Tenzing is Apple TV's new biographical drama movie that focuses on the true story of Nepalese-Indian Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay (Genden Phuntsok) and his historic 1953 ascent of Mount Everest alongside Edmund Hillary (Loki's Tom Hiddleston), a New Zealand climber who was among the British expedition team looking to make history for their country.
What makes this story unique is that the narrative focuses on Tenzing's perspective, starting with his childhood, the growth of his aspirations, and finally his joining the team that would be the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
Another key character in Tenzing, which hits Apple TV on October 16, is Colonel John Hunt, played by Spider-Man's Willem Dafoe. John Hunt led the British expedition team and was responsible for logistics, planning, and the overall safety of everyone on the team. Without him, no one would have made it up to the summit in the first place.
The Direct sat down with Tenzing star Willem Dafoe and director Jennifer Peedom to discuss how they brought an authentic and accurate portrayal of John Hunt to life and how the team made Mount Everest feel so real.
Willem Dafoe Explains How He Portrayed John Hunt
"There Was a Wealth of Research Right at My Disposal..."
- The Direct: "When you were preparing for the role, were you able to speak with anyone who either knew him at some point or knew someone who knew him?"
Willem Dafoe: I did. There were some people that I met who knew him, but you know, there was so much information about him, and he also wrote a book that was a very personal memoir of the expedition, and that gave me a lot to work with. So there was a wealth of research right at my disposal...
Dafoe also noted how "you have a responsibility" when you are playing a real-life person:
Dafoe: And also, ultimately, you know, you play the scenes that are in the movie. When you're playing a real-life person, you have a responsibility, or at least you can have responsibility. And I take that because he was an interesting character, and the public face that he presented was not really representative of his character, because he had a function.
Throughout the process, the actor was able to dive deep into just who John Hunt was and all his many qualities that made the expedition to Mount Everest possible.
Dafoe: He was a leader, and he had to make this expedition work. So he had a very technical, direct military approach. He was a military man, and he believed in planning. He believed in logistics. He believed in keeping a timetable, but all that sometimes falls apart when you're dealing with nature. And he was enough of a climber that he knew that, but he didn't know the extent of it.
John Hurt's True Feelings Towards Tenzing and Edmund Hillary Explained
"He's Responsible for Everyone..."
- The Direct: "John Hurt, he sends mixed messages, I think, about how much faith he truly has in Tenzing and Edmund Hillary before the faithful moment at the summit. Can you talk about how much faith you think he actually has in those two, like in a genuine sense?"
Willem Dafoe: Well, he's responsible for everyone, and initially, I think he chooses the most likely on paper people to summit. And he learns through failure because he sends two teams up basically, and they don't make it. So he comes to that choice through failure. But in the end, he appreciates—You see a real shift right before they summit. He really gives them their blessings, and he recognizes that ultimately he's failed, and he adjusts his choice basically.
Jennifer Peedom: I think John Hunt's a really complex character, and I think ultimately his leadership contributed to the success of the expedition. But he had the weight of the nation on his shoulders. You know, the Americans had beaten Britain to the polls, and this was the last big thing that was left, and no one had achieved this feat, and the British were determined to do it.
The director went on to explain that John Hunt was "under a lot of pressure" as he worked to achieve this massive feat for his country.
Peedom: And so he was under a lot of pressure, and since it was a British expedition, he wanted it to be two British people who stood on the summit. And so they were great climbers, these guys, but he perhaps underestimated Tenzing and Hillary. They were these two outsiders from unlikely backgrounds who came together and found a way of mutually respecting each other and seeing each other for who they really were and what their potential was.
At the end of the day, Peedom explains that John Hunt eventually learns "that the mountain doesn't necessarily need to be conquered."
Peedom: And I think ultimately, John Hunt's arc in the story is coming to understand that, but I think he also comes to understand in some ways from Tenzing that the mountain doesn't necessarily need to be conquered. That you need to approach her with reverence and respect. And I think that moment in the film represents that idea.
Balancing Fact With Fiction in Apple TV's 'Tenzing'
"There Are So Many Things That You Have to Balance..."
- The Direct: "[This movie is] based on a real-life story. Can you talk about balancing fiction and reality, and also, were there any things that you almost changed from the real thing, and you were just kind of like—it would feel inauthentic if you did adjust it?"
Jennifer Peedom: I mean, there are so many things that you have to balance when you're trying to compress a whole life story into a film. There were so many things... I worked with the screenwriter Luke Davies, who would often say, 'Well, why can't we have Tenzin climb the Hillary step first? I'm like well it's called the Hillary Step.
"The documentarian in me was really obsessive about keeping the story as true to the real story as possible," the director admitted.
Peedom: There are certain absolute not negotiables and I guess the documentarian in me was really obsessive about keeping the story as true to the real story as possible, but then you have to imagine so many things because we weren't there, and that's just about doing your research properly, having conversations with people, having who were there, people that were were really there, and there's not many of those left. And trying to understand the spirit of the adventure and bring it to life in the most authentic way possible.
The Direct's full interview with both Willem Dafoe and Jennifer Peedom can be watched below.
