'He's a fun guy': Richard Linklater on working with Paul Mescal and his upcoming film with Glen Powell

Richard Linklater chats to Esther McCarthy about his new film — and his long-term project with Paul Mescal

Wed, 05 Jun, 2024 - 21:00

Towards the end of my interview with Richard Linklater, the filmmaker jokes about scheduling a follow-up interview in 17 years’ time.

That, he says, is the expected timeframe for an extraordinary new project Linklater is filming with Irish actor Paul Mescal.

The adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s musical comedy Merrily We Roll Along — with a cast that includes Mescal and Beanie Feldstein — will film at regular intervals over a 20-year period. This is to reflect the characters ageing over that period of time on screen.

It’s a remarkable feat the maverick filmmaker previously pulled off with Boyhood, his beloved coming-of-age drama filmed over a twelve-year period, and Linklater is glad to have Mescal on board.

“Oh, man, it’s been so fun,” he says of collaborating with the Irish star. “It’s something to look forward to. We’ve been at this for several years now. He’s a fun guy, he’s smart, such a great talent.

“He’s so perfect for what we’re doing, because he can really sing — the guy’s a performer on every level. We’re in this long-term project together, but who better to be in with?” When can audiences expect to see the end result?

“It’s a 20-year story, and we’re several years into it, so do the math. I’ll be talking to you in about 17 years!” he laughs.

In the meantime, the filmmaker is bringing sexy back to our screens. Glen Powell and Adria Arjona share a cracking on-screen chemistry in the director’s highly entertaining comedy, Hit Man. It tells the story of Gary, an undercover ‘fake hitman’ who carries out stings on would-be customers on behalf of law authorities. Gifted at taking on different guises to catch people prepared to pay to bump off their enemies, Gary nevertheless enters morally dubious territory when he meets Madison (Arjona), a woman who solicits him to kill her abusive husband. They later embark on a relationship — and as Gary is forced to either stay in character or admit his undercover status, offbeat chaos ensues.

The story is based on a newspaper article which details the real-life case of a US college professor, Gary Johnson, who moonlighted as a fake killer for hire. Powell, who had read the same article as Linklater, collaborated with the filmmaker on the script, bringing their own story elements — including a succession of colourful alter-egos — to the film.

“The more you get into it, you think: ‘Well, it’s all fake’,” says Linklater. “This is their projection, he’s creating something he thinks they think will seem like a hitman. So you can kind of go out there. It’s all artifice, so nothing was too big and we are making a comedy. I mean, the real Gary did alter his appearance and do things, but not as wild as what we’ve got in the movie.”

Glen Powell and Adria Arjona in Hit Man.

Having stuck close to historical accuracy in some of his previous projects, Linklater felt that the very nature of this story lent itself to colourful details.

“It felt of the piece,” he says. “We own up to it. At the end we said we made that part up. I don’t want to be one of those films like: Oh, this is a true story. And then you start reading about it, realise it’s anything but.

"So we’re pretty transparent about it. But I wanted to communicate that to the audience — what they’re watching is a construct, like every movie ever!”

Following the success of other recent hits like Challengers, Saltburn and Anyone But You — which also starred Powell opposite Sydney Sweeney — Hit Man explores the leading couple’s sexual relationship as they fall in love. As well as the small-screen success of Bridgerton, it does feel as though more films are looking at adult relationships and sexuality within their stories.

It's a throwback, Linklater hopes, to a time where this didn’t feel uncommon. “Even so many films that used to be entertainments, now you’re supposed to take them seriously,” he observes.

“When I was that age, they weren’t making films for me, I didn’t feel. Every now and again there was a young person’s movie, but I remember having to find my way into adult movies, and thinking that that was intriguing. I didn’t understand all of it, but it was aspirational. I couldn’t wait to grow up and be in those kinds of complex worlds and relations. I think there’s always got to be room for some good old-fashioned, complex, adult-relationship movie, especially if it’s funny. Why not?”

As he always does, Linklater worked closely with his two lead stars in characterising the nature of their relationship. “We really worked on these together. I just think I want to do that for the realism, but also: What do you guys think is sexy?

“I think intimacy coordinators exist because people don’t do that. A poor, vulnerable actor shows up on the set. It’s like: ‘Oh, we’ve changed it. Can you take off all your clothes and do this?’ It’s just highly uncomfortable, and really morally questionable, to put anyone through that. So intimacy coordinators have their place.”

Glen Powell and Richard Linklater attend a photo call celebrating Netflix's new film "Hit Man" at Four Seasons Hotel on May 17, 2024 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Rick Kern/Getty Images for Netflix)

Throughout a career spanning more than three decades, Linklater’s films have frequently captured the public imagination, from his early comedies like Slacker and Dazed and Confused, to the much-loved ‘Before’ trilogy. Before Sunrise saw Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy fall in love after meeting on a train in Europe, vowing to be reunited years later.

Before Sunset and Before Midnight brought audiences back into their lives over the years that followed.

The fun School of Rock starring Jack Black introduced Linklater to younger audiences, while Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly saw him work in animation. Capped with the truly original Boyhood, he seems to be incapable of doing the same thing twice.

“I like realising at some point along the way what genre I feel like I’m in,” he says of the filmmaking process. “I never start thinking of a genre. You know, you’re just making a story, a character, and you’re writing, and then I like that feeling of: ‘Wow, this is kind of film noir,’” he adds, referring to Hit Man.

“In this case, it was like: ‘Oh, this is crime. This is kind of a noirish thing we got going here’.

“But if they’re meant to be together, we’re actually saying this is a true love story. No one’s setting anybody up here, then this is kind of a screwball comedy. Those are two of my favourite genres. So we’re a throwback on probably a couple of levels.”