There’s a good chance you may have seenBen Mendelsohnin a villainous role recently; perhaps playing Orson Krennic inRogue One: A Star Wars Storyor inReady Player Oneas Sorrento. Sure Mendelsohn has a knack for playing characters with less noble agendas - I highly recommendAnimal KingdomandStarred Upif you haven’t seen them - but Mendelsohn is also an actor of great range and that’s on display full force in directorNicole Holofcener’s new film,The Land of Steady Habits.
Mendelsohn leads the film as Anders Hill. He’s going through a mid-life crisis of sorts and opts to leave his job and his marriage behind. Why does he do this? What exactly is he looking for? Anders doesn’t really know andThe Land of Steady Habitsfollows him as he explores this newfound freedom and discovers (or rediscovers) the things that are most important to him.
While in Toronto for the film’s big debut at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival, I was lucky enough to sit down with Mendelsohn for an extended chat. Not only did we talk about makingThe Land of Steady Habitsand his experience working with standoutsThomas MannandCharlie Tahan, but Mendelson also discussed his take on work ethics, particularly the importance of giving every single moment of your career everything you’ve got. You can catch the full conversation in the video at the top of this article. There’s also a handy breakdown of everything we discussed below if you’d like to check that out.
The Land of Steady Habitsalso starsEdie Falco,Connie Britton,Bill Camp, andElizabeth Marvel. The film is available to watch on Netflix right now.
Ben Mendelsohn:
