With no dialogue and two hours of make-up, Hollywood stars star in Yeti’s incredible film: ‘One of the craziest things we’ve ever done’

It took a lot of time – and fur – to transform Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) and Riley Q (Daisy Jones and the Six) into yetis – also known as Bigfoot or Sasquatch. Indeed, it took about two hours a day to fit the prosthetics specially designed to play the two identical creatures in Sasquatch Sunset, a surreal comedy-drama that premiered Dec. 19 at the Sundance Film Festival.

“We’d come down – and I’d have to shave my whole face – and then it’d be two hours in the chair adding hair, make-up and fur, and then we’d put on a suit made just for us.Christoph Zajac-Denec, who also stars in the film, told Variety Studio. “Tons of fur.“

Sasquatch sunsetDirected by David and Nathan Zellner, loosely described as “A year in the life of a unique family“. The film, which contains no dialogue (unless you’re talking Sasquatch), promises a true depiction of the creatures’ daily lives. While every actor plays a version of Bigfoot, Riley Kio jokes that “During part of the movie, people won’t be able to tell the difference “.

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A surreal experience for actors

“It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, physically“, the actor also said. “If you took a few steps in the suit, you were out of breath.“

To portray this yeti, the actors attended “Sasquatch School” for several days and worked with a mimicry coach who was hired. Jesse Eisenberg.

“We rehearsed and tried to have consistent movements, so it was like we were part of a family.“-said the latter. “ He went through movement, nutrition and the nuances of daily life.“

Despite extensive training, there were many technical challenges with the prostheses. “I had to relearn how to move my face“, he explained Riley Kio.

Jesse Eisenberg Meanwhile, he said the heavy make-up forced him to overact so that the camera could recognize his facial expressions. “You play 10 or 30 percent more than normal film, which captures the nuances of facial muscles. You have to overdo it.“

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Because it took them so long to get into their character’s skin (literally), the actors couldn’t change what they ate throughout the day, as detailed. Riley Kio.

“Sometimes we gave up because it was so hot. So we were Sasquatch’s head in human clothing. It was really hard to eat. At one point I gave up on eating lunch.“

And a challenge for directors

despite Nathan Zellner speaks of the film as “One of the craziest things they’ve ever doneHis brother insists that the project is not pure madness.

“If it was just a joke, it would get old in five minutes“, he explained David Zellner. “We wanted a film where we could really get into the characters.“

The Zellner brothers have long been fans of the mythical creature. In 2011, they already came to Sundance to present their surreal short film Sasquatch Birth Journal 2which told us about the birth of Bigfoot.

For this feature film, they were inspired by Terrence Malick’s 1978 drama Paradise Harvest, a scene from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 Dawn of Mankind, A Space Odyssey and even Planet of the Apes.

“Sasquatch represents the gray area between human and animal behavior“, he added David Zellner.

First thoughts

“A deeply human film without people” (via InSessionFilm): And the first thoughts came after the screening! Here are some reactions from those who saw the film at Sundance, and it promises…

“Sasquatch Sunset: I came in thinking I would enjoy the joke, but I ended up really loving it. Riley Keough does a brilliant job here.“

“I finally saw Sasquatch Sunset and it is wild, visceral, deeply disturbing, and funnier than I could have imagined. I laughed so hard I almost fell off my chair. Everyone who came out of the theater started screaming like Saskatchewan. We are high on this movie.“

“Sasquatch Sunset is very funny, but also don’t underestimate how painful a good actor can be in a good prosthetic Sasquatch.“

“More people walked out of Sasquatch Sunset than any other movie I’ve seen at Sundance, but those who did left the theater screaming like Sasquatch. A proudly silly venture, funnier than expected and even a little tragic. Love that last shot.“

Sasquatch Sunset will be released on April 19 in the United States. A release date in France has not yet been scheduled.