![]() ![]() The film is rarely preachy, To find the right vehicle for Gottsagen's story, Schwartz and Nilson took a page from the novels of Mark Twain and sent both Tyler and Zak on their own riverboat adventure. This all added to the easy chemistry that LaBeouf and Gottsagen developed onscreen. The actor frequently challenged both LaBeouf and Alabama-based rapped Yelawolf, who has a small role in the film, to rap battles behind the camera. "Shia and Zack would just sit in the back and get to know each other." For his part, Gottsagen credits LaBeouf with trying to make him a better wrestler - and for being the far inferior rapper. "In pre-production, we had this old pickup truck and we used to drive down to that shrimp dock where we were shooting," Schwartz recalls. "To tell all the teachers they are wrong." Gottsagen also enjoyed the opportunity to work with LaBeouf, who has talked in other interviews about the important role The Peanut Butter Falcon played in changing his life for the better. This is a big movie, right now, so that's why I have improved," he says with emotion. "I have been studying my whole entire life. When viewed through this somewhat autobiographic lens, his performance in The Peanut Butter Falcon makes this Gattsagen's very own revenge story. "That is my real life from back home in West Palm Beach, Florida," he offers, noting that he had a lot of teachers in high school that did not take a personal interest in his ability as an actor. ![]() When asked if it was a challenge to slip back into his mindset as an aspiring artist, Gottsagen instead points out how far he's come in the intervening decade. was really just taking a bunch of Zack's pieces and stringing them out on a narrative that worked." Playing a character about a decade younger than himself was a unique experience for the leading man. "So in the movie, he really wants to be a wrestler, but in real life, he really wanted to be an actor. "He told us about some of the things that he'd been through, but also some things he had ambition for," Schwartz explains. There are times when Gottsagen's performance works broadly in opposition to general misconceptions about Down syndrome as a genetic condition - Zak is keenly aware of the areas in life where he can remain autonomous and the areas where he needs a helping hand - but the story was meant to be Gottsagen's and Gottsagen's alone. So while The Peanut Butter Falcon is the rare movie to feature an actor with Down syndrome in a leading role, the focus is tied specifically to the experiences of its star. The three men met years ago at a camp that brought together artists with and without disabilities when Nilson and Schwartz spoke openly about the challenges Gottsagen would face as an aspiring actor, his response was to challenge them to write a role that only he could play. Much has already been written of the partnership between Gottsagen and writer-directors Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz. With nothing to lose, the two men make a break for the Georgia coast - and Salt Water Redneck's world-famous wrestling academy - with Eleanor hot on their heels. When he finally slips out and hits the open road, he quickly stumbles across Tyler ( Shia LaBeouf ), a self-destructive fisherman haunted by the death of his older brother. There he spends most of his days plotting a grand escape, much to the frustration of the local caretaker Eleanor ( Dakota Johnson ). Because his small community lacks the resources needed to help him live independently, Zak is placed at a local retirement home for full-time care. Gottsagen plays Zak, a young man with Down syndrome who dreams of following in the footsteps of his wrestling hero, the Salt Water Redneck. ![]() This makes The Peanut Butter Falcon the rare film with a happy ending both on and offscreen. Just as his character wants to find work as a professional wrestler, Gottsagen had always dreamed of starring in a major Hollywood film. So it comes as no surprise to find that wrestling was one of the main passions in the life of Zack Gottsagen, the breakout star of the upcoming film The Peanut Butter Falcon. In wrestling, cinema lovers can share their love of detail character work and precise stunts with a brand new audience in many ways, wrestling is the perfect allegory for those who want to beat the odds and carve out a Hollywood career. For years, moviegoers and fans of wrestling have found themselves the unlikeliest of bedfellows. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |