'Asteroid City': Maya Hawke applauds how Wes Anderson 'cut all the fat and ridiculousness' on movie set

Wes Anderson films are known for having a particular look and feel but the actors in his latest movie, Asteroid City (in theatres June 23), including Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Maya Hawke, Bryan Cranston and Jason Schwartzman, are quick to applaud the atmosphere Anderson creates on his set.

“Wes has just sort of cut all the fat and ridiculousness out of the moviemaking process,” Hawke said at a press conference ahead of the film's theatrical release. “So many times when you have a scene partner, you have to establish a bond, you have these chemistry reads and it's like, 'oh we're all going to meet and we're going to talk, and you guys are going to get to know each other.' Instead it was like, 'why don't we just have dinner every night together?'"

“And so often you're on hold when you're doing a movie and so you get brought in and you sit in your trailer, and you wait. Wes has fixed that by, you're just always on hold 100 per cent of the time. But you don't feel like you are because he's taking you out to this magical wonderful place where you get to be ... engaged in other people doing their work."

Hawke reminisced about watching scenes between Johansson and Schwartzman, and sitting next to co-writer Roman Coppola watching the monitor, with other cast members coming by to do the same.

"We were all engaged in the movie as a whole," Hawke said. "It always felt like everyone was lifting each other up and that built chemistry really quickly and easily.”

Johansson added that the "camaraderie" on set is an aspect of working with Anderson that's unique.

“I think one of the things that really touches me about the movie … was how supportive all the performances are of one another," she said.

"Every performance stands out but they make this beautiful sort of orchestra that pieces all together, and that's how it feels on the set.”

Johansson went on to highlight that Schwartzman, a longtime Anderson collaborator, was a "completely available" and "present" scene partner for much of the film.

“It was just like falling into this comfortable pocket and I think that feeling is just very unusual,” Johansson said.

"A lot of time you're on set ... you hear all the time it's all that waiting and downtime, and you lose momentum. This doesn't have that. It's so vivacious and feels so exciting. ... It's just a very unique experience for a film."

What is 'Asteroid City' about?

In many ways, Asteroid City is one of Anderson's most fascinating films, with a maze of details in this particular story told through the vibrant and specific visual landscape.

The film takes us to 1955 in a fictional Southwest desert locale. Families have descended on the town of Asteroid City for the Junior Stargazer convention, including Augie Steenbeck (Schwartzman) and his four children. Augie is a war photographer who's grieving after the death of his wife, but he hasn't told his kids yet.

It's at this convention that Augie meets actor Midge Campbell (Johansson) and her daughter, schoolteacher June Douglas (Maya Hawke), cowboy Montana (Rupert Friend), war veteran J.J. Kellogg (Liev Schreiber), among other characters that occupy the town.

But these events in Asteroid City are actually just parts of a play from playwright Conrad Earp (Edward Norton) and stage director Schubert Green (Adrien Brody), being broadcasted on a TV program. Hosting the TV broadcast is a character played by Bryan Cranston, who guides us between what's happening on stage and backstage.

"Part of what's so beautiful about the storytelling is, for me at least, there's a bit of nostalgia for this time and place," Brody said. "That time in history was a big shift for ... acting and directing, actors like Marlon Brando and James Dean, and directors like Elia Kazan."

"There was a chance to infuse some of that and a love for that, and appreciation for that, which is I'm sure something that Wes appreciates very much as well."

There's something that just feels special about watching a Wes Anderson film, particularly because he's incredibly deliberate in his storytelling.

For Asteroid City, he's very much enticing the audience to dive deeper, be an active participant in this narrative and peel back the layers of this story step by step.

The actual physical world building may be our favourite we've seen in an Anderson film (although there's tough competition), but all the nostalgic, retro elements, so magnificently meticulously chosen, is undeniably appealing work by production designer Adam Stockhausen.

Looking at human emotion and grief, paired with the intersection of art and science, Asteroid City may not be exactly what Anderson fans expect, but it's an expansion of his storytelling that made us want to see the film a second time around. There's no arguing that Anderson very much remains one of our most unique filmmakers.

As Cranston describes it, “We can only take a glimpse into the head of Wes Anderson, we can't live there. That's his domain. So we can only visit."