The article contains spoilers for Materialists.The Materialists director explains why Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans’ characters never speak to each other in the movie. Now playing in theaters, the new romance comedy revolves around Dakota Johnson’s matchmaker Lucy and sees her in a love triangle with Harry (Pascal) and John (Evans). Although Harry seems to be Lucy’s dream match, the romance also explores how she interacts with John, which gradually has the protagonist questioning her methods and philosophy in dating.

In an interview with ScreenRant‘s Liam Crowley, Celine Song shed some light on whether the lack of interaction between John and Harry has more to do with Harry’s character. She pointed out the vast class difference between the two men and explained that she believed it was more of a power move from Harry to show that he didn’t see John as a threat. Read her comment below:

Well, I feel like, I don’t know how much Harry actually thinks about somebody like John. To me, it’s always about the power of that. I think that when he first encounters John, it’s as a cater waiter. I think about people who live with a lot of wealth, who grew up with a lot of wealth. I think that sometimes to them, people whom they deem not as valuable, sometimes they’re a little bit invisible to them. I feel like to me it’s like that’s his power move in a way. He’s kind of like, “Well, you’re just no threat to me. I don’t need to encounter you as a human being in some way.” And I feel like John is pretty furious about that.

What This Means For Materialists

There’s More Going On Between John And Harry Than What Meets The Eye

There have been two times John and Harry shared a screen in the positively rated Materialists. The first time was when Harry was in the middle of introducing himself to Lucy when he was interrupted by John, who was working as a waiter at the wedding. The second time was when Harry came to get the bill at the after-party of John’s play. However, in both events, there has been no exchange between the two characters. Song’s comment points out that Harry may have deliberately chosen not to acknowledge John.

Her comment offers some insight into John and Harry’s respective perspectives and the underlying tension between the two characters in scenes that may have been overlooked. Harry accompanied Lucy to John’s play, but he was seen sitting at a separate table with the other actors while Lucy talked to John. While the film didn’t spend a lot of screen time on the after-party, Song’s comment suggests that Harry might be the main reason behind their silence.

Our Take On Harry And John’s Dynamics In Materialists

Harry And John’s Silence Says A Lot About The Two Men

John is visibly sore about Lucy choosing Harry over him, but there might be more intense feelings underneath the surface. It makes sense that John dislikes Harry, even though he might not show his true feelings to Lucy. Harry, on the other hand, quietly deals with insecurity and the pressure of dating. Ignoring John as a power move makes sense for Pascal’s character, and it also shows how much he truly sees John as a threat.

Materialists tells a familiar story about a protagonist who is torn between the man she believes she should end up with and the man who stirs her heart. However, what separates the new A24 feature from other romance comedies is the details and nuances in these characters and their relationships, which now makes more sense with this revelation from Song.