Talking With The Cast Of TranscendencePosted by Julian Roman
April 16, 2014
Johnny Depp and Morgan Freeman return to theaters this weekend in the science fiction drama, Transcendence. Depp stars as Will Castor, a scientist on the verge of a breakthrough in artificial intelligence. He’s fatally wounded by an anti-technology terrorist group led by Kate Mara. Will’s wife, Evelyn (Rebecca Hall), and best friend (Paul Bettany) decide to upload his consciousness into the computer system. The result is a being that seems like Will, but begins to grow exponentially. Amassing extraordinary power and terrifying Evelyn with its abilities.
Transcendence is the feature film directorial debut of Wally Pfister, a famed cinematographer that worked primarily with Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception). Transcendence is also the first screenplay from writer Jack Paglen. Warner Brothers invited BlackFilm to a press conference with the cast and filmmakers a few weeks ago. It was a lighthearted affair where everyone seemed to really enjoy each others company and the experience making this film. Check out below some excerpts from Johnny Depp, Morgan Freeman, Rebecca Hall, Paul Bettany, Kate Mara, Director Wally Pfister, and Screenwriter Jack Paglen.
When Will becomes an image on the computer screen, did you feel a little bit like Max Headroom?
Johnny Depp: I did feel a little bit like Max Headroom. (laughs) I guess the worst part is that I liked it. I liked being in my little dark room. They were on the other side and we couldn’t talk. We couldn’t find each other sometimes. It’s all done between video tape and sound.
Johnny Depp: I essentially think that this film is about a man, chosen by God, to grow a long beard, with a few insects, a couple of animals, know that the rest of the world will be slaughtered. But the animals will come to him and fall asleep. (laughs)
That’s another movie…Noah?
Johnny Depp: Oh…yeah. Oh…No…ahh! I was in that one as well. I played Russell Crowe. That beard was a bitch too. (laughs)
Your character seems to age backwards once he’s in the computer.
Johnny Depp: That’s Benjamin Button…I was in that too as Brad Pitt.
What are your thoughts on artificial intelligence?
Johnny Depp: Well, I have no intelligence. I’m looking forward to gaining something, artificial, superficial, super duper, like some of the names of these Chinese TV shows; Super Happy Fun Hour Cowboy Time. I did that. (laughs) I thought there was something very beautiful to Wally’s [Pfister] idea. The disintegration of the character, then to slowly watch him grow out. It was well researched by Wally, the progression. Once he’s inside PIN, he can become anything. One of the things that I hope comes across is that he got brighter, chippier, a younger version of Will. He became the will that Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) wanted to see.
Can you talk about your recent trip to China promoting the film?
Johnny Depp: Yes, Super Happy Fun Hour Cowboy Time! It was an amazing experience on a cultural level. Constant information, something new, something different, everywhere you looked. I found a real warmth, the people were very sweet, very welcoming. It was quite a turnout that we had. A lot of strange things went down that I’d rather not talk about ever again in my life. (laughs) Transcendence comes out to four Chinese characters. They had these boys, quadruplets, with those characters shaved in their heads and then they brought them out on stage with me. I’m pretty shy. I tend to run when those things happen. Little boys with their heads shaved in the name of a film. That scares me a little. I was book ended by these incredible hairdos. Scientists would have to figure out how they did it. Yes, China was a great success. (laughs)
Watching the film, the idea of Frankenstein came up. Your character gets to be Dr. Frankenstein and the monster as well. Did you or the filmmakers get any inspiration from that?
Johnny Depp: I didn’t. I wish I had because it would have been a brilliant thing to say. I’ll probably say that the rest of the day, but to you people I will admit that I never gave it any thought at all. But in an hour and a half, it will be the whole basis for my performance. Thanks for that.
Wally Pfister: I think there were some comparisons made. It wasn’t a part of my thought when making the film. But I will throw that to Jack [Paglen, screenwriter]. Was that something in your mind when crafting the screenplay…
Jack Paglen: Yes, Frankenstein, as an archetype, absolutely was there. There are many stories like that. I was aware and re-read many of them.
This is your first screenplay. How does it feel right now?
Jack Paglen: Unbelievably cool!
And Wally, this is your first directorial effort. How does this make you feel?
Wally Pfister: Unbelievably cool! (laughs) It’s thrilling, just look at this. Pinch me.
Johnny, do you consider Will to be a bad guy? And your next film to shoot is Black Mass, the story of Whitey Bulger. Who’s definitely a bad guy. What can you tell us about that?
