'The Painted Bird': Meet Stellan Skarsgård, Harvey Keitel and rest of the cast of the controversial WWII drama
This film is not for wimps, to put it mildly. With shocking scenes from eye-ball gouging to sex with a goat, the war drama is centered around a young boy Joska, who makes his way across a war-ravaged Eastern Europe in the last days of World War II.
The black and white 35-millimeter format film juxtaposes the boy's innocence with the cruelty of the land and its people, who are more monstrous than human. Kindness, pity and remorse are in short supply but when they do appear, they appear even more bright to the boy because of the horrors he has endured. Meet the cast members who play key roles in this dark Holocaust epic.
Petr Kotlár as Joska
The child actor Petr Kotlár is Romani and was born in Ceský Krumlov, Czech Republic. 'The Painted Bird' is his only film credit to date. Film director Václav Marhoul saw Kotlár at the athletic stadium in Český Krumlov. According to Marhoul, it took about five minutes after meeting him to know that "he was the one". Kotlár did many of the stunts in the film himself, from floating on a log down a river to lying on railway tracks, beneath a moving train.
Speaking in an interview, Kotlár revealed what he was feeling during the train stunt. "The director explained that I could have a stunt double, but in the end, people would be able to tell that it wasn't me under that train... I decided to risk it. I was also afraid, but it was an experience to see a train from that perspective. Mr Marhoul might have been praying the whole time!" The filming was demanding since he was the central protagonist and was on set for the year and a half of filming.
Stellan Skarsgård as Hans
Hans is a war-weary German soldier who spares Joska, the film's young protagonist, when ordered to kill him. Stellan Skarsgård who plays him was one of the first actors cast in the film. Skarsgård is a Swedish actor well-known for several of his roles. Some of them include the brusque Professor Gerald Lambeau in 'Good Will Hunting', Bootstrap Bill Turner in the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise, Martin Vanger in 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo', Dr Erik Selvig in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films like 'Thor' and 'The Avengers'. Most recently, he portrayed Boris Shcherbina in the HBO/Sky UK television miniseries 'Chernobyl' for which he won a Golden Globe.
Harvey Keitel as the Priest
The Priest character is one of the very few people who show Joska some kindness, without any ulterior motives. Harvey Keitel portrays the priest in the film. He has previously starred in classics like 'Taxi Driver', 'The Last Temptation of Christ', 'Thelma & Louise', 'The Piano', 'Reservoir Dogs', 'Pulp Fiction', 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' and most recently the 2019 film 'The Irishman'.
Julian Sands as Garbos
Garbos, a villager, takes in the boy but also rapes him, off-screen. Julian Sands, who plays Garbos is an English actor known for his roles in films such as 'The Killing Fields', 'A Room with a View', 'Warlock' and 'Arachnophobia'. On television, he is known for playing Vladimir Bierko in '24', Jor-El in 'Smallville' and Piero di Cosimo de' Medici in 'Medici: Masters of Florence'.
Udo Kier as The Miller
Udo Kier plays the miller who is one of the few people who offers shelter to Joska, the young boy. He lives with his wife and is a jealous husband. He gouges out the eyes of a younger man who he sees exchanging glances with his wife. After this gruesome incident, the boy runs off. Kier became a cult figure in the '70s horror genre because of films like 'Flesh for Frankenstein' and 'Blood for Dracula'. He also appeared in other cult hits like 'The Story of O', 'Suspiria', 'Halloween', 'Grindhouse' and 'Dogville'. He is a particular favorite of director Lars Von Triers appearing in 'Melancholia', 'Nymphomaniac Vol. II' and 'Europa'. Kier will also star in Von Trier's film 'Dimension', a project that will release in 2024. Every year, the cast and crew (including Udo Kier) meet to shoot footage. The film will show the actors age 30 years without make-up or special effects.
Barry Pepper as Mitka, the Russian sniper
Mitka is a Russian sniper who is kind to the child but ruthless with the enemy. He teaches the boy his code of how to become an oppressor rather than a victim. Mitka is played by Barry Pepper, a Canadian actor, who shot to fame after he was cast as the Bible-quoting sniper in Steven Spielberg's WW II drama 'Saving Private Ryan'. Following that, he was cast in films like 'Enemy of the State', 'The Green Mile', 'True Grit' and 'Maze Runner'.
'The Painted Bird' will be available as a video on demand and in theatres in the US from July 17, distributed by IFC Films.