David Cronenberg on Viggo Mortensen's fake nose and Michael Fassbender in A Dangerous Method
David Cronenberg: These people were incredibly intellectual and charismatic and articulate. They were also very passionate. And their passion came through their articulation and their theories and their abstract thoughts. And really quite fascinating people. And a fantastic story.
It was a mentoring relationship. Jung thought of Freud as his father figure. And in fact, called him that many times in letters and so on. And so it was very intriguing to me to come across a story about Freud and Jung that also involved a woman who until the 1970's was very little known. Named Sabina Spielrein. A Jewish-Russian woman, who was a patient of Jung's. With whom he had an affair. And then under his tutoring became interested in psychoanalysis. And then ultimately became a Freudian annalist and went to Freud. So there was a strange manage-a-trois. Not that she had any sexual relationships with Freud. But still there was love in each part of the triangle, including between Jung and Freud. There was an incredible affection and friendship between them. And Sabina was sort of in the middle of that.
David Cronenberg on Viggo Mortensen:
Viggo is fearless. Once he's committed to do a role, nothing will stop him from doing it immaculately and with great depth.
David Cronenberg on Viggo Mortensen's make-up:
It's Stephan Dupuis who won an Oscar for my movie The Fly that many years ago and his worked with me many times. And every morning he would cook up a new nose for Viggo. A Freud nose. But it's incredibly subtle. It's not an exaggerated thing. It's just enough to make Viggo not quite be Viggo. And for an actor that's a gift as well. It allows him to disconnect from himself, his own physiology. And to become another person.
David Cronenberg on Michael Fassbender:
I really felt that Michael was a gift, you know. Because, once again, you need someone who, with that mustache, with the glasses, feels like Jung as we know him from at least still photographs of the period. And his bearing. And his use of language. And Michael was... I think it's really a magnificent, beautifully subtle performance that will, well, you hope people will recognize, the range that Michael has.
