Venice’s Next Big Thing: ‘The Son’ Star Zane McGrath on the Drama’s Emotional Intensity

Among the accessories, Zen McGrath admits to having slipped his finger from the kit son There’s a photo of her much younger, taken on the beach next to a grinning Hugh Jackman.

“I took it because it looked like so much fun,” he says. “I just thought I needed it for myself.”

sonA world premiere in Venice and the continuation of the Oscar-winning directorial debut of Florian Zeller. Dad (and another adaptation of one of his plays), McGrath stars as Nicholas, a 17-year-old New Yorker whose deteriorating mental health begins to affect his deeply loving but painfully helpless family, including his father (Jackman). , mother (Laura. Dern) and stepmother (Vanessa Kirby), whose parents’ arrival and divorce she blames heavily for her depression.

It’s a startling and emotionally painful look at the young Australian actor, who was just 18 when Zeller saved him from Zoom’s time lock to play his lead role, the two meeting just three days before filming began in London.

But the expertly drawn photo of young McGrath, now 20, and Jackman, while a wonderfully unique piece of memorabilia, also offers a somewhat fascinating look at his career thus far.

Because it wasn’t long after the original footage was shot, when McGrath was just 10 years old, he got his first role and the wheels were turned.

As he explains, the McGrath family in the early 2010s: neuroscientist mother Heidi, anesthesiologist father Craig, older brother Gully (Gulliver for short), middle son Zen (“It’s a big secret, but he’s mine second name, actually my name is Augustus”) and his younger brother Vinta (actually Hudson Vinta McGrath) – moved from their hometown of Melbourne to Birmingham, Great Britain mainly because of their mother’s research.

By this time, four years her senior, Heart had already appeared in several Australian TV shows and films, with her auditions and roles only increasing during her stay in England (parts Hugo, dark shadows s Lincoln would come in a row).

“But one day he was offered an independent film about a brother and his little sister,” says McGrath, speaking from Melbourne (they moved a few years later). “But I think the movie got delayed and he didn’t make it, so he suggested that my younger brother and I audition for the role.”

Neither of the two had acted before, but the producers were so impressed with the brothers that they not only cast Zen as the brother, but also changed the little sister’s gender and gave the role to Vinta (three years their junior).

“So my little brother and I worked together on our first project and as brothers,” he says, adding that to complicate matters, they named the character Vinta Corazón (“I was so confused”).

it was a controversial movie Above, a chilling, hypnotic drama from writer-director Claudia Lios, directed by Jennifer Connelly and Cillian Murphy. While it may not have thrilled the box office, it brought all five McGraths to the 2014 Berlin Film Festival for their world premiere (“I had a great time there, it was a lot of fun,” says Zen). He was soon represented by the London Artists’ Rights Group.

A number of roles followed in the following years, most notably a recurring part on USA Networks’ Jerusalem series. dig up And after returning to Australia, a family comedy Red Dog: True Blood. But McGrath decided to take a break to focus on school.

“I was interested in science and physics and wanted to get grades. I just thought…options,” he says. “My mom and dad always said, always do what you love, but leave it to your choices.”

So, dropping a small guest role on an Australian comedy series. UtopiaDuring his final two years of high school, McGrath turned his back on acting to pursue an education. “But when my mom did, she basically asked me if I wanted to do more auditions and I was pretty sure I did. But I thought it would be a side effect. “

About four months later, when McGrath enrolled in science at the University of Melbourne, the audit son he came. He sent me a tape of himself that he made with his father.

“It was funny because my dad was doing Laura’s job. And it was a very emotional scene,” he says. A week passed and he received an email for a call, followed by a Zoom with Zeller. Another week passed and McGrath received another email, a little more seismic. This time, he said he was the “favorite” for the role.

“So I approached Florian again, the second time I met him, and he basically wanted to check if this was something I wanted to do and he talked to me about the intensity of the role and the possible exposure, and he explained that it wasn’t going to happen. easy, he says. “It was pretty weird and almost a joke, because I was actually employed by Zoom without having officially met anyone. And I haven’t officially seen anyone for two more months.”

When filming began in London in the fall of 2021 (where an entire New York apartment was built at the studio), McGrath underwent voice training sessions to improve his American accent and met Australian Jackman (again, via video call). He also did his own research, first looking immediately Dad (which he says is “such a beautiful movie”) and then tries to get under his character’s skin.

“Because of the dark nature of the role, I’ve talked to a lot of people about my own personal struggles and I’ve only talked about what Nicholas is going through and how to empathize with him.”

But even with his research, little could have prepared McGrath for the intensity of what someone suffering from clinical depression does on a daily basis. Between takes, he tried to break character and lighten the mood, cracking jokes by moving props and coaxing some assistant directors into some made-up Australian slang. “Because being in charge for so long is incredibly exhausting.”

And at the end of each day, if there was time, he would walk around London or watch TV with his dad (who was with him throughout the shoot), or play Minecraft online with friends. “I played a lot,” he says. “Although it wasn’t very fair because I only played for a few hours a night, then I would come back and my friends would build my base or just destroy everything.”

At times, depending on filming demands, McGrath remained in the deeply troubled character of Nicholas, especially when a particularly brutal scene was filmed over two days in the hospital.

“Because I had to be so nervous and full of anxiety, halfway through I just sat and looked at the floor, no distractions, so I could take it all off,” he says. “It was much harder to get in and out of that state, so I stayed in it for a few hours.”

Although McGrath filmed in the city, he only had one week of filming in New York. But he was there long enough to meet Anthony Hopkins (Oscar winner for Best Actor). Dad And they brought him back to this. son a small but important scene from Zeller). Although the two do not share screens, the director invited his young star to see Jackman’s film with the Welsh icon in New York.

“I remember being a little nervous to meet him because the first time he looked at me, his eyes just shocked me,” she recalls, adding that Hopkins would later impress her and Jackman with his best Australian accent.

McGrath was impressed by the Hopkins scene. son, insists that his “amazing” minutes in front of the camera are likely to “attract attention”. And although you might focus too much attention DadWith the return of Oscar-winner Zeller for a supporting role, plus dazzling performances from the film’s talent trio, a round of applause must be reserved for its lead star, whose fragile and vulnerable portrayal of a desperate teenager. centerpiece of the drama. .

For the first time since Berlin 2014, the entire McGrath family will walk the red carpet together. sonworld premiere in Venice (they had already seen the film at a special screening in Melbourne, according to Zen, his father, who was with him every step of the way, was in tears).

The brothers are now at different stages of their careers. Gully recently finished some Australian shows and is now planning to move to London full-time to be closer to the action, while Vinta can be seen on HBO Max. raised by wolves — Approaching high school graduation and auditions. As for Zen, who says having two siblings also helps create a “self-sufficient ecosystem,” his experience. son fueled his passion for acting.

“It was all a dream project. I understand this is not always the case, but Florian, the other actors and the entire crew were very friendly and welcoming. It was really important for me to be a part of something like this,” he says. “Now I will definitely continue acting and try to do something like that again, especially when I have the opportunity. I love it. “

The science degree is currently “on hold” and McGrath has had several hearings, “and some close calls”, since then. son full. All that could change when the film moves to Toronto and its inevitable awards season begins.

But no matter what and no matter where this exciting young actress’s career takes her, she will always have that incredibly sophisticated beach photo with Jackman. “No one else will get the joy I get from owning this.”