One of the core components for co-writer Kevin Etten and co-writer-director Tom Gornician in making the comedy adventure Anaconda is getting actors who can face a truly terrifying situation while still keeping things fun.
“Tom and I have done this kind of ‘comedy under duress’ before, in which we take people who are wildly unequipped to handle the situations in which they land. We throw the craziest obstacles at them, and let them be idiots, while letting them play the real fear of the situation. We wanted to stay as far away as we could from winking at the danger and not feeling the stakes, and to feel as real as possible,” Etten explains.
They felt that they truly hit the jackpot with Jack Black and Paul Rudd, with Thandiwe Newton, Steve Zahn, Daniela Melchior and Selton Mello to support them. “Jack, Paul, Thandiwe, Steve, Selton, and Daniela all have such great comedic instincts,” Etten continues. “They always played it real but knew how to tweak that just a little bit to get a big laugh.”
In Anaconda, two best friends, Doug (Jack Black) and Griff “Paul Rudd” throw caution to the wind and venture deep into the Amazon to fulfill their childhood dream: shooting a remake of their favorite film Anaconda. An actual giant anaconda soon makes an appearance, turning their already chaotic movie set into a deadly situation.
Gornician and Etten’s previous work, the critically acclaimed action comedy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent was one of the main draws for Paul Rudd to collaborate with them. “When it was released, I watched that film four times – I was obsessed with it,” he remembers. “It was clever, funny, and unique. Similarly, this Anaconda is layered with laughs, action, and surprises.”
Gornician, in turn, praises Rudd and Black as the perfect duo at the center stage of Anaconda. “Jack and Paul are incredible performers. We wanted to make Jack the straight man and Paul the comedy character, which is a reversal of their regular casting, to see if we could bring something fresh to the table. Jack as the emotional center; Paul as the wildcard. Those two can find the funny in any situation. Made my job much easier.”
Rudd loves the balance of danger and comedy in Anaconda, the two often playing off each other, resulting in hilarious situations. “It’s a tricky thing to balance,” says Rudd, “and Tom always made it very real, except for key moments. It was wonderful for us as actors to feel taken care of in that way. Tom has such clarity of what he’s going for.”
Black agrees, happy to be a part of a movie with such a unique premise. “It’s not just a comedy. It’s an action comedy. There’s a giant snake. The danger is real, and we played that for real. It’s funny, it’s exciting. I love making movies and I love stories about people making movies. I think there’s a big audience for this kind of storytelling.”
At the end of it all Gornician only has one goal in making Anaconda, and it’s to bring laughter and fun to the audience. “My sincere hope is that audiences have fun. It’s a strange time in the world right now, and this film for me is an escape to another place with characters I hope you’ll love. It’s a big-hearted joyride through the jungle that will thrill you and make you laugh in equal parts,” he says.
You’re in for one wild ride as Anaconda makes its way to Philippine theaters on January 8. Anaconda is distributed in the Philippines by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Connect with the hashtag #AnacondaMovie @columbiapicph
