Festivals - FCAD 2024 : The Thicket  : Let’s talk with Juliette Lewis and Esmé Creed-Miles

By Mulder, Deauville, Hôtel Barrière The royal, 09 september 2024

At the 2024 Deauville American Film Festival, The Thicket, directed by Elliott Lester, captivated audiences with its dark, atmospheric narrative and strong performances. Based on Joe R. Lansdale’s novel, the film takes viewers on a gripping journey through the harsh landscapes of early 20th-century Texas, where a young boy teams up with a bounty hunter to rescue his kidnapped sister. Featuring standout performances from Juliette Lewis, Esmé Creed-Miles, and Peter Dinklage, the film skillfully blends elements of Western, thriller, and psychological drama to create a unique and tense viewing experience.

The film’s exploration of violence, justice, and survival resonated with festival-goers, as did the richly textured visuals and immersive cinematography that brought the unforgiving Texan wilderness to life. The Thicket stood out for its ability to balance brutal action with nuanced character development, making it a standout entry in this year’s official competition. Following its screening, the audience praised the film for its intense storytelling and the emotional depth of its characters, further solidifying its place as one of the festival's highlights.

We had the opportunity to interview the actresses Juliette Lewis and Esmé Creed-Miles.

Q: Juliette, you play such a fierce and unconventional villain in Cut Throat Bill. What was your initial reaction when you were approached for this role ?

Juliette Lewis: I felt it was a dream part to play because it was so unusual, and I didn't know how I was going to achieve it. The description is that people think she's a man, and she's so savage in her villainy. I really wanted to inhabit something that would make people believe me, so I had to be everything that I'm not, and then some.

Q: Esmé, Lula is such a pivotal character, trapped in a dangerous situation. How did you approach playing someone with so much at stake ?

Esmé Creed-Miles: I don't know. I think my method is quite instinctual. I just try to inhabit the mindset of the character, like in my body and spirit, and then I just learn the lines and do it. I don’t think too much methodically about how I would do something like that.

Q: Esmé, the relationship between Jack (Levon Hawke) and Lula drives much of the story. How did you and Levon build that sibling dynamic ?

Esmé Creed-Miles: We really bonded in a kind of sibling way. We didn’t have a lot of scenes together, but we were in Calgary, so we would hang out. We both have similar interests and bonded over books, music, and films we both liked. That really helps when you have to do a scene where you’re losing someone—you feel the real feelings.

Q: Juliette, how did you prepare to step into the shoes of such a complex, menacing character ?

Juliette Lewis: Wait, I just wanted to say it’s so beautiful what you guys do in every scene you have and how much he adores you as well. You didn’t get to come to the LA premiere, but anyway, we were all singing your praises there. It was interesting because this role came at a very perfect time for me. I felt a little bit beat up by life, you know? We had come out of the pandemic, and I was in a few jobs for very long periods of time. I was aching to come back to the movies because the movies and the way they're shot, with all the pressures that go along with them, are something I understand and are near and dear to my heart. I had been doing several TV shows for a long period of time, so I was really excited to dig into this role. But it was so complicated, so hard. We started with some scarring—we have a lot of external stuff in how we have to present Bill because people have to think she’s a man. Also, the way I behave, I took from people who ride horses for long periods of time—male or female horse riders, people surviving in that time period who were around animals and guns. They have a certain behavior and become one with their animal and with the environment. I really worked hard to try to groove into that and get rid of all my comfortable, domesticated ways.

Q: Esmé, your character endures quite a bit physically and emotionally. Were there any particularly challenging scenes for you to film ?

Esmé Creed-Miles: If I’m going to be honest, the rape scene was really hard. That was really hard. I think we didn’t have a lot of time to do it. There were elements that were improvised, so it felt quite overwhelming. I think women store so much pain around that stuff in their bodies, whether they’ve experienced it or not—which most of us have to some extent. Definitely, our grandmothers have, and our mothers have. So it's all stored in our bodies. Regardless of how safe a set is—which ours was, a very safe and nourishing set—it’s still really hard to go to those places. And for the male actors as well, to be like that, especially when you're improvising, it must be so hard because they were all such lovely guys. So I think for everyone, that was a really hard scene to shoot.

