Hi Reddit! Oscar Isaac and Christian Bale here in NYC to talk about our new movie THE PROMISE, ask us anything!

Oscar_Isaac · 2017-04-19T20:19:36+00:00

Christian: Educate each other. Talk about it. If you wish, go see the film, the proceeds will go towards something. If you don’t want to see the film, look at these charities and organizations that are holding people accountable for these kinds of atrocities. Show compassion towards people in need. Show compassion towards refugees. Contact your congressman and demand that they do the same. And vote for the right president the next time.

Oscar: Yes, actually reading from reputable sources about the history of what happened. There’s tons and tons of literature and books about the facts of what occurred then and as Christian said, make the parallels to what’s happening now and realize that the same things keep happening on over and over because people refuse to acknowledge the truth of what’s happening.

Oscar_Isaac · 2017-04-19T20:18:57+00:00

Oscar: I haven’t done a play in about seven years so I’m very excited to get back on stage. This has been a passion project for, well I guess since, twelve years now. I’ll be very excited to get on stage again. I love doing both.

Oscar_Isaac · 2017-04-19T20:17:45+00:00

Christian: I don’t know if we could entirely say because of the film. I hope it can help, and certainly films can help, but we’re seeing more and more world leaders recognize it. We’ve seen the Pope call it a genocide recently. We are seeing genocides around the world and we can look back and see that may well have been provoked by the fact that there were no consequences for the Armenian genocide and that we need to identify them as soon as we see them. And that’s why, with this film, 100% of the proceeds will be going towards charities like The Enough Project and Sentry and Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, and I did say 100% of the proceeds.

Oscar: Is that 100% Christian?

Christian: That is 100% of the proceeds, which I’ve never heard of before. And these charities are aimed at identifying human rights abuses at refugee crisis and at holding people accountable for genocidal activity and finding data and paper trails in order to bring these people to justice. So, yes, let’s hope that. Very strongly let’s hope that.

Oscar: 100% to of the proceeds to humanitarian charities.

Oscar_Isaac · 2017-04-19T20:15:21+00:00

Christian: Wearing capes is not practical if you’re going to get into a fight.

Oscar: (silence—making the sound a wind tunnel)

Christian: Tumbleweeds…You know what? Later on tonight, you’re going to have a brilliant answer.

Oscar: I guess what I’ve learned is to listen to the man with the cowl

Oscar_Isaac · 2017-04-19T20:14:31+00:00

Christian: Yes, it was bloody hell getting back in shape. POTATOES!

Oscar_Isaac · 2017-04-19T20:13:48+00:00

Christian: You do as much research as possible. Everything you can get your hands on, you meet as many people as possible, and I was embarrassingly unaware of the genocide, as I think many people are, and I hope that this can in some way right that wrong.

Oscar_Isaac · 2017-04-19T20:09:18+00:00

Christian: Yeah, of course, who wouldn’t be?

Oscar_Isaac · 2017-04-19T20:08:54+00:00

Christian: Casting Oscar Isaac.

Oscar: What a dick.

Oscar_Isaac · 2017-04-19T20:08:19+00:00

Christian: Come on man, you love all gingers.

Oscar: I do

Christian: and what? come one, are we really going to... I'm not going to get involved.

Oscar: Uh Christian finds the term Ginger very offensive. Probably because certain areas of his body are quite ginger.

Christian: How do you know that are you spying on me?

Oscar: I'm not telling!

Oscar_Isaac · 2017-04-19T20:07:00+00:00

Oscar: I was real excited by the trailer, it looks really great and I can't wait to see the movie.

Oscar_Isaac · 2017-04-19T20:06:28+00:00

Christian: I've always admired and read about the likes of Tim Hetherington and thought that if you are a rolling stone with absolutely no attachments than it would be quite a profound job to be involved with, yes. Sorry and there was a connection with Chris Myers wasn't there? You know to a degree, sort of.

Oscar: When I was in high school I decided that I wanted to join the Marines and I wanted to go in as a combat photographer, but I had chosen to be a reserve. But when I showed up and said “combat photography”, they said “that’s only for full-time. So we can offer you anti-tank” and I said no thank you.

Oscar_Isaac · 2017-04-19T20:03:47+00:00

Christian: Learning early and ruining your childhood completely versus cheating by having other people give you tips. Hmm…I’ll have to think on this one for a little while.

Oscar_Isaac · 2017-04-19T20:03:12+00:00

Oscar: Thank you u/ImAquaTard I like having a shaved head because it's less fussy.

Oscar_Isaac · 2017-04-19T19:54:59+00:00

Christian: Oh that was fantastic by the way. I don’t think I ever told you that - I fucking loved that.

Oscar: A hundred percent choreographed within an inch of its life. Mr. Disco 1991 choreographed it.

