The Direct spoke with some of the talented cast and filmmakers behind On Swift Horses at SXSW, where they spelled out how the movie's dangerous love story is so unique and impactful.
On Swift Horses centers around Daisy Edgar-Jones' Muriel, whose life in the 1950s starts to become more complicated than she ever realized after growing closer to her husband's (Will Poulter's Lee) brother (Jacob Elordi's Julius).
Muriel soon finds herself discovering new things about herself, which unexpectedly introduces her to a whole nother world existing in the shadows, avoiding prosecution.
Everyone The Direct spoke with at SXSW includes Sasha Calle (Sandra), Diego Calva (Henry), Kat Cunning (Gail), Daniel Minahan (Director & Producer), and Bryce Kass (Writer).
How On Swift Horses Offers a Unique Love Story
"It's a Queer Love Story..."
- The Direct: "The film touts itself as having a dangerous romance. Can you tease how that is portrayed in a unique manner in this film, and different than a lot of other romance tales?"
Sasha Calle: It's a queer love story, you know. And I think in 1945, it was illegal to love someone of the same gender. And I think that's something that we get to see here, something that I feel like we're still fighting for.
Diego Calva: Unconventional for the time period, right? Because people had to hide at the time. But I think it's just a love story. It doesn't matter like the sexuality. It's about people that are brave and try to find theirself and try to be unique. I think that's great.
Kat Cunning: I don't know if I'm going to be good at teasing it, but I will outright say it's giving polyamory... But especially in the context of a period piece, I think that it's definitely daring and making a period piece in this time about something that is fairly acceptable now, I think is really important because a lot of our rights are being threatened when it comes to who we are in relationship to and how we express our sexuality and freedom.
And so I think every action in this movie is set in a period piece, although it feels very contemporary and is intentional, radical, and important.
Daniel Minahan: Without giving away too much of it, Muriel, played by Daisy Edgar-Jones, is about to be engaged to Lee, played by Will Poulter, and over Christmas and on leave from the Korean War, his brother comes back, Jacob Elordi, named Julius. And they're kind of sparks between Muriel and Julius. And he's sort of a bad boy. We kind of know it. He teaches her to play cards, but she also already seems to know how to play cards.
They make a plan to all go and live together in California once Lee gets out of the service in six months time, and then they do, and then it's sort of a slow-motion implosion as their lives, Muriel sort of fascinated with Julius, Julius is fascinated with Muriel. I think they're perfectly mismatched. They're never going to get together. Spoiler alert, but a lot of unexpected things happen.
Bryce Kass: I mean, I think what makes this movie unique, in terms of the romance, is that everyone in this movie is a little bit fluid. Everyone sort of kisses each other, as people have noticed, but it's not in any way a prescribed kind of way of being or loving or being attracted to other people, which I think, even though it takes place in the 50s, when I read the book, I felt like a little more contemporary than that, and that really attracted me to it, because I really believe that, especially when you're young, you're just trying stuff out, you're making a mess and just trying to figure out who you really are in an honest way. And I hope that comes across.
How the 1950s Enhances On Swift Horses
The 50s Brings A Lot to the Table
- The Direct: "How did the era of the film takes place in enhance both the movie and also your own performance?"
Sasha Calle: From my research, I could be so wrong, but I think that it wasn't legal to be queer till, I think it was 1975 in San Diego, and we're 1945 in San Diego right now in this film. So you really get to see, I mean, I think it's really heartbreaking to watch. To be honest with you, there's a scene [where] Daisy [Edgar-Jones] goes into a bar, and things happen, and I think it really kind of shakes you.
Diego Calva: My performance, I think this could sound weird, but the clothes, like the costume in every character, are really important, you know, makes you stand and walk differently. And all the period, the clothes pieces in this movie are amazing. And I think the important part of placing this love story in the 50s is the hiding part. Like queer people, gay people had to hide. There were these hidden bars, like speakeasies, and I think it's important to to remember that and celebrate freedom today.
Kat Cunning: I've lived a lot of my life pretending to be in this era. I'm a singer. I started as a jazz singer. A lot of places I've gotten gigs have been in like, 1930s vintage environments, so I was really excited to live in this era as an actor. And I also feel like, especially as a queer person, as an actor, in the context of this story, it becomes that much more important.
I identify as nonbinary and trans, although I present and am interpreted as being effortlessly feminine, I suppose. I loved playing this person who moved through the world, perceived as a feminine woman who was finding her outlets for pleasure, freedom, and sexual expression.
Bryce Kass: I think the thing about the 1950s is that it was a time when anyone who was living on the margins was really limited and how much freedom they had, how much they could express themselves, how much they could be themselves [and] feel comfortable walking down a street going to a gay bar.
Gay bars were raided every week, every night, sometimes twice a night. So I think that what the idea of the 1950s was about, like friction and limits and danger and stakes, which unfortunately does not feel very period anymore.
The Changes Between the Original On Swift Horses Book and New Film
"I Hope We Did a Good Job of Adapting Shannon Pufahl's Novel
Daniel Minahan's new film On Swift Horses is actually based on a 2019 book written by Shannon Pufahl.
- The Direct: "Can you tease how the book and the film are going to compare for those that are really in love with that book, how will this compare to that?"
Daniel Minahan: I hope we did a good job of adapting Shannon Pufahl's novel. When you adapt something, you consolidate, and it's interesting. When we made the screenplay, it kind of took on a life of its own. It was a little bit more dedicated to the novel. As we started to edit it, we found it was very elastic, and it really took on a life of its own. So, we'll see how people, the die-hard fans of the novel, react.
Bryce Kass: I mean, the first 15 minutes is just sort of something that the book alluded to as just they met at Christmas, and so I was like, that's a great thing to think about writing in terms of an opening. And then just, there's lots of little moments along the way.
For example, the end, when you go to Tijuana, that was originally about 120 pages long in the book, and it's about five minutes of the movie. So there are things you sort of invent, and there are things you kind of delete, and then there are things you just sort of honor because they're so beautiful and ready to go.
The full interviews can be viewed here:
While On Swift Horses releases in theaters on April 25.
