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Babel Press Conference
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When the film was shown in Cannes, the actors had not seen the film until the very last minute, or they saw it actually in Cannes. I would assume that by now all of you have seen the film. Had you read the entire script before you signed on? Had you any idea of what your part was going to be part of?
Brad Pitt
I'll take that one. Yeah, absolutely. Reading a film in print on a piece of paper, does it end up exactly the final result? And this one, from my early conversations with Alejandro-who spoke probably a year and a half ago exactly along these lines. And the movie itself now is exactly as he talked about what would be what he was after. And that, I think is a great achievement. It's not so about anyone speaking, anyone saying what it's about; it's this undercurrent to the film, and I think that's where it's most successful. But yes, I had read the entire thing and understood a piece of the puzzle. I believe each of us would be playing and wanted to be a part of that, I guess, the overall statement that the film was trying to get across.
Adriana Barraza
In my case, I was fortunate enough to have read it. I read first my part and then I read the entire script. I agree with Brad: one reads and then expects the actor, having talked to the director and met him, you really want to see where it's going, where your part is going to go, where it's going to end up. And in my experience of working with Alejandro, it always surprised me when I sat down to see my own performance, because I don't recognise myself. And I think that Alejandro is capable of getting really special things out of his actors. In my case, it's about trying to get to know and investigate and research and always take it a little further and to bring it closer to the heart.
Question in Japanese...
Rinko Kikushi
Because I know that Alejandro is known for reading a different kind of story than the film. And so when I read the script, I said, “Okay!” And I read it as one of the fans, not as an actor, first. And then I found out when reading it that my role is to think about what his background was in the story and how he was too. And that was because it was short, but it was more important than anything for me to imagine what exactly the guy is, before all this time. And this guy, I was so proud being able to work with Alejandro-San. And yesterday it was my third time seeing the film… and I felt so emotional. The feeling was going up and down and toppling. So like every time I see the film it's really in me more, heavier and heavier. .. Thank you.
Question in Japanese...
Rinko Kikushi
I was asked to present this role to the audition, and Alejandro was not giving me any rest, part of this Japanese part. And probably that was his intention, because I only wanted to concentrate on my part and not say too much. He wants me to be natural, he wants me very straightforward for my own role, my part.
So I was quite surprised when finally the film was made and then I've seen it, and then I said, “Oh, this is how it was ….that was how my role was!” Probably because he doesn't want me to think too much complicated of all these things too much. He just simply wanted me to play the role of Chieko. And looking back, I think that that was really very clever of him, and I am very thankful for that.
So let's talk about the casting, then, all of you here. The film combines …and also non-actors involved. So in the place of the part that Rinko finally got, rumour has it that you had toyed with the idea of having a non-professional actress who possibly will step in lieu as discussed in the part. Do you think that's true? And did Rinko have to work at learning sign language in order to convince you to give her the part?
Alejandro González Iñárritu
Yeah, I went to Japan one year before I did casting, and I was obsessed to get like a real depth, major depth. And I went to different schools to cast, a lot of them. And I couldn't find someone that really was close to the spirit that I was looking for. And there were several problems with them, because they hide them a lot. It's not very easy to arrive there and to met with them, by a society that sometimes is a little hectic with them, I would say.
And then one evening Rinko appeared, and I had a reading with her, and I was completely surprised and moved. And then when I find out that she was not there, so I was really disappointed! “Oh, she would be great!” But she was there. But I had her here, and I went back and started re-production, but I couldn't take her out of my head. And I kept reviewing a lot of tapes. While I was shooting in Morocco and Mexico the casting team were seeing more children but I was saying, “I want Rinko! for that, okay! And ultimately there's only one Rinko in the world, you know! She is for me!”
