‘Asteroid City’: Why does Wes Anderson always work with the same cast? Ace director calls his ensemble a 'little theater company'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Wes Anderson is one of the greatest working directors, known for his unique storytelling style, eccentric color palette, and his frequent collaborations with some stellar actors. Anderson’s latest endeavor is ‘Asteroid City’ and it is setting out to deliver the same level of excellence, if not more.
One of the most unique things about Anderson as a director is his love for the people he works with, primarily the cast. Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, Jason Schwartzman, William Dafoe, and Adrien Brody are among the few actors you might often see appearing in Anderson’s films. ‘Asteroid City’ has a cast filled with A-list celebrities, a lot of whom have previously worked with Anderson, continuing the pattern.
Anderson and his cast
It is surely unique, but there’s also a sense of simplicity that goes with Anderson casting the same people, over and over again. When making a film, it is important for the actors to understand the director and their style of filmmaking, which takes up a large chunk of the production process. Anderson skips over this little step since most of his cast knows what they’re signing up for when it comes to his movies. Anderson said, “As soon as Owen Wilson and I started making a movie, well, I wanted Owen to be involved with the other movies I would do. As soon as I had Bill Murray, I wanted him on the next one. I wanted Jason Schwartzman. It was natural to me,” in an interview with The New York Times.
In addition to wanting to work with the same cast ever so often, Anderson also ensures the closeness of the cast and team. “What I like to do is go to a place and have us all live there and become a real local sort of production, like a little theater company,” he says. So it really isn’t just about Anderson wanting to work with the cast, but also the cast wanting to work with Anderson, time and again.
Familiar faces in ‘Asteroid City’
Much like all his films, ‘Asteroid City’ will also feature some familiar faces. Not just Hollywood familiar, but Anderson familiar. Edward Norton, Jason Schwartzman, Adrien Brody, William Dafoe, Tilda Swinton, Jeff Goldblum, and Bob Balaban are all in this. Even though Owen Wilson and Bill Murray seem to be missing from the ‘Asteroid City’ roster, others like Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Carell, and Margot Robbie will more than cover for their absence in Anderson’s latest film.
You can watch Wes Anderson's ‘Asteroid City’ on June 16, in theaters near you.
