Monica Bellucci Discusses The Challenges Of Her Mostly Silent Role In Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
What happens when you take away an actor's voice? Even the best performers in the world have to deal with some unique challenges when they're not allowed to talk. "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" star Monica Bellucci told us all about how she managed the challenge of her mostly-silent role in Tim Burton's "Beetlejuice" sequel.
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00:00So in the movie, it's a very physical performance.
00:02It's driven entirely by how you're moving,
00:04how you're inhabiting the frame,
00:05as opposed to it's all about dialogue.
00:07So how do you prepare for a role
00:08where you know you're not gonna be saying much
00:09and you have to sell your character physically like that?
00:12Well, I mean, acting, I think,
00:14is a lot about body talking as well
00:19because the body is the instrument for an actor.
00:24And in this case, yeah,
00:27the film is very much about body language
00:31and I felt a bit like a mime.
00:34I tried to act like a broken doll
00:37and it was so interesting
00:40because it was another way to exist in the film.
00:43And I was very helped
00:45because I had three hours of makeup every day
00:49and to get into these amazing sets
00:52and to wear those beautiful costumes of Colleen Atwood.
00:55And also, Tim loves to draw.
00:58So there are always drawings of characters and situations
01:03and he likes practical effects instead of CGI.
01:09So for us, for actors, it's easier
01:12because you have real monsters to react to
01:16instead of a green screen.
01:18So you can go farther with your fantasy, your imagination.
01:23There's definitely some clear universal monster
01:26influence in there, at least to my eye.
01:28Was there ever like a specific monster or creature
01:30where either you or Tim Burton was like,
01:32this is something we should be trying to capture.
01:34Was there like an influence like that?
01:36But I mean, I think that in his drawings,
01:40there are so many characters.
01:44They have this kind of physicality than Dolores has.
01:48And also if we think about Corpse Bride,
01:52there is this kind of fantasy world.
01:56And what I like about his characters
02:01is that often they have childlike qualities
02:05and he knows how to create situations
02:10that are scary, shocking, unpredictable,
02:15but also very deep and emotional and funny.
02:19Because Beetlejuice, even though it's a comedy,
02:23it's a dark comedy, but still a comedy,
02:26but there are deep meanings
02:28because it's about life, death, love.
02:34What was the set like when you're filming
02:35the flashback sequence with you and Beetlejuice,
02:38the black and white one,
02:38because it has a very distinct vibe to it.
02:39Oh, this was incredible because it was so funny.
02:43And also I had this intimate scene with Michael
02:48and we didn't know each other.
02:50Of course I knew the amazing actor,
02:55but he was so kind and so generous
02:58and also was so interesting for me
03:00and beautiful to see the creative synergy
03:05between Tim and Michael through the years.
03:08And I have to say that when I saw the movie,
03:12even though I knew everything,
03:15but I was really impressed
03:18because it's incredible.
03:20I mean, when the visuals are unbelievable.
03:25And I have to say that maybe it's a bit more scary
03:29than the first Beetlejuice.