intensity and emotional depth. He said that Malkovich came across as “dark and sad and regretful, but also comedic at the same time.”
The relationship between the two agents became the film’s central challenge.
“They almost needed to be like an old married couple,” McDonagh said. “They’ve been in a partnership in the CIA together for years and years, so you need to feel that implicitly. And you also need to feel the love between the two characters.”
The filmmaker also revealed that the rapport between the two came naturally, as both admired each other deeply. He said that both rehearsed their roles even when they were not filming.
Reflecting on the pairing, he concluded, “I honestly don’t think any other pairing could have worked.”
Rockwell is known for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” “Moon” and “Seven Psychopaths.” Malkovich’s credits include “Dangerous Liaisons,” “Being John Malkovich” and “Burn After Reading.”
