Benicio del Toro explains the unusual way in which Wes Anderson cast him in The Phoenician Scheme. Set for release early next month, the Anderson-directed movie features del Toro as Zsa-zsa Korda, who meets up with his daughter, Liesl, who he names his sole heir. The pair travel the world together as Zsa-zsa attempts to close business deals and bond with Liesl along the way. In addition to del Toro, the movie features Mia Threaplton, Michael Cera, Willem Dafoe, F. Murray Abraham, Scarlett Johansson, Riz Ahmed, and Tom Hanks.

Per The LA Times, del Toro and Anderson detail how the actor got cast in The Phoenician Scheme. According to the actor, Anderson approached him at a dinner at the Cannes Film Festival after he premiered The French Dispatch to tell him about a new project, with 20 pages already written. He specifically had del Toro in mind. Gradually, the director would send del Toro more pages, but “little by little” the star understood that he was actually set to play the lead. Check out the full quotes from Anderson and del Toro below:

Del Toro: Wes’ writing had a lot of wisdom, and it served the character. But I didn’t know if it was going to be another film like ‘The French Dispatch,’ where my character ends and then another story rolls up. Little by little, I understood that it was the whole thing.

Anderson: I think he has a unique, magnetic, mesmerizing presence that I felt like I would like to build a movie around. He’s tremendously talented and interesting and, beyond that, I just wanted to work with him again.”

Del Toro: It’s a hell of a gift. Then, you know what the Greeks say, ‘May all your wishes come true.’ It’s not just: OK, I put it on and done. I have to work at it. It demands from you time, being focused. You’re going to have to sacrifice some things. But as an actor working in this industry, you pray for a gift like Zsa-zsa and ‘The Phoenician Scheme.’ You don’t get them often.

What This Means For The Phoenician Scheme

Del Toro Does Not Often Play The Lead

Del Toro has worked with Anderson before on The French Dispatch. Although Anderson’s movies typically have a packed ensemble cast, the storytelling in The French Dispatch meant that several actors only appeared on-screen for a few minutes. The 2021 movie had many anthology segments since it focused on key story headlines covered by the newspaper. Del Toro only appeared in the “The Concrete Masterpiece” segment, one of the newspaper headlines that covered the incarcerated painter. He only appeared in that subplot since the individual stories were meant to be a love letter to journalism.

In addition, del Toro’s career doesn’t consist of many leading roles. However, he has many memorable supporting roles, including the two films for which he was nominated for an Academy Award, Traffic and 21 Grams. Del Toro won the coveted Best Supporting Actor prize for Traffic. While the star is clearly a talented thespian and can showcase his versatility in drama and comedy, only so few of his movies have him leading the cast. The Phoenician Scheme disrupts this trend by putting del Toro in the spotlight.

Our Take On Del Toro’s Phoenician Scheme Casting

Del Toro Looks Great In The Role

Based on The Phoenician Scheme trailers, del Toro looks like he was ultimately a great choice for the role of Zsa-zsa. He played the disgruntled 1950s businessman with confidence and humor and exuded the larger-than-life quality necessary for an Anderson film. From Bill Murray in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou to Jason Schwartzman in Rushmore, Anderson’s movies have had memorable leads. Hopefully, del Toro will be no exception when it comes to The Phoenician Scheme.

Source: LA Times