Rodrigo Santoro as Carlos, serves up drinks and admonishment to poet Dylan Thomas (Rhys Ifans), in ... [+]
Rodrigo Santoro plays what may be the world’s most irresponsible and vindictive bartender in Last Call, a drama about the denouement of noted Welsh poet and writer Dylan Thomas.
Told (mostly) in black-and-white and starring Rhys Ifans in a tour-de-force performance, the drama is the brainchild of Steven Bernstein (Decoding Annie Parker). The film, inspired by events in the poet’s life, unfolds in New York City in 1953, on what would become Thomas’s final tour. Faced with mounting debts and hungry mouths to feed back home in Wales, the brilliant but alcoholic Welshman needs this whirlwind gig more than ever before. His addiction to booze and starry-eyed young women—many of whom are the fans who pack his college hall presentations—get the best of him.
On the night of Nov. 3, at the local White Horse Tavern, Thomas downs 18 double scotches, naming each after a life experience. As the poet becomes more and more intoxicated—thanks to the tavern’s indulgent bartender, Carlos (Santoro)—Thomas’s fantasies, memories and an uncertain future blend into a wild, surreal farewell. Whether Thomas actually drank that many shots is unknown, even though he made that claim when he returned from the bar to the infamous Chelsea Hotel. What is certain is that the 39-year-old poet fell into a coma within hours and died six days later of what was determined by a coroner to be pneumonia, brain swelling and a fatty liver.
Though the poetic-like dialogue of Last Call is all Bernstein’s, the script is infused with clips of Ifans (embodying Thomas) reading passages of his most famous works, notably Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night, in his unique, powerful style. As Carlos, Santoro too recites lines from notable scribes that chip away at Thomas’s inflated ego.
Besides Ifans and Santoro, Last Call also stars John Malkovich (who also serves as a producer), Zosia Mamet, Romola Garai, Tony Hale and Philip Ettinger. Releasing through K Street Pictures, Last Call arrives in select theaters Wednesday Nov. 25.
Reached at his grandfather’s farmhouse on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, where he and his family are enjoying a two-week vacation, Santoro, best known for his roles in the sword-and-sandal films 300 and 300: Rise Of An Empire, and the hit HBO series Westworld, spoke about his involvement in Last Call and how filming has changed during the pandemic.
Angela Dawson: What was your attraction to Last Call?
Rodrigo Santoro: I read the script on a flight from L.A. to New York. In fact, I read it twice. It was fascinating to me. It not only is a film about poetry, it is very human. It’s about language. You have Dylan Thomas, who’s not only a poet, but he’s seduced by his own voice and himself. He has all those young female fans and this relationship between an icon and the public, which is a metaphor too for the world I live in—the entertainment business.
Carlos is such an enigmatic character. At first, he represents this opposite way of thinking, sort of like the beatniks—(Jack) Kerouac, (Allen) Ginsberg—those guys who were more in touch with what was happening, more realistic. There were so many references—I think Carlos quotes at least 20 writers. He had so many quotations that I thought, “This is a really deep dive into literature and I love it.” I loved everything about it.
I talked to my agent who told me that Rhys Ifans was going to play Dylan. I thought that was awesome. I love him. And he told me that (John) Malkovich was going to play his doctor. So, I thought, “This is a no-brainer.” I thought if I had an opportunity to play this part, it would be great. Originally, it wasn’t written that the bartender was Latin. This was a couple of years ago when we weren’t (publicly) discussing ethnicity like we are now.
I remember having a conversation with Steven Bernstein, our writer/director, about the part. I reminded him that I’m Latin and I have an accent. I’ve always been careful. I don’t want to play a character that’s a stereotype in any way. I think the character of Carlos is so interesting the way he is that I think it’s going to be a loss for the film if they make adjustments because the character has an accent and looks how I look. So, I was very direct with Steve; and he was great about it. He said he didn’t give a damn if I had an accent or how I look. He said, this is the character and this is the conflict. He’s an antagonist. This is the way he thinks. This is what he stands for. This is what he represents. I just need an actor that can play that. I said, “Thank you.”
I was more excited about it than I was before. I said, “Let’s just get it started and do it.” It was great. My relationship with him was fantastic.
Rodrigo Santoro engages Zosia Mamet in a dance of seduction in an attempt to warn her of the power ... [+]
Dawson: Was the tango you and Zosia Mamet do in the film in the script from the outset or was it added when you came onboard?
Santoro: I read the sequence with the tango, and we had talked about the Latin theme. He explained to me the metaphorical meaning of the sequence. You know I’m from Brazil. The tango is Argentinian. So, I didn’t even know how to tango. We got a coach. The reason Steve wanted a tango is because it’s a dance about seduction. The meaning of this is that Zosia’s character Penny is completely seduced by Dylan. She’s blinded by his persona. What Carlos is doing is saying to her, “You’re going to fall for something that is not real.” This is the world of seduction.
People seduce each other because they want something from you. They seduce you through charm, through money, sexuality and so on, so it was using the dance—yes, it’s Latin—but there was nothing superficial or stereotypical about it. Rather, it was quite the opposite. It was using the essence of the dance that tells a story of seduction, and all the steps are about that. It’s beautiful to represent a big metaphor of what the world is about.
That young girl is completely blind because she wanted to be close to that famous guy. She didn’t even know who he was because she can never know who he was. He’s so famous and so original that all she’s going to get close to is the persona of what he represents.
Dawson: Once you reach a certain level of fame, how do you know if people are accepting you for yourself?
Santoro: He doesn’t know; she doesn’t know. It’s complex, in that way. L.A. is a great example. A lot of people are in Los Angeles for the entertainment business and are trying to have an opportunity. They mean well. It’s all they want—to fully achieve their goals, their desires, their dreams. They go there for that reason. You go to a party and you never know what’s what and who’s really your friend. Is what they’re telling you real? It could be a lie. But this is just a metaphor of how the world is. It’s not unique to the entertainment business; it’s everywhere. It’s everyone. It’s how we live. It’s society.
Dawson: You recently returned from filming. How was the shoot? Did you stay in a bubble?
Santoro: The project was almost tailor-made for this situation. I think you have a show in the U.S. called In Treatment with Gabriel Byrne. It’s the version of that show here in Brazil. My friend plays the Gabriel Byrne character. He invited me to play a kind of supervisor, the psychotherapist that comes to help him. He said, “It’s going to be me and you. Perfect distance. All the protocols at the biggest studio we have in Brazil.” So, I was like, “Let’s do it.” We had a very small crew. They were all covered (in PPE) and we tested every two days. We did everything we needed to do, and it wasn’t as complicated as I thought it would be. It wasn’t as scary. Is it the same as it used to be? Not at all.
On top of the pressure that we have in this business just to get things done in one day and accomplish your schedule and play your part, there’s another layer. It’s like a middle layer of being careful. When you cut, you’ve got to put the mask on. So, there’s a technical/practical aspect that makes your brain work a little harder and, at the end of the day, you’re a little more tired because of that.
On the other hand, it felt great to be able to work. I finished and then got here (to the farm) two days ago. Nothing happened to anybody on set. Everyone’s healthy. It felt a little bit like we were on a mission. We were kind of like guinea pigs. We’re not soldiers but, at the end of the day, it felt great to be able to do it and to understand that it’s possible to do it. We’re going to keep living. We have to adjust and reinvent ourselves and take care of each other more than ever, which I think is a positive thing.
