In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Bell chatted about his role as Ben Grimm, a.k.a. The Thing, and admitted that he still doesn't really understand how the film got so far off track. Reports from the time alleged that director Josh Trank basically lost his mind while shooting, trying to control every aspect of his actors' performances down to their blinking, and pushing for a moody tone that the source material didn't support. The production was reportedly further derailed when studio 20th Century Fox stepped in to change the story, turning what mess Trank already had into something even more incoherent.
While Bell didn't discuss any of those alleged events specifically, you can read between the lines of his diplomatic comments to gather that he wasn't exactly happy with how the production went, either. Here's what he told LAT:
There were several things on that movie I was clearly not privy to because I'm just an actor and I just do my stuff on set. But with something like that, everything starts with the best of intentions. A production begins with the idea to make something that's unique and original and with integrity. I think the film really strived towards those goals. I don't know what happened between the launch of the voyage and the arrival. I think we were all bitterly disappointed with that film. But that's just the way it goes sometimes.
That "bitterly disappointed" line is a little heartbreaking, especially since it seems like the actor had such high hopes for the project . At least Bell and costar Kate Mara, who tied the knot earlier this summer, were able to find love in the midst of making a bad movie. Guess there's a bright side to everything.
[via: Los Angeles Times]