‘Arcadian’ Interview: Jaeden Martell and Maxwell Jenkins

On April 12, the new action and horror film ‘Arcadian’ opens in theaters, starring Oscar winner Nicolas Cage (‘Leaving Las Vegas’), Jaeden Martell (‘Knives Out’) and Maxwell Jenkins (‘Joe Bell’). ‘) and was directed by Ben Brewer (‘Reptile’).

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Jaeden Martell and Maxwell Jenkins about their work on ‘Arcadian’, the post-apocalyptic story, the relationship between their characters and their father, their work with Nicolas Cage, and fighting aliens.

Moviefone: To start, Jaeden, can you talk about Joseph and Thomas’ relationship as brothers and how it is tested throughout this film?

Jaeden Martel: That’s a very important element of the movie and what also attracted me to the movie. It is largely about these two brothers who grew up in the same environment but their differences in thinking separate them. There is always that brotherly love, that brotherly connection, but Joseph is a very logical, analytical and scientific person who can control his emotions, while Thomas is very impulsive and wants to live life. I think that comes to a head when Thomas thinks with his heart and gets everyone in trouble, and Joseph wants to tell him that he can’t do whatever he wants, that we have to keep the family together. I think the beautiful thing about this is also that we don’t follow these archetypes of nerd and jock. They’re both very complex and they both learn from this father figure and take things from him, and they both know how to survive at the end of the day. They both also have a big heart. They both love each other very much and have a lot of empathy, and they just have different ways of communicating.

MF: Maxwell, can you talk about Thomas’ relationship with his father and why he disobeys him?

Maxwell Jenkins: I think in many ways Thomas is really like his father. They have this type of physical appearance in common, as they both have confidence in their own abilities to survive. Obviously, Paul built this environment for them and I think Thomas really admires that. I think part of their desire for freedom and their confidence in their ability to leave and stay that extra minute and maybe come back, I think that comes from seeing their father and seeing the world that their father built for them, and if their father I can do that: “I would like to do it myself.” I think Thomas and Joseph are both curious about the world, just in different ways. Thomas is curious to be in the world and learn about it by putting himself at risk and experiencing the world for himself. As much as he wants to reduce that as much as he can, he obviously did it for years. I think you catch us in the movie at a point where I don’t have any more time to be able to narrow that down and I need to experience the world. I am not satisfied with the situation I find myself in. We talked a lot with Ben about using Thomas as this kind of caged animal a little bit. He is this impulsive person who trusts his instincts 99.9% of the time. I mean, you can only cage an animal for so long before he needs to run free for a while.

MF: Jaeden, what was it like for you to work with Nicolas Cage? What did you learn about his acting process from watching him work?

JM: Man, it was amazing. That’s mainly what I took away, his process and the number of questions he asks himself, us and the director. He asks, “What is the purpose of this scene? How do we move forward?” Sometimes we would film something and he thought it was wrong and we would rework it. Or if I had a question, if I felt disappointed too, he would ask me. He created this open environment where there was a lot of collaboration and we were reshaping the scenes as they went along, trying to figure out who these characters are.

MF: Maxwell, what was your experience working with Nicolas Cage like?

MJ: As Jaeden said, Nic is one of the most collaborative people you’ll ever work with. Obviously, he’s an incredibly talented actor, but on top of that, he’s a very selfless scene partner. In addition to asking questions about the scene and such, his questions and desires for what the scene should be are never set in stone, and he really makes you feel comfortable being curious about the scene. He encourages him. There were so many times where we’d done a scene in wildly different ways each time, and you never know what’s going to happen on camera, but his ability to come in and ask all those questions and that ability to rub off. in you, he really colors all the work that you do and everything that builds a story behind these characters. I think the most important thing I learned from working with Nic is that I’m always curious about the character, but he really showed a new way of being curious and a new level to which you can take your curiosity.

MF: Maxwell, can you talk about Thomas’ relationship with Charlotte and why he risks everything to spend a few minutes with her?

MJ: I think it’s a new feeling for him. Obviously, he once felt love for his family, but he lived his entire life in the forest with two other boys. When he finds Charlotte, that was something we really focused a lot on, which was uncovering this innocence, because we wanted it to be known that the way Thomas interacts with Charlotte is in a way that he has no idea how to do. He has never interacted with anyone for whom he has those types of feelings. I’m new to the era of doing that kind of romantic work in front of the camera. So, just as Thomas was figuring it out, I guess I was too in a way. I guess for Thomas, Charlotte symbolizes what a new life could be. I don’t think she’s trying to break away and just leave her family behind. I think in Thomas’ perfect world, he can expand it. Charlotte maybe is a bridge to that. Charlotte and Rose Farm are the last beacon of what life was perhaps like before the apocalypse. It’s the closest thing they have to civilization. There’s a hierarchy, there’s a farm, there’s obviously the Rose family which is like the presidency that governs the farm, and there are people who work there and work together, and that’s the first time Thomas sees any kind of partnership. So Charlotte, in addition to being this person that he absolutely adores, has this whole thing behind her that I think is new and revolutionary for Thomas and a beacon of what he could be. So I think he adds and adds until he can’t ignore it anymore.

MF: Finally, Jaeden, can you talk about Joseph’s genius and his obsession with aliens?

JM: Well, I was trying to figure that out throughout the whole process, too: what he understands and what he doesn’t. I think a lot of this comes from books. He’s constantly absorbing knowledge, and that comes from a fascination with the old world, what could have been and then becomes what could be. He is a scientifically advanced person. He has had a good understanding of things. I think as far as the creatures and how he responds to them, he understands that he can’t just kill them all and make his way through life. You need to take a step back, think about it, and understand what your patterns are and how to survive. Probably how you would deal with it in real life. But I’d probably be the one with the shotgun.

What is the plot of ‘Arcadian’?

A father (Nicolas Cage) and his teenage twin sons (Jaeden Martell and Maxwell Jenkins) fight to survive on a remote farm at the end of the world.

Who is part of the cast of ‘Arcadian’?

• Nicolas Cage as Paul
• Jaeden Martell as Jose
• Maxwell Jenkins as Thomas
• Sadie Soverall as Charlotte

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