Herzog Says Orlando Bloom Was Upset Over One-Take Scene — SkimNews
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- Werner Herzog revealed at the Venice Film Festival press conference that Orlando Bloom was upset after his largest scene in 'Bucking Fastard' was captured in a single take.
- Herzog said he understood Bloom's disquiet and brought him back for three additional takes, describing his approach as 'like open heart surgery, going to the essentials right away' with one camera and minimal takes.
- Bloom said shooting with Herzog was 'liberating and magical,' and praised the director's passion, referencing Herzog's 1990 documentary 'My Best Fiend' about the tumultuous Klaus Kinski.
- Real-life sisters Kate and Rooney Mara play Jean and Joan Holbrooke, based on a true story of inseparable twins Herzog first encountered over 40 years ago; Herzog said he wrote the screenplay in five days as 'a complete invention.'
- Herzog credited UK producer Jeremy Thomas with suggesting the Mara sisters and said he wanted to cast Bloom in an unexpected role beyond his 'heartthrob of teenies' image.
- Herzog expressed regret that David Lynch — a friend since his L.A. years in the late 1970s who died in January 2025 — was not in the audience for the world premiere.
Why it matters: 'Bucking Fastard' is competing for the Golden Lion at Venice, making the premiere a high-stakes festival moment for the 83-year-old Herzog. The one-take anecdote and his 'open heart surgery' philosophy will fuel discourse around his minimalist style, while Lynch's absence marks a generational handoff between two singular auteurs.
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