YOU TALKIN’ TO ME?

FILM QUOTES POSE AS QUESTIONS. FILM STARS TRY TO COPE.

IN THE CROSSHAIRS THIS MONTH… ASA BUTTERFIELD

You talkin’ to me?

Yes. I’m pretty sure I’m talking to you, otherwise something has gone very wrong.

I suppose you think you’re brave, don’t you?

My instinct is to say ‘no’, but I do think you have to be pretty brave to put yourself out there. With something like Sex Education, that’s a pretty warts-and-all show. So I’d say I’m pretty brave, yeah.

Are you going to bark all day, little doggy, or are you going to bite?

This is a great question. I think there’s a point in time when you’ve got to bark, and you’ve got to show what you’re made of. In this industry, people will take you for a ride if they can, and you have to stand up for yourself – and for other people. Not just for yourself. You’ve got to stand up for people who aren’t as experienced, or people who might find themselves targeted, or taken advantage of.

How much can you know about yourself if you’ve never been in a fight?

I’ve never been in a fight and I feel I have a pretty good sense of who I am. I suppose you don’t truly know until you’ve been punched in the face, but I don’t want to find out.

Do you have an ‘off’ switch? Yes, I’m great at switching off. There’s nothing better. But I’m usually angsty to get back to it after a couple of weeks sitting around watching films and reading books.

Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?

I don’t know if I have. That sounds pretty life-changing and ominous. I don’t think I’m there yet. I might have passed him in the street on a summer day, but, no, I’ve never done the two-step with him.

What’s your favourite scary movie?

Ooh. Oh. You asked me to pick one. Alien is number one, probably followed by… I think Hereditary or It Follows. I’m very excited about They Follow. I thought the first one was genius. I really love that film.

Aren’t you a little short for a Stormtrooper? I don’t know, man. I’m pretty tall. Often when people meet me, they’re surprised at how tall I am. I’m probably taller than most Stormtroopers, actually. I’d be the one who bangs his head on the door frame.

Do you have a mixtape coming out?

No, I don’t. I love music, and play a lot of music, and I really should. I don’t know if I would ever post a mixtape. I keep mine quite private. I listen to a lot of songs on mixtape. But I don’t know if I have enough to make more than one mixtape. But I’m building towards it, and when it’s out there – oh! – it’s going to change the world. That said, it’s definitely Spotify playlists now, isn’t it? It hasn’t quite got the same ring.

Is life always this hard, or is it just when you’re a kid?

I don’t think life gets any easier. Life is a series of challenges. The way you navigate and deal with them, it shows who you are.

So what are you afraid of?

Not that much. I’m not scared of spiders or snakes or heights or anything like that. I’ve got no intrinsic fears. My fears are a little more existential. My fears are of being alone, and the whole world burning up. But I’m not going to get too deep in this conversation.

What’s normal, anyways?

I don’t know. I guess that’s the point of the question [laughs]. What is normal, anyway? It’s quite subjective. It’s whatever you make of it. If you want to be normal, that’s fine, and if you don’t, that’s also fine.

Isabel, do you want to have an adventure?

Ey! Oh, wow. Fuck, yeah! I want to have an adventure. I want my life to be fun and exciting. There’s nothing better than an adventure. Working with [Martin Scorsese on 2011’s Hugo] was the most inspirational and educational year of my life. I wouldn’t be talking to you now without him. He’s a genius. He’s also incredibly generous with his genius, and sharing it with people. He took me under his wing, which, at 14 years old, I don’t think I wholly appreciated. But looking back now, I’m like, ‘Wow, I was so unbelievably lucky to have him as a mentor and as a sort of film guru.’ He would give me movies to watch on the weekend, and then we’d talk about them the week after. I was just a kid, so I didn’t have that much to say. But he was just an endless fountain of information and references and inspiration. It was definitely the film that made me fall in love with filmmaking. It was special.

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QUESTIONS TAKEN FROM: TAXI DRIVER, THE PRINCESS BRIDE, RESERVOIR DOGS, FIGHT CLUB, DEADPOOL, BATMAN, SCREAM, STAR WARS: EPISODE IV – A NEW HOPE, BLACK PANTHER, LEON, CREED, FORREST GUMP, HUGO