When Big Stars Hook Up With Jack White’s Band: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Fassbender & More Learn to Play for Indie Flick
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Fassbender and Domhnall Gleeson took the method approach when playing down-on-their-luck oddball musicians in Magnolia Pictures’ Frank (which opened Aug. 15 in New York). The actors learned to become proficient musicians in order to give realistic performances, drawing from acts like Captain Beefheart, Daniel Johnston and The Residents. Their musical DNA is “partially silly and pretty, strange and familiar,” says director Lenny Abrahamson.
The comedy touches on the hallmarks of independent music: touring and recording on limited budgets; building a fan base; securing a slot at South by Southwest; and the infighting that often tears bands apart.
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Prior to seven weeks of shooting in New Mexico and Ireland, Abrahamson and composer Stephen Rennicks worked with the actors to determine their respective musical chops. Smartly, they cast working drummer Carla Azar, of Autolux and Jack White’s band, to lend a hand.
“We didn’t want the band to have a particular genre,” says Abrahamson. “To give them that freedom and not tie them down was difficult. The miracle of the movie is that the music works.”
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