And incredibly, when I arrived in Japan, she has by herself without me or anybody promise her the role, by herself she do all these … classes of sign language. And the first reading again that I did with her, I was just like, you know, with my open mouth like “This is! I mean, I can buy that.” And the reason I was trying to be obsessive, I didn't want to hurt the sign language side of it. In the beginning it was her, but I talked with several members of this community, and I explained why. And I explained that art is about transformation. And they got it. And they respect her a lot, and they were really proud that she would with a lot of dignity represent the sign language. She made it. And I would have to say how brave and how-that what I call the obsession, and the professionalism to want to play the role. I have never seen that kind of commitment with some personal goal. And that really blew me away. And I think it's one of the best decisions that I have made in my film career, to have her in that...
 Question in Japanese...Rinko Kikuchi
You know, of course I had seen his films. And then I thought that when I heard this, that he wanted to make a film, that then I thought to myself, this will be a once in a lifetime chance, so I mustn't miss it. And I don't know how I got that energy, but I thought that, you know, I was really obsessed, as you said, that I have to take it. And so that he just told me: “Oh yeah!” It was a year-long period of time for me to learn the sign language … Oh, but then it was worth doing it, and so I'd really like to thank you, taking this opportunity.
Alejandro González Iñárritu
Not only actors were not professional people, who were not professional actors, were people who sometimes had never seen a camera in their lives! And I'm referring particularly to the kids.
Brad Pitt
They were really not that good! {laughter} No, I was so surprised how easily… And of course you've got to credit Alejandro with great casting, but like the kids and people who in the village we filmed-in, for example, a lot of the characters were cast straight from the village. And how easily they picked it up and understood what they were trying to get across. And even with the language barriers and… And I was just really surprised. And I mean, it took me down a notch. Incredible.
But it's a credit to the film as well, because I have a hard time distinguishing who is a so-called `seasoned actor' and who is a first-time actor. And it gives me a bit of a laugh!
Alejandro González Iñárritu
I want just to add something about this. I think that for me as a director this has been the most challenging experience that I have had, to have all these non-actors. Because directing actors is difficult, even actors in another language is even more difficult; but directing non-actors in a language that you don't understand, that's the greatest thing that you can possibly think about! And seventeen days before we start shooting, before Brad and Cate arrived, I didn't have one single actor. They didn't know that, but I was very close to cancelling the film! And I was just desperate trying to get these people out of the town, because most of the old actors in the industry in Morocco, … to the end of …. so proper, so they have these bad habits. They didn't have the right scheme of people from the desert.
So I turned two days. We went to the mosque. From there we have the speakers. They put it in line. We announced that there was a film. We film like one thousand people. You know, I was with a scene casting then reading the people that I was finding interesting. For example, the guy Anwa, who is the guy who helped Richard and Susan, he arrived at the office after he'd bought a computer. He was a computer system guy asking me for a job. And I saw him, I felt that he was great. And the kids, the Moroccan kids, we bonded in Pandua, which is a little town. They were playing football. They were very humble. The town that they live doesn't have electricity at all. They have never seen a camera. This is just such a…
I said to the little kid, I said, “Okay, I will give you one try and you will just respond without words, okay? And you will be…” So I was saying to him, “You're just going to respond with gestures and your eyes.” I said, “Well, Moroccan football team has just won the World Cup soccer!” and he was like “Yeah!” And then I said, “You know, your mother has just died.” The guy began to cry, and all the eye full of tears, and all of us, all the casting department, people playing people, he was the most near! And I said, “I want that guy.”
So that's why you wanted… The father of these kids was a carpenter. He's a carpenter from out of Betz. And he has a very, extremely wide range, emotional at scenes. And it was really fascinating for me. It was challenging, difficult. And I have to say that without Brad and Cate's patience I would never survive this. You know, I think that we were in this room with a veterinarian, who would stitch up after Cate, and she was a real military …..guy! Right! And his … was not so good, but I could tell that he came from some broke surgery! And, you know, in tape Number 73 I was just begging the guy “Just don't look to the camera,” you know, and it was perfect. He looked to the camera and it's fine! And it was like…!
So, you know, we survived that. But I had to have the partnership of Brad and Cate, your sweet patience in taking Number 73. And that was great. But that combination of great actors with non-actors, staff, right, and they're so fantastic. And I would do it again, definitely.
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