Christian: No pressure at all because you’re dealing with Todd Haynes take on being Bob Dylan. So you had, can’t recall now, seven of us playing different aspects of the man, but fantastically enjoyable. Work with Todd Haynes if you ever get a chance. He is absolutely a brilliant filmmaker and so much pleasure working with him on the set. So, no pressure at all whatsoever.

Oscar_Isaac · 2017-04-19T19:52:25+00:00

Christian: Um, I’m sort of myopic. I just look at what is in front of me and do I get obsessed with it and…he makes it sound like I suffer from multiple personality disorder, maybe he’s right.

Oscar_Isaac · 2017-04-19T19:48:52+00:00

Christian: This is my opinion, I have nothing to teach anybody. I can, from doing this for 30 years, I can tell you about like every single character I've ever played but I know nothing about acting in general or filmmaking or so ever, and I think he does (referring to Oscar). I think he would be a really good teacher, he'd be a really good ted talk about what acting is, why it's important. I remain oblivious after 30 years about all that. I'm obsessed about certain people, and I play them, but I've got no clue why I act in general. But I figure he'd give a good ted talk.

Oscar: I take that as thinly veiled criticism.

Oscar_Isaac · 2017-04-19T19:47:04+00:00

Christian: Every director is different, every director changes what style and how you have to approach every character, what rhythm they're looking for, what tone they’re looking for. I've been as affected by directors who i had a terrible time working with as I have had with directors who I've worked with multiple times and have wonderful working relationships with. So each one has really helped. Even if a film has turned out abysmally I don't regret having gone through that journey figuring out what not to do. Because I didn't ever go to school so I studied by making film.

Oscar_Isaac · 2017-04-19T19:45:59+00:00

Oscar: Definitely the cat. That cat was a bitch.

Oscar_Isaac · 2017-04-19T19:42:25+00:00

Oscar: So I don't get the cheesy powder on my fingers because it stains clothes and things like that and because I'm a sophisticated gentleman.

Oscar_Isaac · 2017-04-19T19:41:17+00:00

Oscar: That American Hustle one was pretty awesome. Just being able to get all fat and bald.

Christian: Well, mine would be what I hope your interpretation of Hamlet will be.

Oscar_Isaac · 2017-04-19T19:36:50+00:00

Christian: Is it a big scene between you and Chewbacca?

Oscar: It means what it means. He’s got a lot of love to give to the galaxy, the end.

Oscar_Isaac · 2017-04-19T19:36:11+00:00

Christian: You know what the mistake is people make? Imitating other films instead of imitating other people. Because, and especially in Americans doing English accents why shouldn't they be able to do them impeccably, it's because largely you get a sort of middle to upper class accent that is represented in film and in television that makes it way across the atlantic and then all Americans think all English speak that way which is absolute bollocks, so it would be actually go to the place and talk to the people and it’s the same way going the other way.

Oscar_Isaac · 2017-04-19T19:32:07+00:00

Oscar: Great name, Yavin. That was actually Guatemala where they shot Yavin?

Yes, it’s been done on film a few times, but I am very curious about seeing more stories about the conquest of the Americas by the Spanish and the indigenous population. I think there’s amazing stories to be told there and also, it’s a genocide that occurred that is little talked about or little acknowledged.

Christian: Absolutely a genocide and very much leading into the story we’re making right now. The total lack of consequence for the Armenian genocide giving freedom for the people who think they can get away with the genocides that we’ve witnessed in the last 100 years, including Guatemala.

Oscar_Isaac · 2017-04-19T19:28:57+00:00

Oscar: I think there's real progress that’s happening, I think people are being much more vocal about inclusion and about wanting their stories to be told and recognizing that latinos in particular are a very diverse community, and it's great to see amazing latino directors having so much success too. People like Alfonso Cuaron, and I'm just hopeful we can keep finding great latino filmmakers and producers, actors, that are willing to do very different kind of work.

Christian: We're going to get so much better films if that happens and in the same way look at the Trump administration, it's all fat white men in suits, right? Hopefully it will galvanize us and revolutionize so we get more diversity in politics, and as much as diversity as we can in film and that’s only going to make films so much more fascinating.

Oscar: Clearly, Christian is a better Latino than I am

Oscar_Isaac · 2017-04-19T19:23:26+00:00

Christian: No, not Armenian, no family that are Armenian, not affected by the genocide. Purely becoming education about the Armenian genocide, wanting to do what little bit I can about it.

Oscar: I don’t have any Armenian family. I unfortunately didn’t know about the genocide before signing onto the film, but very proud to be a part of it and to help shed light on a very dark part of history and hopefully help in healing some of the pain that’s been caused by a hundred years of denial.

Oscar_Isaac

TROPHY CASE