Ryan Reynolds Tries to Fit in Despite Being a Misfit in "The Voices"
Injecting new twist on the serial killer movie genre,
acclaimed graphic novelist Marjane Satrapi helms “The Voices” with a perfectly
pitched cast led by Ryan Reynolds along with Gemma Arterton and Anna Kendrick
in a story so unique about a misfit who walks on a very thin line between being
the protagonist and antagonist.
In
“The Voices,” Reynolds stars as Jerry Hickfang who works at a bathtub factory
and attempts to walk the straight-and-narrow, in spite of his talking pet dog
and cat trying to influence him. When he accidentally kills an attractive woman
from accounting (Arterton), he hastily tries to cover his tracks. But Jerry is
beyond the reach of his well-meaning psychiatrist Dr. Warren (Jacki Weaver) and
Lisa (Anna Kendrick), the only woman he ever truly loved, and spirals into a
world of violence where he ultimately finds salvation.
Director
Marjane Satrapi typically only works on pieces she has written, but “I just couldn’t
put the script down,” she recalls. “I thought that it was an extremely
ambiguous, very unique story. This crazy world of Jerry’s was one of the best
descriptions of schizophrenia that I ever read. I don’t like so much to film
reality because I live in reality. I prefer, when I have the opportunity, to
create a whole world around something.”
“What
Jerry wants in life is to be accepted and to be seen by people as a good
person, somebody worthy of their friendship, but ultimately he is one of the loneliest
guys on earth,” explains Ryan Reynolds of his character, who has no family and
lives above a derelict bowling alley at the edge of a small town in Michigan.
“He is something of a misfit and throughout the course of the movie we find he
has a lot of demons and a lot of baggage that he carries around with him all
day. He strives to be a good person but walks that thin line between
protagonist and antagonist.”
“I
was attracted to the idea that Jerry has these dual natures, the proverbial
angel and devil on his shoulders,” continues Reynolds. “Mr. Whiskers, who is
kind of a Scottish mercenary and the voice of destruction and violence, and
Bosco, who sounds a bit like a dim southern gentlemen that voices kindness and
compassion, are Jerry’s cat and dog, his dueling natures, he listens to each of
them. I don’t think he particularly likes the cat, but Mr. Whiskers serves a
purpose in his life and Jerry’s warped mind keeps him safe.”
Producer
Adam Stone further enthuses on the film’s uniqueness, “It’s not just a
thriller, or just a comedy or just a fantasy,” whose Mandalay Vision focused on
the script when it appeared on The Hollywood Black List three years ago. “It’s
a completely original screenplay that’s not formulaic; you don’t know if you
should laugh or cry, and I love that!” Adds producer Matthew Rhodes, “I love
psychological thrillers and THE VOICES is unique in that it makes you think,
really makes you feel, as we follow Jerry down the rabbit hole and discover he
is not the person he thought he was. He struggles because he doesn’t want to be
evil.”
“The
Voices” will open this June 3 exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas
nationwide. Visit www.sureseats.com for schedules and more
exciting news and promos.
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