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We\u2019re calling it the biggest Oscar snub of modern times \u2013 Charles Melton should have been recognised for his tremendous performance in Todd Haynes\u2019 May December <\/i>as a\u00a0young man groomed by and subsequently married to an older woman (played by Julianne Moore). He didn\u2019t allow that to worry him, and instead leaned into his work, stealing scenes in the acclaimed Netflix\u2019 comedy series Beef <\/i>and Alex Garland\u2019s exploration of the modern military, Warfare<\/i>. He now rolls up as the enigmatic shit-kicker Private K\u00a0in Nicolas Winding Refn\u2019s first feature in a\u00a0decade, Her Private Hell<\/i>.<\/p>\n
LWLies: What was your relationship with Nicolas Winding Refn prior to you coming on board with this film? Did you have any favourite films that got you into his\u00a0work?<\/strong><\/p>\n Melton: The most obvious answer is Drive <\/i>with Ryan Gosling. It was a\u00a0profound experience watching that film. I\u00a0didn\u2019t grow up knowing what art house cinema or the Academy was until I\u00a0was 23<\/span>, 24<\/span>. I\u00a0was really only exposed to the movies that were playing in the theatres on military bases growing up as a\u00a0kid. Now in my adult life I\u00a0have this gift of experiencing things for the first time. Vertigo<\/i>, the Pusher <\/i>trilogy, Bronson<\/i>, Valhalla Rising <\/i>\u2013 I\u00a0only recently watched those and I\u00a0love them. In our first meeting, Nic said to me, \u200b\u2018<\/span>I have worked with Mads Mikkelsen, Tom Hardy, Ryan Gosling and now\u00a0you.\u2019<\/p>\n Wow, what a\u00a0pitch.<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah, what a\u00a0pitch. He said that this was my first superhero film and I\u2019m really happy I\u00a0got to work with\u00a0Nic.<\/p>\n He has this famously idiosyncratic taste in movies himself. He has his special label and loves these Z\u2011tier movies. I\u00a0am wondering how much he exposed you to that side of his interests?<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah, he had me watch a\u00a0couple of things. It\u2019s so bad, I\u00a0have a\u00a0bad memory I\u00a0couldn\u2019t tell you what the titles were. He would send me so much music as well and a\u00a0few different pictures of certain things. I\u00a0was asking him to send me stuff to feel inspired. I\u00a0wanted to know what he liked. I\u00a0trusted in his vision. What was amazing about the set was, not only did we shoot in chronological order, but there\u2019s this very transcendent, immersive experience when you enter onto it. I\u00a0would walk into this dark studio and there would be atmospheric smoke with neon lights, beautiful sets, music playing and a\u00a0crew of only 30<\/span> people. It was like a\u00a0waking dream.<\/p>\n Because we shot in chronological order, I\u00a0actually stopped reading the script after the night before we started filming. Everything was changing constantly so I\u00a0didn\u2019t see the point in rereading it. I\u2019d often go up to Nic and say, \u200b\u2018<\/span>I\u2019m not sure if I\u00a0have any lines here,\u2019 even when it was originally written as a\u00a0massive monologue. He\u2019d suggest trying it once and then he\u2019d come back and agree, \u200b\u2018<\/span>Yeah, I\u00a0don\u2019t think you need to say anything.\u2019 It was an amazing process and we really pushed each other creatively.<\/p>\n How did you find Copenhagen? Did you find it to be the kind of place that would cultivate a\u00a0person like Nicolas Winding Refn?<\/strong><\/p>\n I really think so. Copenhagen has such an incredible culture, and I\u00a0absolutely love it there. In fact, I\u2019ve been dreaming about the city ever since I\u00a0spent the summer there last year. Especially the pastries \u2013 honestly, no pastry has tasted the same since I\u00a0experienced the ones in Copenhagen.<\/p>\n Oh wow. I\u00a0did not know they were known for their pastries.<\/strong><\/p>\n The best. Denmark, especially Copenhagen, produces so much great art. It really is a\u00a0special place to experience. Nicolas, especially in his recent films, has become a\u00a0painter of images, the characters are woven right into the fabric of his visual style.<\/p>\n How does he prime you as a\u00a0performer to fit into that specific tone?<\/strong><\/p>\n I just lock in. Nic is more of a \u200b\u2018<\/span>show me\u2019 director. He\u2019ll ask, \u200b\u2018<\/span>What do you want to do?\u2019 and actually allows me to decide. There is complete trust between us. He produces these beautiful shots by constantly moving the camera. Looking at the monitor really changed my perspective of filmmaking. I\u00a0could see that my posture was slightly hunched, and I\u00a0realised it just didn\u2019t fit the canvas of the world we were creating in that frame, so I\u00a0stood up straighter. Looking at that frame made me see that less is so much more. Doing nothing is powerful. The subtlest movements carry immense weight. Moving your shoulders just two centimetres can feel absolutely grand. He didn\u2019t even always call, \u200b\u2018<\/span>Action!\u2019, sometimes he\u2019d just come up to me, put his arm around me and say, \u200b\u2018<\/span>Very cool,\u2019 before walking back and saying, \u200b\u2018<\/span>Okay, whenever you\u2019re ready.\u2019 Then he\u2019d check in \u2013 \u200b\u2018<\/span>Is the music okay? Is the music good for you?\u2019 It created this incredible environment where everything felt seamless.<\/p>\n When he was talking to you, would he address you as your character?