(Credit: Wikimedia)
Mon 21 April 2025 21:15, UK
With over twenty films under their belt, the Coen Brothers have made quite the splash, with their films going on to define the careers of their many collaborators. From the likes of Frances McDormand to Jeff Bridges and John Goodman, the directing duo forged a hilarious and deeply cynical worldview through their nihilistic sense of humour and existentialist subject matter.
Whether it be the story of ‘The Dude’ and his journey to find his lost rug or Larry Gopnik and the worst time of his life, the directors continue to entertain through their disarming comedic style and surrealist story elements, infusing dread into the everyday by escalating common misunderstandings to glorious new heights and creating an inescapable sense of anxiety.
While their films have been marked by the presence of many great actors, ranging from George Clooney to Michael Stuhlbarg and Julianne Moore, there is one actor who described his work with the dynamic duo as the role of a lifetime.
While the release of The Man Who Wasn’t There saw the Coen Brothers collaborating with Frances McDormand for the umpteenth time, it was also a very daring project for the directors given that they worked with many new faces and experimented with their traditional visual style, being shot like a film noir with a clean black and white look (thanks to the enduring genius of Roger Deakins).
The story follows Ed Crane, a barber in a small California town who is dissatisfied with his life and finds his circumstances changing when his wife cheats on him and a new opportunity arises. In a surprising turn of events, Billy Bob Thornton stars in the lead role, adding a new layer of nuance to the ironic tragedy that many have interpreted as a queer allegory about someone who is repressing their sexuality.
When asked if he had always been in sync with the Coen Brothers, Thornton reflected on his fond memories of the production and their work, saying, “Yes, absolutely. I mean, when I was growing up, when I was 11 years old, I was listening to The Mothers of Invention. You know, I mean I was a Frank Zappa fan in Arkansas. You know, in the hills of Arkansas as an 11 and 12 year old I listened to Frank Zappa. But I also listened to Hank Williams. And so if you know all that stuff, I mean if that’s your vibe and you run into people who have a sense of humor that sort of, you know, jives with yours it’s a great thing. And yeah, I mean I always wished there was somebody like the Coen Brothers and they appeared. And so yeah, my favorite role that I’ve ever done was in The Man Who Wasn’t There. That’s my very favorite character I’ve ever played”.
There are some people who almost seem to enter our lives as if by fate, with Thornton’s creative journey seemingly colliding with the Coen Brothers and bringing about an unexpected project that inextricably shaped both of their lives.
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