LOS ANGELES (AP) ā is suddenly everywhere in Hollywood ā so much so that he thinks he must be dreaming.
Amid a remarkable streak of high-profile projects with respected filmmakers ā āP°ł¾±²õ³¦¾±±ō±ō²¹,ā upcoming adaptation of āFrankensteinā and, in theaters now, āOh, Canadaā ā the 27-year-old isnāt taking his success for granted.
āI donāt want to be so arrogant as to say like, you know, āI choose what is befitting of me,āā he said in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press. āIām very grateful because to say you choose these things sort of seems too conscious or something. I kind of am in a constant state of like, āWake me up from this.āā
of Leonard Fife , an acclaimed documentarian on his deathbed who, in what becomes a final act of confession, agrees to have the cameras turned toward him for a documentary about his own life.
Elordi plays a young Fife in the film, based on Russell Banksā 2021 novel, āForegone.ā Despite their physical differences, Elordiās performance as a younger Gere is believable, thanks in part to the amount of effort he put into studying Gereās mannerisms.
āRichard has such a rich career of films and a really diverse range of films so there was a lot to watch and just kind of copy him, you know? Like Simon Says or something,ā Elordi said. āThe best one for physicality was āAmerican Gigolo,ā because I think he was 29 or something when he made that film. So, itās, you know, not far from where I am now.ā
Schrader is not known for making big-budget blockbusters. And while the filmmaker has reaped critical praise throughout his prolific career, heās made his share of panned flops.
But that hasnāt stopped the 78-year-old from cementing his reputation as a pioneering auteur with an impressive catalog of actors who admire and work with him, including and
āThereās a list of people who have sort of given to the art form of cinema and heās right up at the top of it,ā Elordi said. āAs soon as the email comes through and it says Paul Schrader, you go, āOK.āā
Despite that kind of reputation, Schrader is not one to break box office records. As he has looked back on his career, heās been frank about not prioritizing the immediate financial success of the dozens of films heās made.
āTo me, shelf life is more valuable than the box office,ā Schrader said. āI donāt expect that much from opening weekend.ā
Instead, he evaluates a different set of criteria when determining how he feels about a film in his archive: āIf I get it made, thatās the first level of success. If itās taken seriously, thatās the second level of success. And if it actually works with audiences, thatās the third.ā
While his films arenāt necessarily avant-garde or experimental, Schrader makes the kinds of movies talked about more among than mass audiences. His 2017 āFirst Reformed,ā for example, will not satiate those who crave closure or clear-cut endings. And āOh, Canadaā is not exactly action-packed.
But Elordi rejects the notion that Schraderās movies arenāt accessible to a wide audience.
āThat kind of gives you like this elitist feel, you know? I hate that cinema conversation,ā he said. āThereās a language in cinema that doesnāt really take a long time to learn if you are sort of watching healthy things.ā
Still, Elordi acknowledged certain movies require patience and a willingness to sit with ambiguity.
āMy mom says stuff like that to me all the time. Sheās like, āYeah, but the movie canāt just end. Like, I need to know about this, this and this.ā And Iām like, āNo, no, the movie can just end, and you can go away and think about it,āā he said.
Krysta Fauria, The Associated Press