Ararat Press Kit
|
Producers Robert Lantos and Atom Egoyan have assembled what is surely one of the most eclectic ensemble casts in recent memory: legendary veterans Charles Aznavour and Christopher Plummer; three of Egoyanís "repertory actor" Bruce Greenwood, Arsinée Khanjian and Elias Koteas; established stage and screen performers Brent Carver and Eric Bogosian; and newcomers Marie-Josée Croze and David Alpay.
For Bruce Greenwood, who appeared in Egoyan's The Sweet Hereafter and Exotica and who plays a role within a role, a modern-day actor named Martin and the historical hero Clarence Ussher, "Ararat is a film about a great many things, filled with characters from many different backgrounds. What I love about Atom's work is that inevitably, you meet characters you would think have no common trajectory but who eventually not only intersect but deeply affect one another in a myriad of ways. Then all the straight lines of time begin to waver and the wavy lines begin to boil. That's the genius of Atom's style and one of the reasons I'll work with him anytime on anything. Hell, I'd come in and deliver a pizza for him because I know it would be a totally new experience."
For David Alpay, a 21-year-old pre-med student at the University of Toronto, the opportunity to work with Atom was, indeed, a totally new experience. "A friend of mine told me there was going to be an open call for extras. I got all excited and, even though I had an essay due, I went to the open call anyway. It turned out to be one of those 'thanks for coming out and we'll call you in a month or two' kind of things. Well, a couple of days later I got a phone call and a few days after that I met with Atom and the rest fell together rather quickly. It was very exciting but very surreal."
"It really didn't hit me until much, much later," says Alpay, "when I realized just how huge a deal this would be for me. Atom is the preeminent Canadian filmmaker, his films are seen all over the world and he had picked me to work with an absolutely amazing cast."
Actor Brent Carver was immediately drawn to the script's complex relationships and how his character Philip struggles with truth and denial. He sees that the relationships within the two families (Philip's and Raffi's) drive the film.
Carver explains: "Atom has written an entire movie about relationships between mothers and sons (Ani and Raffi), fathers and sons (David and Philip, Philip and Tony, Raffi and his dead father) and mothers and daughters (Ani and Celia) who are no longer there in each other's lives. Everyone is searching for one's own personal identity in relationship to one's parent or child, their respective belief systems and why they take actions for certain situations. It's about the struggle to find out the true connections with each other."
"It reminds me of when I see extraordinary clothes people are wearing," says Carver, "and the material is made from an intricate weave that is, at the same time, incredibly classical and yet extremely simple. Atom has woven this story with that kind of simple yet classical texture. One story line goes this way and another goes that way but they all seem to connect into a real emotional fabric, a real tapestry of the human condition."
For actor Christopher Plummer, Atom's ability to create complex characters and situations is one reason he was so excited about working with Atom for the first time.
"He cloaks his scripts with wonderful ambiguities which turn out to be essentially significant," says Plummer. "His stories are Chekhovian in the sense there is always a mystery behind the lines. Perhaps Chekhov was really an Armenian."
For actor Arsinée Khanjian, an Armenian-Canadian, who has appeared in many other Egoyan films including: Calendar, which she also co-produced; Exotica, during which she was pregnant with their son, Arshile; The Sweet Hereafter; and, most recently, Felicia's Journey, this film evokes strong personal passion.
"The first day I walked on the historical set for Charles Aznavour's 'Ararat', I cried" says Khanjian, whose grandparents survived the atrocities but were orphaned by the genocide. "I didn't even feel the emotion overtaking me - suddenly my face was just wet. I was realizing this was the first time in my life I was being in touch with an environment and with a group of people in their costumes and in their habitat to which I had no prior exposure. Of course, I knew much about the genocide and my own history but to see a re-creation of that time and place was just overwhelming for me."
Khanjian is quick to point out, however, that this re-creation of Armenia in 1915 is not the central key of the film.
"The film is more about the people involved in making the historical epic Ararat," explains Khanjian, "than the historical epic itself. Atom has not made an educational film - It's about a group of characters - two families - all who have a history of their own that is not quite told or at least not heard."
"It's about them discovering and coming to terms with the truths and denials in their own lives" continues Khanjian, "just like the Armenians have been trying to do for almost one hundred years. What the characters ultimately learn is their issues can go nowhere if there is no communication, if there are no truths being told, if there are no denials being admitted. They all come to realize that they have to tell something and then trust the fact what they are saying will be heard. It is only at that level of engagement they can move on with their lives and with each other."
Marie-Josée Croze was re-discovered by Atom after Arsinée Khanjian had been in the audience during a Toronto International Film Festival screening of Maelstrom last year and suggested that he see the film.
"Arsinée was the first one who came to me to congratulate me on my work in that film," recalls Croze. "We spoke briefly and about two weeks later I received a call from Atom. We met and we talked about my work and his script and it was all very simple and great at the same time. I can only say I felt like the luckiest actor in the world when he gave me the chance to be Celia."
For Elias Koteas, whose previous collaborations with Egoyan include The Adjuster and Exotica, and who portrays the contemporary actor Ali and the historical Governor of Van Jevdet Bey, says working with Atom always makes him feel lucky.
"If Atom invites me to play in his sandbox, that's all the motivation I need to go to work," says Koteas. "He creates a truly unique working environment unseen in other parts of the industry. Over the years, he has fathered a family of actors, designers, technicians and crew who will drop everything else they are doing to come and work with him."
For Eric Bogosian, portraying Rouben, was an opportunity for playfulness and reflection.
"Like Rouben, I am Armenian and I wanted to embrace that by being a part of this project," says Bogosian. "We have an unusual experience as a people because each Armenian is familiar with the tragedy of our people; however, the rest of the general public usually is not aware of our history. So we need to create a kind of equilibrium of information. We need to fill the vacuum that is crying out to be filled but cannot because of certain political denials."
When the legendary Charles Aznavour, who celebrated his 78th birthday during the first week of production, is asked about his reasons for taking the role of Edward, his response is, typically, passionate.
"For me it was a duty to say yes to Atom to play this part," explains Aznavour. "For me this film is one more step toward what we [the Armenians] want and have asked for more than 85 years. Why is it still being denied by so many? France has recognized the genocide and many other countries have done the same. We wait for America, we wait for other countries, we wait because the Turkish people want to be a part of the European union and they deserve to be with us. I agree they have to join but to join they have to accept the past and they have to say yes it happened.
"The Turkish people are a great people," says Aznavour. "I hate to talk about the Turkish people, I would like to talk about the government, not the Turks because a Turk is a Turk. He is a person like me and you and anybody else. This is what I wait for and I am too old not to be passionate about it."