Matthew Lillard teases his part in Mike Flanagan’s first non-horror work,The Life of Chuck.Adapted from Stephen King’s 2020 novellaIf It Bleeds,The Life of Chuckstars Tom Hiddlestonin the title role along with Mark Hamill, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, and Jacob Tremblay. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6 but has yet to receive a worldwide distribution date. Lillard plays a construction worker who finds peace amid the chaos in a world that is falling apart.
Lillard offers some insight toGamesRadar+about his minor role. Though Gus only shows up for a five-minute scene, the actor finds the character “beautiful” becauseGus “packs a whole fistful of humanity” during his limited appearance,teasing the character’s ability to “shift the movie into an emotional place.” Lillard reveals that he was attracted to the film because he resonated with the experience of an outcast, being “what the world needs.” He observed the crowd “laughing a lot” during its initial screening. Check out what he said below:
I play the most rudimentary man ever named Gus. And he’s beautiful. I think he’s funny. I think that the movie opened at Toronto International Film Festival. I had never seen it with a big audience. I’d seen it in a small screening room. We were, I think, all surprised that people were laughing a lot.
And along comes my character, and the thing I love about my character is that he packs a whole fistful of humanity in a little 5-minute scene and it’s work that I’m really proud of. But on top of it, I think it really shifts the movie into in an emotional place. And so I’m excited for people to get to see Gus and live through that movie because I think the movie is sort of what the world needs in a lot of ways right now.
You know, [Mike] and I are buddies. A mutual friend introduced us. We had, like, a traditional sort of Hollywood lunch that went on for 3 hours. You know, that doesn’t happen. And we just got along really well. I feel like both of us came at this because we’re outcasts. In the way that we are more interested in being in the fellowship of other creatives than we are about being successful or famous or whatever.
When I did Life of Chuck, he called up and said, I want you to consider this part. And I’m like, I would do it. I just wanna be in your world. Um, and that started. And within that, you know, I find familiar spirits.
What This Means For Gus In The Life Of Chuck
Gus Appears At A Pivotal Point
The Life of Chuck’s storytells the life of Charles Krantz in reverse, starting from his death at 39 due to a brain tumor to his early childhood. Though King is most famous for his work in the horror genre, the novelist has produced many iconic non-horror works, includingThe Green MilesandThe Running Man.The Life of Chuckbleeds supernatural elements into drama, making it a relatable and memorable story. Lillard’s comment further explainshow Gus is tied to the film’s theme,being a man who shifts perspectives and transforms the story into an emotional space.
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Though his character only has five minutes in the film,Gus plays a crucial part in pushing the story in the right direction.Instead of being flat and forgettable, Gus’s character will be rich and impactful. The actor’s comment also seems to indicate that his scene will serve as a pivotal moment in theStephen King adaptation. As Gus is a construction worker, he will likely appear early in the movie while the world is in the midst of an apocalypse, including sinkholes that are destroying the city the audience will find him in.
Our Take on The Life of Chuck
It’s Unexpected And Emotional
Chuck’s life ends early. Dealing with a terminal disease is also an overwhelming experience. While the film tells a heavy story, Lillard’s comment suggests that Flanagan’s treatment of the story isn’t heavy. Instead, Chuck’s story is filled with humor and meaningful moments. Judging by what the actor says,The Life of Chuckwon’t fail at making a genuine emotional connection with the viewers.The story is ultimately uplifting and a celebration of life, something that will likely be translated on screen.
The Life of Chuckis the horror director Mike Flanagan’s first non-horror film. It’ll certainly contain some horror elements with its inclusion of supernatural occurrences, but it’ll be very different from Flanagan’s past works. The film has already enjoyeda fabulous round of first reviewswith its Rotten Tomatoes score at 85% critical approval.
The Life of Chuck
Cast
The Life of Chuck is a film exploring the life of Chuck Krantz, presented in reverse chronological order.