Johnny Depp: When we were doing the film, we made sure to make sure that everything we were doing came together in the right order. Is Will losing it? You can make an analogy to a security guard, who three weeks prior was mowing lawns for a living. Then the second he puts that uniform on, the badge, boing, he’s the man. I imagine all of us have felt the wrath of the overzealous security guy. Is there something lying dormant that’s waiting to be pumped up with that kind of power? Does it reveal him? Does it change him? Don’t know. When Will is growing within the computer, does he see it. Does any bad person believe they are doing bad things? Historically, everyone thinks they have a decent cause. A few were off by quite a lot. Will is dedicated to the cause. But that power, essentially he’s God, he can do anything he wants. I think Will becomes like Che Guevara, he gets too far into it.
Johnny Depp: As for Whitey, and I find it difficult calling him Whitey, I’m going to do a film called Black Mass where I play James ‘Whitey’ Bulger. The reasons to play it are obvious to me. He’s a fascinating character. I don’t think it’s like anything I’ve done before. I’m very excited to slide into that skin for a little bit.
Kate [Mara], what is your take on this technology?
Kate Mara: Shit (laughs). Well, I’ve been without my phone for the past three hours and I’ve been sitting here thinking about it. I didn’t think that I would so reliant on technology, but I understand, a little bit, where Bree’s ideas come from. I fall somewhere in between.
And Rebecca [Hall], what’s your take on technology? This is what your character believes in.
Rebecca Hall: It’s interesting what the film brings up. Technology will be the thing that gets us out of a lot of problems. It’s probably our greatest hope in regards to the environment and disease. But equally will bring us problems that we have no perception or imagination of what they could possibly be at this point. It’s complicated, but whether we like it or, we are becoming more integrated with technology.
Johnny, Will goes too far in his love for Evelyn. Do you have any similar stories that affected you?
Johnny Depp: Yes (laughs). So many things come to mind. I could come up with a forty-five minute doozey for you. But we’d all go to jail. I’ve done horrible things in my life. Things go wrong with me and technology all the time. I’m not familiar with it. And I’m too old school a brain, dumb, to figure it out. Anything I have to attack with my thumbs for any period of time makes me feel stupid.
Is there a line or limit to how far one should go for love?
Rebecca Hall: There is a line. And if I were in Evelyn’s shoes, I hope I would think about the moral ramification about maintaining my husband in cyberspace. But those decisions come from places of grief, so who knows?
Johnny Depp: Wally has spoken to the higher ups, the scientists, the scholars, a great bit of this technology is actually happening. The technology to upload a human consciousness is probably not that far away to be honest.
Rebecca Hall: Yes, it probably will happen whether we think there are lines or not. It’s not if it’s going to happen but when.
Johnny Depp: Agreed, it’s very close.
Paul [Bettany], what is your opinion on this technology?
Paul Bettany: I spoke to a professor at Caltech. He was gratifyingly called Christoph Koch. A brilliant man, when I walked into the room, he was gratifyingly looking at a human brain while listening to Wagner. (laughs) I’m a blonde actor, not a science guy, trying to make unreal things seem real. What is the truth of this? How farfetched is this? He said, thirty years. But, you’re talking about immortality. He said yes. It is a terrifying thought that scientists are unified in the opinion that we are on a collision course with technology and the next stage of our evolution will involve machinery.
Wally Pfister: Continuing on this, one of the questions I asked in my research, was that if you upload a human’s conscious into a computer; will it have emotions, a soul? Overwhelmingly they said yes. If you’re taking every neuron, every synapse for those neurons, transferring from this hard drive to another, in theory it should contain those. One of the things I found the most fascinating is that there is interpretation. Whoever is doing the upload, the programming, will have an effect on how that information goes to the machine. That gives the gray area that this film discusses. That’s what we’re hoping to do in this movie is to create ambiguity. Is this machine malevolent or benevolent?
Johnny Depp: As Rebecca was saying earlier, if this technology existed, and her character Evelyn is given that split second moment. We are all capable of answering that question for ourselves for the person we love. Would you be married to a hard drive.
Rebecca Hall: Yes, how much are you willing to do before you lose the human. Is integrating with machines the next step?
Johnny Depp: And then you have the question of technology becoming obsolete. Maybe Will Castor in fifteen years time is in some weird room in Vegas and people are plugging quarters into him. Who still has a mini disc or laser disc player? It’s obsolete.
Morgan [Freeman], do have input on this discussion?
Morgan Freeman: The question for me is the chemistry of life. It seems not be considered in this whole equation. When you look in the eyes of a beautiful woman and fall in love, what happens if you’re uploaded? You no longer have the chemistry of life. What do you have? If anyone can answer that one for me.
Wally Pfister: Exactly, it can lead to desperation. Evelyn is desperate to have some part of her husband, who’s dying, remain. That’s what driver her. But then there becomes a point of desperation with Will in the machine. He’s doing whatever he can to connect to her. But we don’t know if this machine is really sentient or not. He measures her hormones, which is an attempt to reach her, but to us and the audience, that’s frightening. That’s what we really have to think about here. Is this machine sentient or not?
