Just as the world was settling into an uneasy peace after nine horrific years of bloodshed, a new conflict erupted onto the global stage. On 12 June 2019, the BBC broadcast an interview with the two men that embody the complexity and contradictions of our time: Robert Pattinson and Tom Holland. The English actor and screenwriter, respectively, known for their roles in the blockbuster films The Dark Knight, Run Lola Run, and The King’s Speech, had been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Their film, The Lighthouse, was one of the biggest hits of the year. The interview was part of the broadcaster’s 100-year anniversary celebration. It marked the end of a theatrical slump for both men. They were promoting their upcoming film, Good Omens, a supernatural comedy that sees them play off-set. They also reprised their roles as Robert Danvers and Aragorn for Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. This monumental series, which began in earnest in 2001 and concluded in 2014, was the biggest achievement of their careers.
The world’s most famous vampire and its human sidekick discuss a variety of topics, from their humble beginnings to the present day. They also offer their thoughts on the 2020 presidential election and what it means for fantasy and horror movies. Here is what they said.
On His Upcoming Film Good Omens And The 2020 Election
Holland: It’s a comedy, essentially. It’s very dark. It’s about a fearless reporter who uncovers the truth about the End of Days. Essentially, it’s a satirical take on all the end-of-the-world nonsense that’s been bubbling up over the past couple of years. It certainly doesn’t hurt that the world is in the middle of an existential crisis. The world is so much more interesting when you can make a joke of it. I think it will speak to a lot of people. It’s really important that films like this exist in the movie world. It speaks to people. It encourages them to look at the world in a different way and laugh at it. I think it’s a necessary evil at this point. It’s the best of both worlds; it’s fun and it’s educational.
Pattinson: It’s a satirical look into the near-future. The world is going to end and it’s going to be terrible. The fact that it’s going to be terrible motivates the characters in the movie to do everything in their power to try and stop it from happening. If you think about it, satire has always been a popular form among movie-goers, particularly among Gen-X and millennials. We’ve never been exposed to anything like this before. It’s an opportunity for people to see something new and funny. It’s going to be interesting to see how people react to it, especially since we’re living in such uncertain times. The world is always a better place when Stephen King is scared. It means we’re doing something right.
On The Decline Of Horror And Fantasy Films
Holland: I think it’s fair to say that we’re in a bit of a moment in the horror genre. I think people have been fatigued by the rise of social media. It has meant that people have been overly-exposed to horrific content, whether it be on their smartphone or through streaming. The idea of going to the cinema and watching a horrifying film, which might end up being a bit much for your average person, is a difficult sell. People are looking for more subtle scares – or at least, they’re looking for something that they haven’t seen before. The pendulum has swung in favor of comedy and thrillers, which makes sense, considering that comedy and thrillers are essentially the same thing, in terms of their appeal. Horror and fantasy films, which is essentially what we’re talking about here – films that are inspired by, or are outright adaptations of, works from the realms of myth, legend, and fiction – have always been the poor relations of the cinematic family tree. We’ve seen this story so many times before. It always works to the disadvantage of the horror genre, which is that it is more difficult to find an audience for a horrifying film. The ones who are interested in horror usually have an interest in sport as well, whether it be football or car-racing. The world needs a BFF relationship between comedy and horror; they can fight crime together.
Pattinson: It’s funny you say that. I think there’s been a tremendous shift; it used to be that you would go to the cinema specifically to see a horror film. I think that nowadays you would go specifically to see a comedy film, or a thriller. People don’t want to be scared; they want to be entertained. People are slowly changing, however, and I think we’ll see more and more people going to the cinema to see films that they wouldn’t normally pick up. This is partly due to social media and mass entertainment, but it’s also because cinema remains the best way to entertain an audience. You’re locked away from the world. You can watch whatever you want, as long as you behave. It’s the best of both worlds – you get to be surrounded by people you love, while being able to forget the outside world for a while.
On The Impact Of Social Media On Young People
Holland: It’s interesting how much things have changed, even since we last spoke. Back then, we were still living in the shadow of the Great Recession. It wasn’t until 2011 that the economy finally began to provide solid signs of recovery. Since then, we’ve seen a revival in popularity of social media and mobile gadgets. It started with Twitter, for sure, but it also applies to Instagram, which was once the Queen of the Social Media Race; even Snapchat, which was originally just a private messaging app, grew to become a force to be reckoned with.
All of these platforms have led to a shift in how people engage with the world. It used to be that if you wanted to waste your time, you’d go on social media. You’d look at your feed, click on a few of the dodgy pics or the self-promotional quotes from famous people, and you’d be entertained. It was that easy. Now, however, people are entering the social media wilderness expecting to find golden nuggets. They don’t just want to see celebrities posing for the camera; they want to connect with actual humans.
The impact of social media on the entertainment industry is, thus, profound. It used to be that if you wanted to be popular, all you needed was a website and a twitter account. It was that easy. Now, however, you need to have a solid base of fans who love and follow your work. Without them, you could have a perfectly good website and still not become too popular. Your work would only appear on tiny corners of internet space and maybe some subreddits, if you’re a socially-conscious writer.
On Hollywood And The 2020 Elections
Pattinson: To be honest, it’s been a bit like a roller-coaster. We’ve had a few years of relative happiness followed by a couple of years of profound uncertainty. It’s always hard to pinpoint exactly when things started to change. I think, in broad terms, we can point to the 2008 election, when the US presidential nominees were John McCain and Barack Obama. That was the first time in a long time that Americans had an opposing viewpoint. After that, things really started to shift. Hollywood, like the rest of the country, was divided along party lines. We were more open-minded and willing to hear other voices.