Casey Affleck on Blonde in Venice: “It’s amazing”

Casey Affleck, who presented the film out of competition at the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday Dreamin’ Wildpraised the most anticipated film of this edition, Blondewhich premieres today: “It’s incredible,” he said.

Affleck, who is a friend of the director of Blonde, Andrew Dominicever since they worked together on The murder of Jesse James by the cowardly Robert Ford (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford2007), told a press conference that he has seen the film about Marilyn Monroe twice.

The actor recalled that it took Dominik a long time to make the film – “That’s the way he is,” he said – but he finally finished it, it stars Ana de Armas and it is “an amazing and wonderful film.”

Affleck was accompanied by the director of Dreamin’ WildBill Pohlad, and some of his co-stars: Beau Bridges, Zooey Deschanel, Walton Goggins, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Noah Jupe.

A film that tells the story of the brothers Donnie and Joe Emerson, who recorded an album, Dreamin’ Wild in 1978, which became a hit on a reissue in 2008.

“I’ve already had my share of failure. Frustrated hopes and crushed dreams. I’ve been in a lot of movies that I thought would be great and they turned out not to be,” said the actor who recalled that Jesse James’s film was a flop despite having a good reception in Venice.

“For a time I thought that my greatest achievement was to have been in the lowest-grossing Brad Pitt movie,” he said between irony and fun.

And some of those personal failures, he used to build his character in Dreamin’ Wild.

Affleck plays Donnie as an adult and Jupe takes on the role as a teenager. In the case of Joe, Goggings and Grazer are the ones that give life to the musician in each of the periods.

The filmmaker recalled that at first he wasn’t interested in the brothers’ story because it was too much like Searching for Sugar Man (2012), the documentary about Rodriguez, a 1970s musician who for decades didn’t know he was an idol in South Africa.

But Pohlad heard the music of the Emersons, met them and decided to accept the project. “His story and his music quickly captured me,” he added.

“Donnie Emerson knew his music was good even if it hadn’t been successful. He never gave up and in the end he was right: it was a redemption for him and his family, who always supported him, “said Affleck.