In the Envelope: The Actor’s Podcast features in-depth conversations with today’s most noteworthy actors and creators. Join host and senior editor Vinnie Mancuso for this guide to living the creative life from those who are doing it every day.
*This article contains major spoilers for “Bugonia”*
Being an actor can be a surreal experience, and nowhere was that more true than on the set of Yorgos Lanthimos’ outrageous black comedy “Bugonia.” Sitting down with In the Envelope: The Actor’s Podcast, Jesse Plemons discusses his remarkable performance as internet conspiracy obsessive Teddy, who, along with his cousin Don (Aidan Delbis), kidnaps a pharmaceutical CEO (Emma Stone) who he believes to be an alien. Most importantly, he reacts to his character’s final moments, in which Teddy accidentally blows himself to pieces with a homemade explosive vest, sending a shockingly realistic prop of Plemons’ severed head careening into Stone’s face.
“That was actually—and here comes another spoiler—the second head I saw on that set. The first being Stavvy’s,” Plemons tells us, referring to his costar, Stavros Halkias, whose own character meets a similarly gruesome fate. “I don’t think I ever actually saw [my head] in person, because I was not working that day. My head was, though.”
He continues: “I got a photo of [VFX mould maker Emily McGrory] posing with the head that is one of the all-time great photos I’ve ever been sent. Even zooming in on it, down to my pores, it was really freaky how good of a job they did.”
Plemons is earning serious best actor Oscar buzz for the film, but for now he’s thinking about another prize he’d like to take home. “It seems weird that a part of me wishes I had [the head],” he says. “But then it almost seems weirder that it’s just out there somewhere and I don’t know where.”
On this episode, Plemons digs even deeper into his “Bugonia” performance, his philosophies on acting, how his “Friday Night Lights” experience still informs his process, and much more. Listen and subscribe to hear the full conversation:
This episode is sponsored by MetroPlusHealth.
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