CinemaJK Simmons’ reflections on his character in the film WhiplashActor won the Oscar for playing a merciless and abusive jazz conductor in a New York conservatorytoday at 08:00

For his work in Whiplash: In Search of Perfection (2014), JK Simmons won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. In the film, he plays Terence Fletchera merciless and abusive jazz conductor towards his students at a conservatory in New York. He is responsible for making the protagonist’s life very difficult. Andrew Neiman (Milles Teller).

A decade after bringing the character to life, Simmons spoke to GQ about the main roles of his career. Obviously, Terence Fletcher I couldn’t stay out.

The experienced actor revealed that he felt like he was playing his character in practically every line. He said:

It was one of the most brilliant texts I’ve ever seen. It was one of those things I read and… I don’t know if I was literally shaking, but I could see myself 100% in Fletcher in every sentence, every frame of the film. I understood who that guy was, what he wanted, what he needed and I knew I was the right guy (to play him).”

Simmons also revealed that the director Damien Chazelle I wanted to hire a stuntman with experience to lead a band and let the actor focus on the psychological part of the villain. He, however, dismissed the appeal precisely because he had knowledge in the area.

I looked at him like, ‘Man, I’m a studied musician. I wanted to be the (conductor) Leonard Bernstein. I’m a conductor. So, I’m not going to be an actor who’s just going to gesture with his arms. I’m going to learn these scores.’”

One of JK Simmons’ inspirations

In 2015, close to the premiere of Whiplash in the UK, JK Simmons talked to the The Guardian on the paper. At the time, he revealed one of the inspirations for bringing the abusive maestro to life — his own attitude when he was a teenager.

I was talking to a friend of mine recently. He saw a picture of me like Fletcher in the papers and he said, ‘Wow, man, you’re in good shape! Showing off your weapons!’. I’ve already answered: ‘There’s that bully jock in ninth grade who takes pride and satisfaction in this aspect of his character. That whole macho thing you develop when you hit puberty never goes away.’ Then he said, ‘We all have this ninth-grade bully athlete inside. Hug him.’”

About Whiplash: In Search of Perfection

The plot of Whiplash The protagonist is the young man Andrew Neimanan ambitious music student who wants to become a jazz drummer. However, he is pushed to his limits precisely because of the maestro’s abusive methods. Terence Fletcher.

In addition to JK Simmons and Miles Tellercomplete the cast Paul Reiser, Melissa Benoist, Austin Stowell and Chris Mulkey. In addition to the direction, Damien Chazelle signs the script, based on a short film of the same name also directed and written by the filmmaker.

Despite modest box office numbers, Whiplash: In Search of Perfection it received several positive reviews and was constantly mentioned among the best films of 2014 by specialized critics. The film has a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Collaborated: Augusto Ikeda.