Exclusive: Nobody 2 director Timo Tjahjanto on trying to keep up with workhorse Bob Odenkirk and Christopher Lloyd’s spryness

Nobody 2 is now reloaded, cocked and shooting under the direction of Timo Tjahjanto, who is stepping in for the first film’s director, Ilya Naishuller. Bob Odenkirk returns as Hutch Mansell, the mild-manner family man who keeps his past as a government assassin under wraps. Connie Nielsen is also returning as Hutch’s wife, Becca, as well as Christopher Lloyd as Hutch’s father, a retired FBI agent. It was also announced a couple of months ago that Sharon Stone would be playing the main villain of the sequel.

Tjahjanto’s previous credits include May the Devil Take You, The Night Comes for Us, May the Devil Take You Too, The Big 4, and segments of the anthologies The ABCs of Death, V/H/S/2, Portals, and V/H/S/94. With Kimo Stamboel, he also co-directed the films Macabre, Killers, and Headshot. He is now promoting his new release, Netflix’s The Shadow Strays, and our own Chris Bumbray got to talk to him about working on Nobody 2. Tjahjanto proclaimed, “I underestimated just how crazy Bob Odenkirk is! Honestly, Bob is a 61-year-old man and his dedication and the training that he undergoes…man….like, I’m embarrassed. I’m significantly younger than him and I get tired by the time we are shooting.”

He continues, “Hollywood schedules are relentless! I thought, ‘More money, more time.’ It’s nothing like that. It’s this crazy gauntlet of heavy scenes. Bob is a beast. I think you’re gonna like it. All I can say right now is that the theme is ‘family,’ and that’s what we’re trying to keep in mind while making this sequel.”

When the subject of Christopher Lloyd came up, Tjahjanto had this to say about the veteran actor, “Man, he is the funniest guy ever! Honestly, I was so worried cause he’s like…you know, [he’s] in [his] twilight age. But I’ve never seen an 85-year-old man having so much fun! He hasn’t lost any of his spark. I see the same guy playing Doc Brown and all that stuff. His improvisation and his ad-libbing skills are off the charts. When you’re dealing with an elderly actor or a senior actor, you think you should be more delicate, but not with him. I had fun with him. He’s gonna be great as well.”