From the bitter-cold exterior shoots to the gruelling shifts – shifts prolonged by temperamental weather and the director’s unyielding commitment to realism – everything coming out of Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s The Revenant really underlines just how difficult creating the film proved to be. Not only is the real-life subject matter harrowing in its own right, but the filmmaker’s stylistic approach paints a grim and stark version of the North American wilderness. So how did the cast and crew relieve tension when shouldering such a weighty and intense drama piece? Simple: wrestling.
While promoting his dual performance in Brian Helgeland’s gangster drama Legend, Tom Hardy touched base on The Revenant, and how despite the intensity of the shoot, both he and his fellow leading actors struck up a good rapport with Iñárritu during production.
“When things get a bit too serious, I go, ‘Why don’t we have a cuddle in front of all these people here?’ It ends with both of us falling down in the snow. I think that’s a good thing. If I’m the naughty boy for doing that, then I’d rather be the naughty boy and release that tension.”
Going one step further, Hardy even revealed that the Birdman and Babel filmmaker is unlike any director he’s worked with before – which is quite a few, given Hardy’s resume- and how Iñárritu always has a very clear vision of what he wants to commit to celluloid.
“He’s unlike any director I’ve ever worked with. He sees things how he sees them, so to give him back what he wants is quite an interesting experience. It could drive you f—ing nuts.”
The Revenant will open in limited release on Christmas Day before expanding nationwide on January 8.
Inspired by true events, THE REVENANT is an immersive and visceral cinematic experience capturing one man’s epic adventure of survival and the extraordinary power of the human spirit. In an expedition of the uncharted American wilderness, legendary explorer Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is brutally attacked by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team. In a quest to survive, Glass endures unimaginable grief as well as the betrayal of his confidant John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). Guided by sheer will and the love of his family, Glass must navigate a vicious winter in a relentless pursuit to live and find redemption. THE REVENANT is directed and co-written by renowned filmmaker, Academy Award® winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman, Babel).