Casting Standout: 'A Dangerous Method'

Toronto-based casting director Deirdre Bowen—who has worked with director David Cronenberg on "Eastern Promises," "A History of Violence," and the upcoming "Cosmopolis"—is well-versed in his thoughtful and collaborative approach to casting. So when she, Cronenberg, and producer Jeremy Thomas met to talk about casting "A Dangerous Method," they all came with ideas, according to Bowen. Because the film is based on the lives of historic figures—Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung—a big challenge was finding actors who could at least physically suggest them. Though she had a degree of flexibility, as most people picture them as older men, "we have to believe the actors might grow to look like Jung and Freud as they aged," Bowen explains.

The actors also had to suggest keen intelligence. The audience must fully accept that this person is indeed Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, and the actor playing Jung needed to embody "an alpha male who is hugely self-confident, wealthy, and fascinated with the world," Bowen says. Of course, equally important, she admits, was finding actors who appealed to the film's distributors.

Viggo Mortensen was a unanimous choice for Freud. The actor had worked with Cronenberg on "A History of Violence" and "Eastern Promises," and though Freud was a different kind of role for him, there was little doubt he could pull it off. And "Viggo loves a challenge," Bowen adds. Michael Fassbender was also a consensus choice to play Jung, thanks to the actor's impressive body of work ("Inglourious Basterds," "Jane Eyre") and, most important, she says, his "tour de force performance in 'Hunger,' " in which he played Irish Republican Army activist Bobby Sands.

Though Keira Knightley also plays a real-life figure, few outside psychoanalytic circles have heard of Sabina Spielrein, and even fewer know what she looked like, so there was some freedom in casting the role, Bowen says. Nonetheless, the actor had to be beautiful and—because Spielrein ultimately became a major figure in psychoanalysis in her own right—convey both a piercing intelligence and "a deeply disturbed woman who is transformed as a result of psychoanalysis," Bowen says. "Keira was at the top of our list."

Vincent Cassel was another shoo-in, to play Freudian disciple and anarchist Otto Gross, according to the CD. The French actor had to bring to life a super-smart man with challenging ideas and loads of charm. The character shares some elements with the seductive and abusive director Cassel played in "Black Swan," Bowen says, but equally important, Cronenberg had directed him in "Eastern Promises," was familiar with his range, and had established that special bond and trust that comes from having collaborated.

Bowen is especially pleased with having brought in lesser-known Canadian actor Sarah Gadon to play Jung's wife. The CD was asked to find a Canadian actor—the film's funding was based on it—and had watched Gadon develop over the years. "I've seen her in smaller films and said to myself, 'The camera likes her,' " Bowen says. "She has a luminous beauty, and she's such a nice contrast to Keira. Sarah's character has the highest intelligence. She understands what's going on but keeps it to herself. She's strong and sweet. David liked her so much, he has cast her in his next film, 'Cosmopolis.' "

Many interesting smaller parts presented their own challenges. For one, the actors had to be believable as late-19th- or early-20th-century Germans. (All the smaller roles were cast in Germany, where the film was shot.) Photos of the period were a starting point. Another challenge was finding actors who could speak fluent English, "and we still had to figure out what we could get away with in terms of accents," Bowen says. "We needed actors to play patients who ranged in intelligence and economic class. Some were playing patients who were just troubled. Others were playing the downright crazy. We needed fine character actors who had strong character faces and who would be able to sustain the film and satisfy the needs of the producer and director. I know what David likes: intelligent actors who become his working partner. David is no Svengali."

Casting Director: Deirdre Bowen
Director: David Cronenberg
Writer: Christopher Hampton, based on his play "The Talking Cure," based on the book "A Most Dangerous Method" by John Kerr
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley, Vincent Cassel, Sarah Gadon
The Pitch: In Vienna on the cusp of World War I, the multilayered and beautiful Sabina Spielrein (Knightley) comes between novice psychiatrist Carl Jung (Fassbender) and his mentor Sigmund Freud (Mortensen) while serving as inspiration to both.

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