Updating
the whole noir idea, Academy Award winner filmmaker Danny Boyle (“Slumdog
Millionaire”) brings together a trio of today’s finest and thrilling actors-
James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson and Vincent Cassel in “Trance,” where betrayal,
moral uncertainty, sexual tension and lurid instincts lurk beneath each of
them.
“Trance”
begins with an adeptly-planned heist at an auction house which goes violently
awry when the auctioneer inside man takes a blow to the head leaving him with
no memory of where the stashed the stolen Goya painting. The story quickly turns into a high stakes
triangle – the painting’s amnesiac thief (James McAvoy), his fearsome partner
in crime, gang-leader (Vincent Cassel), and the alluring hypnotist (Rosario
Dawson) hired to help recover his lost memories – as they all become trapped
together in a brain-bending puzzle of their own making. The more they search for the missing Goya,
the more it becomes clear that what is hidden is not just a priceless work of
art, but fractured fragments of secrets, temptations, and treacheries that all
add up to the truth.
Taking
the role of Simon is James McAvoy, who came to international acclaim from his
previous roles in “X-Men: First Class,” “The Last King of Scotland,” “Wanted,”
and in “Atonement.”McAvoy felt a magnetic attraction to the role. “I was completely blown away by this mind bending, genre bending, psychological heist movie,” he says. “When I auditioned for Danny, he was incredible. I’ve rarely been directed in an audition so interestingly. That made me desperate to get the part. Luckily for me he phoned up and said, ‘Would you like to do it?’ Every day on set has been like that - just discovering this script, which is brave, bold and challenging for a performer.”
Boyle was surprised
by McAvoy. “I thought he might be a bit
young for it, but when we met, it was really interesting because the part makes
him seem older,” the director observes.
“It was fantastic the way he grew into it. I also wanted him to do it with his natural Scottish
accent because I have a real love of the Scottish voice. He tells me that he doesn’t get asked to do
it that often. So that was lovely for
both James and Vincent to use their natural voices. I find myself entirely
addicted to James, who does a wonderful job.
It’s a very complicated part because we’re never sure where his
conscience lies.”
Simon’s confusion
about his own identity, actions and conscience accelerates throughout the film,
building to a fever pitch, exhilarating McAvoy as he took on the role. “Normally, we remember what we’ve done – the
brain does that as a full-time job -- and that’s how we identify and see
ourselves. But Simon can’t remember who
he is properly. He’s had a bang on the
head and something is missing. Things
don’t make sense. All he knows is that
there’s something huge not right in his life.”
Simon’s confusion
about his own identity, actions and conscience accelerates throughout the film,
building to a fever pitch, exhilarating McAvoy as he took on the role. “Normally, we remember what we’ve done – the
brain does that as a full-time job -- and that’s how we identify and see
ourselves. But Simon can’t remember who
he is properly. He’s had a bang on the
head and something is missing. Things
don’t make sense. All he knows is that
there’s something huge not right in his life.”
All of this
internal chaos demanded a highly creative reaction from McAvoy. “It’s a film where you really get to explore
the boundaries of what’s strange and odd,” he summarizes. “All of the situations Simon finds himself in
are slightly off and unexpected, altered in some way. And as he gets closer to his lost memories,
it has huge repercussions for everyone involved.”
“Trance” opens
this May 1 in theaters nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be
distributed by Warner Bros. (PR)
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