Were you a fan of Ruben Östlund’s previous films?
Harris Dickinson: I’d only seen FORCE MAJEURE. I then made the mistake of watching all of his films before the audition for TRIANGLE OF SADNESS and it made me want the job even more.
Did you read a script ahead of the audition?
Harris Dickinson: No, but Ruben told me the story of the film and then, at the audition, he asked me to improvise the scene in which Carl and Yaya have dinner and argue about the bill. Ruben played Yaya wonderfully, I have to say.
What are your thoughts on the economy of beauty as the key theory underpinning the film?
Harris Dickinson: It’s about the power you hold in a world where beauty is valuable. Initially Carl was a model who was losing his hair, but Ruben leant away from that idea when we started filming. The dynamic between Carl and Yaya is still stilted because she’s a beautiful, slightly older model who is on the rise while he’s on the way down. When they end up stranded on the island, he is able to use his beauty as economy.
When Carl gets together with Abigail, it seems they have some kind of connection beyond the transactional.
Harris Dickinson: It’s interesting; I saw Carl as this young guy searching for meaning in a relationship that was otherwise meaningless. Even though he really likes Yaya, it got to the point where Abigail was this beacon of strength and modernity. Carl isn’t happy with the traditional gender roles that define his relationship with Yaya and then he meets this powerful provider in Abigail and he finds that really attractive. I wanted the relationship between Carl and Abigail to be more nuanced than, ‘Oh, he’s sleeping with her to get extra pretzels’ – if only because he wouldn’t humiliate his girlfriend for extra pretzels alone. And then, in a weak moment, Carl’s relationship with Abigail spiralled into something more meaningful.
You have modelled for magazines, but you haven’t been a model per se. What kind of research did you do into that world?
Harris Dickinson: I’ve been involved in that world in a small capacity, I have a few friends who model and I spoke to some fashion photographers. There are many different tiers in the world of fashion, so it was more about trying to figure out where Carl had been positioned at the height of his success and where he was positioned at the start of the film. According to his back story, he used to be a mechanic and he was scouted. It was about trying to ground the story in that context.
Is there a particular scene from the film that has stayed with you?
Harris Dickinson: I loved the scene with the captain and Dimitriy. To see two drunk men rambling on about their politics – communist and capitalism respectively – was great fun. I’ve been thinking about it a lot since. Sadly I didn’t have the opportunity to meet Woody Harrelson, but I’m making it my mission to meet him at some point.
Where are you running to or from in the final scene of the film?
Harris Dickinson: I always imagined that I was running towards Abigail and Yaya, having sensed that something is about to go very wrong. But there’s always a chance that Carl is being selfish and running away from everything.
Ruben Östlund talks generally about the way you give a part of yourself away in TRIANGLE OF SADNESS and specifically about it costing you to play the roles you take on because you dare to make a fool of yourself. Does this resonate with you?
Harris Dickinson: I’ll take that! I’ll very happily put that on my CV. The goal is always to be free of ego in your performances, but it can be tough. I have, in the past, been ridiculed for daring to make a fool of myself, but part of being a performer is being willing to open yourself up to that kind of reaction. Certainly it’s the way Ruben likes to work – he’s very interested in who we are as people when it really comes down to it and we’re put in awkward situations. So I didn’t really have a choice on this film; I had to expose myself. You do go home feeling a little bit weird sometimes.
What did you learn from Ruben Östlund as a director?
Harris Dickinson: He persists in searching for the truth and for a genuine reaction and I think that made me hyper aware of when I wasn’t listening or wasn’t present in the moment, which was invaluable.
See also:
A Conversation With Ruben Östlund – Writer / Director “Triangle of Sadness”
A Conversation With Charlbi Dean – Yaya in “Triangle of Sadness”
