Filmmaker Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme is now playing in theaters this weekend, and its star-studded cast had a lot to say about bringing auteur Anderson’s latest caper to life. Speaking in an interview with ComicBook, stars Benicio del Toro and Michael Cera opened up about working with Anderson, as well as the hyper-specific (and now famed) visual aesthetic in his films. The Phoenican Scheme marks the second time del Toro has worked with Anderson, previously appearing in 2021’s The French Dispatch. For Cera, The Phoenician Scheme is his first collaboration with Anderson, but the star called working with Anderson “very exciting” and how it influenced him as a filmmaker.
Del Toro leads the stacked ensemble cast in The Phoenician Scheme — which also includes Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, and Bryan Cranston — playing ailing businessman Zsa-zsa Korda. Korda appoints his only daughter, a nun named Liesl (Mia Threapleton), as the heir to his estate as he embarks on a risky new business enterprise. Cera plays Bjorn Lund, a Norwegian entomologist hired by Korda to tutor his nine sons that falls for Liesl.
Benicio del Toro Credits Anderson’s Specificity as the Root of His Filmmaking Success
Del Toro, an established and respected actor who has worked with most of the greats, described Anderson as a “unique filmmaker.”
“It’s all his vision and you’re working for that vision,” he said. “The only thing that I did was make sure that I understood what he was saying with the story.”
Previously, del Toro played a painter for Anderson in The French Dispatch. He described his role The Phoenician Scheme as quite the departure from his last character, calling Korda a “ruthless business tycoon with a hell of an arc.” No matter who he’s bringing to life on screen, trust in Anderson’s vision was paramount to a successful collaboration for del Toro on The Phoenician Scheme.
“The only thing that I did was make sure that I understood what he was saying with the story. I think once we had that, then you can just learn the lines, of course, and roll with it and trust them,” Del Toro continued. “Bottom line is you trust Wes Anderson. You just trust him, and that doesn’t mean that you don’t do what you do. You do what you do and then…after that, you just hope for the best because you’re in good hands.”
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Del Toro also gave credit to The Phoenician Scheme‘s Costume Designer Milena Canonero in aiding him to craft the character of Zsa-zsa Korda, who del Toro calls “a legend.”
“It was quite amazing.” Del Toro raved. “The minute you put on that suit and the shoes, half of the job was done, or maybe more than half of the job was done. “
Michael Cera Details the Perils of his Fake Mustache in The Phoenician Scheme
Cera donned a fake mustache to play the lovesick insect-expert Bjorn Lund in the film and was “amazed” by how much that changed his performance.
“There’s a big difference between wearing a real mustache or wearing a mustache that’s glued on to your face,” Cera said. “When you have one that’s glued on, it’s all you can think about. Every time you move your mouth, you’re reminded that there’s something glued, anchored onto your face, and you don’t want to smile too hard or else it’ll just pop off and go into your soup.”
Fake facial hair hazards aside, Cera called Anderson’s directing style “very, very cool and very informative.” Perhaps known best as actor and a producer, Cera made his feature directorial debut in 2023 with the film Self-Reliance. He revealed that Anderson’s insistence on play and experimentation had a profound influence on him on the set of The Phoenician Scheme.
“The one thing I loved watching about Wes was his exactingness and how he would never move on from something until he really felt sure that something great happened. He would just keep pushing, keep changing it, keep refining things until it felt like, “Okay, we got something there.” Cera explained, “It makes for good work. Once you get past the point of accomplishing what you needed to get, then you can try new things and some really interesting things can come of that.”
With such high praise from del Toro and Cera, it may just be safe to assume that the pair will be joining on Anderson on his next endeavor.
The Phoenician Scheme is now playing in limited theaters and opens nationwide on June 6th.
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