Director Alex Garland brought yet another sci-fi mindbender, ‘Ex Machina’, to the screens. The film has artificial intelligence at the core of it, which made its premise a promising one.
Director Garland and producer Andrew Macdonald recently revealed that they not sure about whom to cast in the film. However, they were eventually pushed to consider Jake Gyllenhaal‘s name, as he was a bankable choice for them. But the actor had few needs, which apparently did not work out for the filmmaker duo. Here’s what went wrong.
Why Jake Gyllenhaal Didn’t Get The Role In ‘Ex Machina’
During the Edinburgh Film Festival, Alex Garland and producer Andrew Macdonald were asked about Jake Gyllenhaal’s consideration for a role in their film ‘Ex Machina’.
Revealing the reasons why they had initially considered casting him, Macdonald said, “The sales companies wanted us to cast Jake Gyllenhaal because he was bankable and they could sell foreign territories.”
The producers were aware that Jake’s involvement in the movie would have changed the overall hype but it just couldn’t happen due to the actor’s demands. He added, “I remember having a conversation with Jake Gyllenhaal’s lawyer about his needs. It was never gonna work“.
He also said that Alicia Vikander and Oscar Isaac were the final choices for the film. They both are renowned actors but they didn’t carry enough weight to “raise the money through international sales”.
In case you missed: ‘Road House’ Director Doug Liman Says He And Jake Gyllenhaal “Didn’t Get A Cent” Since Movie Started Streaming Despite 50 Million People Watching It
How ‘Ex Machina’ Ended Up Being A Huge Success
Ultimately, the film got its green signal with the help of Universal International, that already made a film with Issac and Vikander, who backed up the film. Little did they know the film would prove to be a massive success and make heavy profits.
The film’s director called the cast of the movie “young and hard-working and committed” cast and “friendly”. Garland also gave some insight into the dancing scene, where Nathan (Issac) a mad billionaire dances with a human android played by Sonoya Mizuno.
The director revealed that he primarily added the following scene to break the monotony of the film. He said, “The reason that the Ex Machina disco dancing scene exists is because of Never Let Me Go. I thought I had to disrupt what was happening in the film.”
Moreover, he added that he never had any intent behind the dance to “disrupt the tone,” and he voiced that sentiment from the beginning. “I had to seek out to disrupt the tone. And it turned out to be a GIF,” he said.
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