‘I grew up with Martin Scorsese’: Juliette Lewis in intense western opposite Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) presented at Deauville festival

On the occasion of the 50th edition of the Deauville American Film Festival, actress and singer Juliette Lewis attended the French screening of The Thicket, an intense and visually hypnotic contemporary western in which she shares an unforgettable poster with Peter Dinklage. Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones.

Juliet Lewis as Bloody Villain in Western with ‘Game of Thrones’ Star

Written by Chris Kelly (screenwriter of the brilliant Banshee and Preacher series) and directed by Elliott Lester (Blitz, Aftermath, Nightingale), the film is directed by Joe R. An adaptation of Lansdale’s novel, published in 2013, that takes us back. The beginning of the 20th century in Texas.

We follow the story of Jack (Levon Hawke, son of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman), who calls upon bounty hunter Reginald Jones (Peter Dinklage) to rescue his sister Lula (Esme Creed-Miles), who has been kidnapped. A violent killer nicknamed Cut Throat Bill (Juliet Lewis).

The Thicket marks the return of Juliette Lewis to the big screen, five years after her last film. But as he explained to our microphone, it also holds a special place in his heart, because his first steps on the set were Westerns, alongside his father Jeffrey Lewis, who worked with legends such as Sergio Leone, Clint Eastwood and Michael Cimino:

“When I was about eight years old, he took us to the set. That’s my first memory of my father’s work. And when I did The Thicket, it was a special moment when I was surrounded by horses and cowboys. It kept me warm in the cold.

It reminded me of my father and what he went through when he was making these films, because Westerns are difficult films to make. It’s not the big studio, comfortable, glamorous movies you think.”

His character, Cut Throat Bill, is not just a simple villain, he has flaws, a childhood of abuse and psychological wounds, and his gruff voice that makes him an eyesore. And Juliet Lewis put her heart and soul into her interpretation.

“I did a lot of things to portray the character. The voice was the first thing that came to mind. I could do too much with the role or not enough. I had to find a balance. But when I’m acting, I also want to be able to push myself and respect my character.

An actor populated by his characters

Since her screen debut in Martin Scorsese’s Nerves in 1991, Juliette Lewis has often excelled in the quirky, dark, organic and often sinister roles she has made her trademark throughout her career.

So much so that some might think he was the most insanely similar to any of his characters. And this bad label, which stuck to his skin at the beginning of his career, he realized only later, especially with Mallory Knox, the killer character in Oliver Stone’s Born to Kill:

“Born killers were able to intimidate or frighten very pragmatic business people, but not creative people. But I remember working with George Clooney and he jokingly said, ‘Oh, I’ll have to tell my friends it’s you. You’re not crazy.’

I’ve heard this from so many people I’ve worked with. Oh my god, you’re working with Juliette Lewis, is that crazy? This was the 90s, they weren’t asking that about Woody Harrelson. But somewhere in my heart I smile because I got them. I think I played well.”

The actor and singer can boast of having toured with big names in cinema such as Oliver StoneKathryn Bigelow, Robert Rodriguez, Christopher McQuarrie, Todd Phillips, Drew Barrymore, Zall Batmanglij and M. Night Shyamalan.

He owes his great success and important roles to the films Les Nerfs à vive, Gilbert Grape, Born killersThe Basketball Diaries, One Night in Hell and Wayward Pines, I Know This Much Is True and more recently Yellowjackets.

Although he enjoyed the TV experience, especially the Yellow Jackets “Greetings encouraged many in his art and creativity,” Juliet Lewis wanted to return to cinema:

“I love movies because that’s what I understand best. It’s a shorter commitment. You have one director you’re working with. I grew up with Oliver Stone, Martin Scorsese, Lass Holstrom, and I really appreciate that collaboration. In television, there’s a lot of pressure, Even from the side of the series creators, it’s run by big companies, sad to say.

Juliette Lewis is returning to the big screen with The Thicket, which will be released in France in March 2025, according to the distributor. But the actor will not stop there, because he has other film projects.

Comments collected by Megan Choquet on September 9, 2024 in Deauville.

The 50th edition of the Deauville Festival will take place from September 6 to 15, 2024.