Updated

Updated · Variety · Sep 3

Rooney and Kate Mara Say 5 Days Were Enough to Master Unison in Herzog's 'Bucking Fastard'

Updated

Updated · Variety · Sep 3

Rooney and Kate Mara Say 5 Days Were Enough to Master Unison in Herzog's 'Bucking Fastard'

Q: How did the Mara sisters' real-life bond transform a daunting acting challenge into an effortless performance for Werner Herzog?

Their real-life bond turned the challenge into something instinctive. Rooney Mara said the idea was initially intimidating because the sisters were essentially playing “the same person,” but their shared childhood, long history and lifetime of familiarity gave them what she called an “unspoken world” they did not have to manufacture for the camera. That private understanding translated directly into the film’s unusual central device: speaking in perfect unison. Kate Mara said the synchronized dialogue felt “almost like a song,” with a natural, musical rhythm between them. Instead of having to build chemistry through technique or extensive rehearsal, they could rely on habits of timing, play and mutual awareness formed over years together. Werner Herzog said that ease was exactly why the project became possible with them. He had wanted to make “Bucking Fastard” for years, but only believed it could work after meeting the Mara sisters. Their connection was so immediate that the planned two weeks of rehearsal were cut short; after about five days, Herzog said he was ready to film and had complete confidence in them. In practical terms, the sisters’ real-life closeness solved the core acting problem of the movie. What looked daunting on paper became effortless on set because their rhythm, trust and shared history allowed the performance to emerge naturally rather than be laboriously constructed.

Q: What made Orlando Bloom demand a reshoot from Werner Herzog after a crucial one-take scene in the Golden Lion contender?

Orlando Bloom asked Werner Herzog for a reshoot because his biggest scene in *Bucking Fastard* — a long witness-stand sequence — had been filmed in just one take, and Bloom felt it ended too quickly. At the Venice press conference, Herzog said he shot the major scene once and was ready to move on, in keeping with his fast, stripped-down method. Bloom replied that it was his largest scene in the film, and Herzog simply said, “Great, we got it,” which left the actor uneasy. Herzog said he understood Bloom’s frustration and brought him back for three additional takes. He described his approach as going “to the essentials right away,” often relying on one camera and one take unless the scene required more, as with the technically demanding synchronized performances by Rooney and Kate Mara. Bloom later said the experience of working with Herzog still felt “liberating” and “magical,” despite that moment of tension.

3 articles · Updated · Variety · Sep 3

Five days of prep proved enough for Rooney and Kate Mara to lock into the synchronized speech at the center of Werner Herzog’s “Bucking Fastard,” far less than the two weeks initially allotted.
The sisters said the technique came more easily than expected because of their shared history, with Kate describing their timing as musical and Rooney calling the collaboration a rare, joyful experience.
Herzog said he had pursued the project for years and only knew it was feasible after meeting the Maras, adding they needed hardly any rehearsal before cameras rolled.
The film, premiering Thursday at Venice, is loosely inspired by British twins Freda and Greta Chaplin; Orlando Bloom and Domhnall Gleeson co-star, and Herzog dedicated the movie to late friend David Lynch.