What Is ‘Last Days’ About?
COLLIDER: People watching this won’t have seen [Last Days] yet.
How have you been describing it to friends and family?
Image by Photagonist
SKY YANG: For me, there was just huge humanity in it.
And I think that’s so universal, obviously.
TOBY WALLACE: I agree with these two.
Image by Photagonist
It’s just a super relatable story about this young guy who’s really, really passionate.
He’s got a lot of faith.
He’s got a lot to prove.
Image by Photagonist
And he’s got a deep need to belong.
It’s just a really relatable story.
You have to be obsessive."
Image via Brillstein Entertainment
So you’re back at Sundance for the first time in 22 years.
What is it like being back here?
You have a lot of choices.
Image by Photagonist
LIN: It’s interesting because when I started in 2002, I had no opportunity.
you might’t just say that."
Because if you say that, there’s going to be all these other things that people are presenting.
Photo by Jefferson Chacon
Independent film is about, “Okay, I got to stop everything and let’s try.
Can we do this?”
LIN: In the first chapter of this, there were a lot of booby traps.
Image via Netflix
Like, “If you do this, we’ll do that.
That’s something that I feel you don’t get in the big movies.
You just keep grinding and keep grinding.
I realized John Allen Chau is the storyteller.
He is the narrator, andIcan sit here and give him notes?
What am I gonna do?
A 26-year-old missionary journeys to the remote North Sentinel Island, determined to convert an isolated tribe, while authorities attempt to intervene before potential harm occurs.
I wanted to honor that.
I love learning about how actors get ready for their first day of filming.
Hypothetically, you’re going to shoot on a Monday.
What are you like the two or three weeks leading up to that shoot or longer?
When are you starting to inhabit your character and figure things out and getting in that headspace?
WALLACE: Other than anxious?
[Laughs]
KENNEDY: [To Yang] Yours is definitely the most intense.
I thinkthere’s such a sincerity to John’s character; there’s such an integrity to him.
That’s not something that I think a lot of people can grasp.
It’s sort of stepping into that mindset.
Its stepping into the communities that he was in.
It was physical preparation.
It was accent work.
It’s just doing what you’re able to to double-check you respect the person.
YANG: It is incredible.
YANG: Oh my gosh, the landscapes there.
There’s so much glory to be found in that.
As soon as wewereon set, I think it was guns blazing.
We were just all so keen and so ready, and I think so humbled, as well.
LIN: Let me give a little context.
We went everywhere, and it was incredible.
That’s the important part.
Youre so happy to be there because of that, regardless of all the obstacles you have.
You, in particular, Justin, you would never know.
You would just never know.
It will get done.
WALLACE: For actor prep stuff, I think it changes job to job.
I was just really impressed by it.
I was super impressed by his prep and inspired by it.
There’s something I specifically want to talk about that I read in the press notes.
You guys mentioned you filmed it in 38 days, but you filmed it backwards.
So, someone lost 30 pounds during the shoot?
That’s what I read.
LIN: Thirty pounds.
I felt very kind of fatherly at some point.
I’m like,“Oh my god, he literally is just going around the world.
“We found that kind of connection.
To a point, I felt like it had to be part of the process.
I ended up kind of collaborating.
I would say there were two transformations.
In Thailand, we were all sitting together at 5 a.m. before I’d go on the scouts.
It just became part of the process.
We need another body.”
Going backwards is a fucking challenge.
What the hell was that like mentally for both of you trying to keep track of everything?
Because it’s incredibly ambitious.
YANG: I wouldn’t let anyone into my hotel room.
You have to have that mapped out.
Otherwise, you don’t know where your character’s coming from or where they’re going to.
You have to be in the right place for it.
You have to be ready for anything.
[Laughs]
KENNEDY: We laugh now.
LIN: I’m used to it.
You just do the puzzle.
But I was really impressed.
It was all that prep.
It’s a testament to this amazing cast.
We go there, and we talk about it, and they just came ready.
WALLACE: It was literally monsoon season because we were getting so many storms coming through.
Just kept performing it.
LIN: I wouldn’t call cut.
LIN: That takes in the movie, by the way.
He just wouldn’t break character.And I’m like, “I’m not cutting.
Even if the lights are being blown away.”
KENNEDY: Fix it in post.
WALLACE: Things are exploding.
LIN: It’s crazy because I remember I called cut, and I closed my eyes.
So, that’s indie filmmaking.
WALLACE: It was supposed to be a desert and it got flooded.
KENNEDY: It was historic, almost.
I don’t know if thats anything to do with climate change.
One of the things that I read was that Keanu Reeves was instrumental in helping to get this made.
LIN: I think with that being an independent film process and journey, you have angels that come.
It’s one of those darkest moments where I felt like, I tried my best.
I want to help.It was so inspirational.
I decided, Let’s go.
Let’s just commit to it, and let’s have our start date.
KENNEDY: It’s a very on-brand story.
He’s just the best.
I’m a fan of Corin [Hardy], and I’m curious aboutWhistle.
YANG: Where do I even begin?
It features an incredible, incredible collective cast and creatives.
Corins vision is just beyond visually.
If youre a fan of his, you know.
He’s got such a clear vision, and I’m really excited to see it come to life.
Will you ever modernize your IMDb profile pic?
LIN: [Laughs] I can do that?
I can help you with this.
People, look him up on IMDb and look at the picture.
It is crazy that that’s the picture.
Do you know what picture is there?
What are you trying to say?
That I’m an old man now?
YANG: It’s a great picture.
It’s a super close-up shot of your face, sort of leaning on the side.
It’s definitely from when you were younger.
KENNEDY: I’m loving this.
Have you ever noticed?
LIN: No, Ive never gone on IMDb.
KENNEDY: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
YANG: If that was my picture, I’d keep it for sure.
KENNEDY: I might make it my picture.
Have you really not gone and looked at that?
I know people at IMDb.
I can help you if you want to update it.
KENNEDY: No, it’s going to be all of ours.
LIN: Let’s keep it the way it is.
Moving on to the next thing.
Are you actually filmingSeven Wonders?
What’s up with that?
LIN: No, I’m not filming.
It’s a miracle any independent film gets made.
It’s been a four, three-year journey for us.
And to be here this week, I’m just really grateful.
A lot of people are flying in, and we have our premiere on Tuesday.
I’m fortunate to be working on a lot of different projects.
Next week when I get back home, we’ll see.
With all these things, you just kind of keep grinding and keep working.
They just straight up canceled it.
WALLACE: Should have called Keanu Reeves.
[Laughs]
But that’s just the way Hollywood is.
It’s really hard to make things.
Obviously, this must have been an energizing experience for you, returning to your roots.
How much are you thinking about for the future doing more indies?
You’re one of the few that gets to play in that really big sandbox.
That is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but it’s also very enjoyable.
But I don’t know.
That’s something I don’t want to take for granted.
