Before theKevin Spaceyscandal shook Hollywood and the mass media at large, the Oscar-winning actor had at least a few projects filmed and in the can. The most infamous of these is simple titledGore, a Netflix film thatmay never see the light of dayand cost the streamer roughly $40 million dollars after they decided to shelve the movie when allegations were levied against Spacey. The actor plays the eponymous Gore Vidal, a renowned American writer who died in 2012, and the film is said to chronicle a particular summer in Italy where Vidal takes a young man under his wing and teaches him lessons about life, love, and more.
The young man isplayed by Douglas Booth, who has kept busy with a number of other projects sinceGore. MovieWeb spoke to Booth during his press blitz for his new filmYoung Werther, in which he plays the titular role originated in Goethe’s 18th century masterpiece,The Sorrows of Young Werther. Booth also spoke about his experience on the Gore Vidal film, which was directed by Michael Hoffman (A Midsummer Night’s Dream). Both said:
“We filmed it in Italy. They renovated Gore Vidal’s iconic house. It’s called the Swallow’s Nest, and they renovated it to exactly how it was when Gore lived there. And we filmed it in the Amalfi Coast, which was incredible. Michael Hoffman, the director, did an incredible job, spent many, many years developing it and then directing it, andit was heartbreaking that it wasn’t released when we made it. I hope maybe one day that — you know, hundreds and hundreds of people worked on that movie — and one day that their work can be appreciated, especially for Michael.”
“For me, it breaks my heart the most for Michael,” continued Booth. “I can go on and make other movies, and I have done many, but […] Jay Parinim the writer […] he wrote it with Michael, so much work over years. It’s particularly heartbreaking for them, because you may’t just spend seven years developing something, and it’s sort of just put in a safe. So yeah, that’s all I really have to say.I hope one day that everyone’s art can be appreciated.”
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The “Innocence and Naivety” of Werther
For now, there’sYoung Wertherfor Booth to show off his on-screen talents to the world. It’s a wildly entertaining romantic comedy that sees him as the infamous titular character whose origins trace back to a groundbreaking 1700s epistolary novel. Booth shared with us how he went about owning the modern-day take on the troubled lover, a wealthy young lad who falls head over heels for an engaged woman (played by Alison Pill):
“It starts with figuring out who [Werther] is and why he is the way he is, and what’s his relationship with his parents. He probably has never been hugged properly by his mother, you know? He comes from great privilege […] You have to be, if you think you can sort of go, after an hour into Toronto, and sort of just give up your whole life in the pursuit of a girl with sort of zero consequences.”
‘Young Werther’ Director & Stars Share How an Iconic Tragedy Became a Rom-Com
Filmmaker José Lourenço joined Patrick J. Adams and Douglas Booth to discuss their new rom-com based on the iconic Goethe novel.
“But often, a lot of the people that have that privilege and that freedom often aren’t the happiest people on the planet,” added Booth. “So instead of trying to understand who he was and realizing sort of what drove him, [it] also sort of, I think, was about filling him with a huge sense of innocence and naivety and childlike behavior and play.” You can see how Booth filled Werther’s shoes now. From Lionsgate,Young Wertheris now available in theaters, on digital and on demand. You can rent or buy it on digital platforms like YouTube, Google Play, Prime Video, Fandango at Home, and on Apple TV through the link below:
Watch Young Werther
Young Werther
Patrick J. Adams, Douglas Booth and Alison Pill star in this romantic comedy based on the classic smash hit novel of tragic romance. While on a simple errand to Toronto, a carefree and charming young writer named Werther stumbled across the love of his life only to discover that the young woman is engaged. Despite the urgings of his hypochondriac best friend, Werther turns his world upside down in a desperate, misguided and hilarious quest to win her heart.