Juliette Lewis: It was our last scene of the whole picture too, so that was extra dark, so much darkness.

Q: How was your experience working with Peter Dinklage? He’s not only acting but also producing the film. What was his influence on set ?

Juliette Lewis: He was a huge influence for me in taking the project as well. The two conversations I had were with Elliot Lester and Peter Dinklage. I was just so taken by his professionalism, his down-to-earth nature, and his talent. He barely has to do much, and you just want to watch him. This whole movie, I loved watching him. He’s so neat to watch, and our one scene together was really special. Without doing much, we knew, because on the page, it’s very little words, but we both knew the tension was all there. I don’t know, I liked that scene very much because you aim for something, and you never know how it's going to turn out, but I liked how it turned out.

Esmé Creed-Miles: I wish I had more scenes with him—that’s how lovely the scenes I did have with him were. I wish there were more of them. He’s such a gentle spirit.

Q: Juliette, did you take any inspiration from Western villains of the past ?

Juliette Lewis: I didn’t. I don't. But I do because, in my early life, I liked to “read” people—I don’t know if you have this expression. One of the things I had an affinity for was very tough, cold men, or almost criminals. I’ve come into contact with many different kinds of people throughout my young life, and early on, I used to imitate gangsters a little bit. So I got to put this feeling of hyper-masculine, brutish, thug quality into Cutthroat Bill.

Q: The Western genre often emphasizes isolation and survival. Did either of you find that playing these roles affected your understanding of the time period and these themes ?

Juliette Lewis: I think I understand how the Western affects the time period and themes because of the hardship.

Esmé Creed-Miles: I think it was a very brutal period of history, both with the natural elements and the way human beings treated each other at the time—quite archaic and lawless. Especially compared to, like, settlers coming from Europe and the UK to the US and the barbaric things they were doing to the people native to that land. When you're making a film like this, there's always this bloody brutality to the essence of the characters because of what they’ve had to go through and do to others to exist in that space.

Q: For both: What do you hope audiences at the Deauville American Film Festival will take away from the film, and from your performances in particular ?

Juliette Lewis: Well, I feel movies are entertainment. Even though they can be sad and triumphant and all these things, I just want people to escape their everyday problems and have an adventure. The ending of this movie really moved me. I hadn’t seen it, and I hope people will love the characters as much as I loved watching and creating them.

Esmé Creed-Miles: I think what Juliette said—you know, it’s about telling stories, about escaping and connecting to things and characters, and that’s it really.

Synopsis:
In Texas at the beginning of the 20th century, young Jack sets out to rescue his sister, who has been kidnapped by a violent killer called Cut Throat Bill. Jack enlists the services of a fearsome bounty hunter named Shorty, the son of a former slave, an alcoholic to the last degree, and a prostitute. Together, they track her down to a place called The Big Thicket.

The thicket
Directed by Elliott Lester
Written by Chris Kelley
Based on The Thicket by Joe R. Lansdale
Produced by Peter Dinklage, David Ginsberg, Chad Oakes, Michael Frislev, Caddy Vanasirikul, Brian O'Shea, Elliott Lester, Shannon Gaulding, Andre L III
Starring Peter Dinklage, Juliette Lewis, Esmé Creed-Miles, Levon Hawke, Macon Blair, Andrew Schulz, James Hetfield, Arliss Howard, Leslie Grace, Gbenga Akinnagbe
Cinematography : Guillermo Garza
Edited by Jean-Christophe Bouzy
Music by Ray Suen
Production companies: Tubi Films, Nomadic Pictures, Estuary Films, Next Production
Distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films
Release date : September 6, 2024 (United States)
Running time : 108 minutes

Photos and video : Boris Colletier / Mulderville