The Direct was able to speak with the cast and filmmakers behind O'Dessa at SXSW, where they talked about the crazy amount of songs in the movie and the even wilder world they exist in.
The film follows Sadie Sink's O'Dessa, a farm girl who turns into a rebellious symbol of hope against oppression as she works to recover a family heirloom that could save the entire world as they know it.
O'Dessa's world is a colorful and vibrant one that takes place in an alternate post-apocalyptic wasteland ruled by Murray Bartlett's Plutonovich, a despot obsessed with fame and consistent attention and validation.
Here is everyone who spoke with The Direct at SXSW: Sadie Sink (O'Dessa), Regina Hall (Neon Dion), Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Euri Dervish), Geremy Jasper (Director & Writer), and Jason Binnick (Composer & Songwriter).
Sadie Sink Talks About Those Crazy 16 Songs In Odessa
Sadie Sink Put A Lot of Time and Effort Into Her Role of O'Dessa
On top of being a post-apocalyptic film, O'Dessa is also a rock opera that features 16 original songs, as originally reported by Deadline earlier this year.
- The Direct: "16 original songs. That's crazy... For you, how did you work to craft that performance and then also evolve it through not only this crazy fantasy world but also performing all of these different songs and having to bring something new to the table each time?
Sadie Sink: It was a lot of work. It started many months before we started shooting because I had to learn how to play guitar and then, obviously, like, do a lot of singing lessons and get back into that. But as far as inspiration for the character goes, we looked at a lot of like Bob Dylan, Tom Waits interviews, and also PJ Harvey we really liked, and just kind of drew different mannerisms from some of those legends. But yeah, it was so fun.
O'Dessa Cast & Filmmakers on Their Favorite Elements of the Movie's World
"Creating an Entire World Was Challenging..."
- The Direct: "This a crazy world that [you've] crafted in this film. What is your personal favorite quirk about the whole lore and everything about that world that you inhabited?"
Regina Hall: I don't know. There's something about something that's futuristic, kind of like Satylite city, kind of thing. But I don't know, the darker side of humanity was kind of fun to play with. And, of course, I like playing the bad girl, I guess not the bad guy, the bad girl. What
Kelvin Harrison Jr.: Oh, my God. It was exciting. I was like walking to set every day, being blown away that it was this was happening. And we shot this in Croatia, which was such a perfect town to shoot this dystopian movie in, and the creativity and just like, kind of, bat shit crazy mind of Geremy [Jasper] made it exciting and kind of fun to dive into every day, and it inspired the creation of the character. You wanted to [find out] how to make this more lived in. How do I incorporate my essence and my being into the world? So I had a great time.
Geremy Jasper: It was born from my imagination. I don't know if there's one particular favorite part of it, it's just like that it all kind of lives together under the same umbrella, is a thrill to me... Creating an entire world was really challenging. And it was the most difficult to do but the most rewarding, in a way, to create a world where you can just lose yourself.
Creating the Songs and Vivid World of O'Dessa
"Some of the Songs Came Together In a Day or Two, and Some Came Together In Five Years."
- The Direct: "16 original songs. That is a lot, sir. On average, how long does it take? I know some of them are probably different, but how long does it take to craft one song?"
Jason Binnick: The director and I co-wrote everything starting in 2019 I think. And, like, some of the songs came together in a day or two, and some came together in five years. It's impossible to say. Little bits marinate, and little bits appear fully formed.
- The Direct: "I want to ask about the colors of the movie. They're so vibrant and very punchy. What were the choices there, leaning into that and how that enhances the movie? "
Geremy Jasper: "I always—When you see kind of dystopian post-apocalyptic movies, they always are kind of in these rusty yellow browns. And I wanted to do something that was more psychedelic and vibrant and kind of eye-popping."
The full red carpet interviews can be seen here:
O'Dessa premieres on Hulu on March 20.
Fans of Sadie Sink should also make sure to check out the recent theories of who she'll be playing in the MCU in Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures' upcoming Spider-Man 4!
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