Asteroid City Interviews: Scarlett Johansson, Jason Schwartzman & more

Asteroid City, the latest quirky opus from Wes Anderson, tells the story of a very small town in the middle of nowhere that becomes the epicenter of some rather unusual events. As is often the case with an Anderson film, Asteroid City is unpredictable, frequently absurd, and brimming with amusingly odd characters portrayed by an impressive roster of recognizable faces. 

We were lucky enough to be invited to the Asteroid City junket in NY to talk with some of those recognizable faces, who help steer us through the peculiar particulars of Anderson’s latest: 

Longtime collaborator Jason Schwartzman plays troubled war photographer Augie Steenbeck, who has arrived in “Asteroid City” to support his genius son during a Junior Stargazer convention. Scarlett Johansson plays Midge Campbell, a famous actress who takes preparing for her work very seriously. We spoke to the two about working with Wes, as well as each other. 

Next we spoke to Adrien Brody, also a vet of Anderson’s films, who plays the harried director of the play Asteroid City (you’ll have to see the movie to follow), while Jeffrey Wright plays a no-nonsense general in charge of honoring the attendees of the Stargazer event. Both have some terrific stand-out sequences in the movie, so we talked about the play-like atmosphere of Anderson’s vision, some of Wright’s lengthy monologues, and more.

Finally, we talked to Hope Davis and Steven Park, who play two parents of the Junior Stargazers who find themselves immersed in a very surreal situation. We found out what it was like seeing the film after almost two years of post-production, working with the actors who play their children, and if they’re ready to be permanent members of Anderson’s troupe.

Asteroid City is now playing in limited release and expands on Friday. Read our review here.