<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah. And that really helps, though there\u2019s still a\u00a0healthy separation there. What was interesting is that we were shooting inside these studios, but then you\u2019d walk outside and it\u2019s completely bright and sunny, with only 12<\/span>-hour days. So we were constantly jumping between different realities. Beyond the work, Nic would share very personal stories with me. All you had to do was listen. I\u00a0was really moved by him and his openness, hearing about his experience with his daughters, dying and coming back to life. All of that became part of the soup of my work, feeding into whatever came to life on camera that\u00a0day.<\/p>\n Your character in the film has such a\u00a0distinctive look \u2013 the clothing, the hair, the overall demeanour. How did you collaborate to build that iconic, retro GI<\/span>\u00a0look?<\/strong><\/p>\n That\u2019s all down to our costume designer, Jane Marshall Whittaker. The idea was that this was his uniform, almost like his superhero outfit. Outside the script, he\u2019s a\u00a0discharged veteran who has become a\u00a0vigilante of sorts. This uniform, the combed hair and that \u200b\u2018<\/span>glorious perfection\u2019, as Nic always loved to say, is his way of containing this immense pain and a\u00a0total lack of control. You see that control shatter when he unleashes it in the fight sequences or through those intense stares. The costume, hair and make-up aren\u2019t just part of the aesthetic, they\u2019re essential to the world. They inform the character and bring him to life from the inside out.<\/p>\n The fight scenes in the film are so intricate and balletic. Did you enjoy the choreography of the\u00a0role?<\/strong><\/p>\n I loved it. I\u00a0grew up with a\u00a0background in athletics, I\u00a0have a\u00a0second-degree black belt in taekwondo and I\u00a0do jiujitsu, so martial arts are a\u00a0huge passion of mine. One of my favourite action scenes of all time is the classic hallway fight in Oldboy<\/i>. What makes a\u00a0sequence like that work is living inside this wide, uninterrupted frame where nothing is cheated. If I\u00a0throw a\u00a0punch, it doesn\u2019t immediately cut away to a\u00a0reaction shot. It demands relentless rehearsal. Tetsuro, our stunt co-ordinator, his prodigy Taka and I\u00a0spent hours training alongside 13<\/span> stunt performers from Japan, only two of whom spoke English.<\/p>\n Oh my\u00a0God.<\/strong><\/p>\n We spent so much time together, training, eating hamburgers, eating pizza. For Private K, since he\u2019s so visually contained, his fighting style had to be the exact opposite \u2013 relentless and physically dangerous. It\u2019s much easier to throw a\u00a0controlled punch than to just swing with all your might. Because of that intensity, there was a\u00a0lot of physio. During lunch breaks, I\u2019d be on the massage table getting treated while eating chicken breast and tomatoes just to stay primed, warm and injury-free. If I\u00a0got hurt, we couldn\u2019t shoot, so there was a\u00a0huge sense of pressure, which was actually really exciting for me. But to pull that off, you have to go beyond what\u2019s strictly asked of you. That\u2019s what sets elite athletes apart. Look at Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James or Tom Brady when he was playing, they\u2019ve had incredibly long careers because they take care of their bodies and constantly prepare themselves to perform. I\u00a0think you have to adopt that same mentality and set yourself up to show up physically every single day.<\/p>\n I was reading an interview with Robert Pattinson from a\u00a0few years ago, and he mentioned having a\u00a0list of filmmakers he really wanted to work with. This was shortly after he finished <\/strong>Twilight<\/strong><\/i>. Aside from Nic, I\u2019m wondering if you have a\u00a0wish list of filmmakers you\u2019d love to collaborate with. Who would be an automatic \u200b\u2018<\/span>yes\u2019 if they called?<\/strong><\/p>\n Lukas Dhont. There\u2019s a\u00a0Georgian filmmaker named Dea Kulumbegashvili, who directed Beginning<\/i>. Paolo Sorrentino, Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho. Lee Sung-jin, also known as Sonny, who created Beef<\/i>, whenever he does his first feature film. Lukas Dhont would be an instant yes, absolutely. There are so many. Thomas Vinterberg, Ruben \u00d6stlund\u2026<\/p>\n That\u2019s a\u00a0very cool list. You might have given this more thought than Pattinson!<\/strong><\/p>\n Pattinson is such a\u00a0brilliant artist and just so human. I\u00a0think that\u2019s why his work is so great, he makes fantastic choices. I\u00a0should probably throw in some North American directors, too. Celine Song. Lulu Wang, who I\u2019m actually working with on a\u00a0project now. And then, obviously, Paul Thomas Anderson, Christopher Nolan, and all those icons. But for me, I\u2019d work with Todd Haynes a\u00a0million times over. Kelly Reichardt is a\u00a0good friend of mine, and I\u2019d love to work with her as well. It\u2019s easier for me to work outside the US<\/span>. For certain projects, there\u2019s a\u00a0greater sense of openness in international cinema for certain filmmakers. I\u00a0feel as if they\u2019re more likely to want to work with me and do the kind of things I\u00a0want to do. Beyond Lee Sung-jin, I\u00a0would love to work with Jake Schreier again; I\u00a0think he\u2019s incredible. He directed and produced on Beef<\/i>. Then there\u2019s Sam H\u00a0Freeman, who co-directed Femme<\/i>, and Davy Chou, who did Return to\u00a0Seoul.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nGet more Little White\u00a0Lies<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n