Josh Brolin and Guy Pearce are no strangers to Ridley Scott’s filmmaking style, but both actors found themselves back in the director’s unpredictable world for The Dog Stars.
Brolin reunites with Scott nearly 20 years after American Gangster, while Pearce previously worked with the filmmaker on Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. During The Dog Stars virtual press conference, the actors reflected on what has — and hasn’t — changed about working with the legendary director.
For Brolin, the biggest surprise was how little Scott himself seems to have changed.
“There’s just no effect of age. Normal people age, he doesn’t.”
Brolin recalled the pressure surrounding American Gangster and praised Scott’s ability to confidently steer actors without letting ego get in the way. He described Scott as a filmmaker who knows how to push performers toward what he wants while keeping them creatively engaged.
“He inspires but he’s also getting what he wants,” Brolin said, adding that even when actors know Scott is manipulating their performance, “you’re happy about it.”
That creative unpredictability became a major part of making The Dog Stars. Brolin said the cast initially had to adjust to Scott changing and reshaping scenes on the fly. What initially felt like “chaos” eventually became something he found creatively invigorating.
“You never knew how a scene was going to go no matter how much prep you did,” Brolin explained, calling the process “the most nutritious feeling creatively.” He later added, “I don’t think anybody is as good at making things dynamic as he is.”
Pearce had a slight advantage coming into The Dog Stars, having already experienced Scott’s approach on Prometheus and briefly on Alien: Covenant. Still, he said working with Scott remains an “all-encompassing experience,” describing the director as energetic and “fantastically inspiring.”
Pearce even recalled one amusing difference between Prometheus and their latest collaboration: Scott no longer had to contend with the 3D glasses he wore while making the 2012 sci-fi film. Pearce remembered Scott occasionally approaching the actors to give direction before realizing he still had the glasses on and ripping them off in frustration.
Nearly two decades after Brolin first worked with Scott — and more than a decade after Pearce entered the director’s Alien universe — The Dog Stars brought both actors back into a filmmaking process that may be unpredictable, but according to them, remains as energetic as ever.
The Dog Stars is now playing in movie theaters.
