McDonagh wrote the part of Lee for Rockwell. The pair have a long innovative partnership, working together on the 2010 Broadway play A Behanding in S
McDonagh wrote the part of Lee for Rockwell. The pair have a long innovative partnership, working together on the 2010 Broadway play A Behanding in Spokane, Seven Psychopaths (2012), and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017). “Everything he does feels like it’s almost improvisational and just real,” says McDonagh. “There are very few actors who can give John Malkovich a run for his money, and needed a scene partner who was his equal.”
Rockwell’s Lee is junior to Malkovich’s Chris, and he has forged a friendship with his eccentric mentor. “In this role, I think what John brings is danger,” says Rockwell. “There is something that is a bit unhinged, like he could hurt somebody with his bare hands, but break your heart at the same time. I think there is a kind of dramatic potency that he has.”
McDonagh put together a dream line-up for his supporting cast that includes Parker Posey, Steve Buscemi, Mariana di Girolamo, and Ailín Salas. He also reunited with Tom Waits, who starred in Seven Psychopaths and plays Malkovich’s brother in Wild Horse Nine. Says McDonagh, “As soon as Tom pops up on screen, there’s something iconic and mesmerizing about him.”
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