In the film “Raymond & Ray”, available on Apple TV+, Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke play half-brothers bound by a difficult father. Meet.
In the comedy-drama Raymond & Ray, Ethan Hawke and Ewan McGregor star in the role of half-brothers bound by a temperamental father. At his death, the two men will rediscover each other. Meeting with the director and screenwriter Rodrigo Garcia and the two stars of the film.
AlloCiné: How do you identify with Ray and Raymond?
Ethan Hawke: What I love about Ewan’s character, Raymond, is his boundless optimism. He knows how to motivate himself to always look on the bright side of life. He refuses to see the negativity in life. I identify with this because I always seek to be positive. Sometimes, however, this can be a problem because too much positivity can put you out of step with reality.
We must therefore manage to find a balance between too much and not enough optimism. My Ray character only sees life in black. For him, everything is false and everyone is lying. I can sometimes identify with this feeling. But again, I choose the positive side of life
Ewan McGregor: Ray, played by Ethan, has a visceral fear of failure. At one point, he admits that one of his big fears is performing in public. I can identify with that, not necessarily with my job as an actor but on other levels. I admire Ethan’s many talents as an actor, poet and writer. I don’t know how to do anything other than my job as an actor, even though I’ve been behind the camera twice as a director.
AppleTV+
Still, I wish I could put my fears aside a bit more to do something else and move on. I kind of have this voice in my head that holds me back: “But why do you think you can do this?”. My goal is to get rid of this voice in my head!
Rodrigo Garcia, screenwriter and director: I identify with both because together they represent both aspects of my personality. Like Ray and Raymond, I sometimes lie to myself. Sometimes I pretend everything is fine when everything is bad and vice versa. I really put 100% of myself in this film and in these characters. I took great pleasure in writing this script even if it is never easy to write about yourself.
Rodrigo, tell us about your inspiration for tackling the theme of family, which is a recurring subject in many of your films and series?
Rodrigo Garcia: There are so many different family types that I would never have the time to fully explore all the variations and complexities. Especially since today, the family is not necessarily made up of people with whom you have blood ties. What interests me is to study everything that forms a family, this invisible cement, these indestructible bonds even if they are sometimes explosive and chaotic. For better or for worse, we sometimes have to deal with family relationships that are difficult to manage.
Sometimes the things that seem to destroy you build you up.
What is your definition of the notion of family and what do you want us to remember from this film?
Ethan Hawke: What I like about Rodrigo García’s film is that it doesn’t give a clear definition of what a family is. It gives you more of a meditation session on what family can mean, and more importantly what it means to you. Because this notion is different from one family to another, from one individual to another. We are all so complex.
One can be an incredible person in society and a deplorable parent in the family nest, for example. This film is a look at tolerance, at the acceptance of others and not at forgiveness. What I like about this film is that it asks all these questions without really giving the answers. The answers are within you, and it’s up to you to find it. Life has never given me definitive answers and it seems that we always have to improvise our lives.
Like Ray and Raymond, we never really know what tomorrow will bring and where we are going. Sometimes the things that seem to destroy you build you up and vice versa. You must always be vigilant with your existence and know how to make the right choices.
AppleTV+
Ewan McGregor: I agree with this view of things. The notion of family is something unique for each of us. There is no single, precise definition. Accepting that it is like this makes life even more beautiful for me. There is no perfect family just as there is no perfect life. Everyone does the best he or she can to find their way and lead their life with a delicate balance between failures and successes.
Raymond & Ray is available on Apple TV+.