After directing episodes for “Six Feet Under,” “Game of Thrones,” and, most recently, “Fellow Travelers,” Daniel Minahan returns to direct his first feature film in over 20 years. “On Swift Horses” stars a powerhouse cast that includes Jacob Elordi, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Diego Calva, Will Poulter and Sasha Calle. The film is based on the queer novel by Shannon Pufahl, and centers on newlyweds Muriel and Lee who are beginning a new life when he returns from the Korean War.
The chemistry among all the characters has been teased as palpable and infectious. While most of the promotional first look images thus far have teased both Edgar-Jones’ and Elordi’s characters together, she says that they don’t have a ton of scenes together and that building chemistry with him “was not too difficult.”
“It was really important that in those scenes that you felt that [chemistry],” she told IndieWire at the film’s premiere at TIFF. “He’s such a wonderful actor to act across.” She also shared that reuniting with her “Under the Banner of Heaven” co-star Andrew Garfield in “Voyagers” is “still in development.” “I heard he was at TIFF yesterday,” she said. “I really want to see his film with Florence. It looks brilliant! I love Andrew, I can’t wait to work with him again.”
Enter Sasha Calle, who has teased that she shares some intimate scenes with Edgar-Jones. The actress, who got her start in the soap opera “The Young and the Restless” credits that show for helping connect with her characters in other projects’ romantic scenes. “I think I was just grounded and connected and I think I’ve been doing that since I started,” she said. “I think if I, whether it’s with the soap or with anything, can just connect with my co-star and find that flow and safety, I think you’re good.”
She also had a word of advice to give to Milly Alcock, who will be taking over the role of DC’s “Supergirl,” “Have so much fun. You look so badass. Just fucking kill it and have fun.”
Diego Calva returns in one of his biggest moments since starring alongside Margot Robbie in Damien Chazelle’s “Babylon” in 2022. “Hollywood likes me in period movies and kissing Australian people,” he said to IndieWire. As he continues growing in Hollywood, he’s grateful for every role he gets. “I think every role is very important in my opinion. Like, the small role I got in a small short film, got me to the next job, and the next job, and the next job.”
Will Poulter, coming off a fun arc in “The Bear,” just filmed Alex Garland’s “Warfare” alongside Charles Melton, Joseph Quinn, and Kit Connor. “We all became very, very close as a group,” he tells IndieWire. “It’s a really wonderful, little team of actors. I love those guys, I really do. It was an honor to do the project.” When asked if any special training went into prepping for the military role, he said that “we did a boot camp. I mean, it was nothing like the real sort of boot camp that is required of Navy SEALs.”
“It was a very much tamed down version of it, but I think the most important thing that came out of it was genuine camaraderie and a reverence for the gentlemen that we were representing,” he continued.
Jacob Elordi is in the midst of working with Guillermo Del Toro for his next project, playing the title character in his “Frankenstein” adaptation. Oscar Isaac is set to play scientist Victor Frankenstein, with Mia Goth and Christoph Waltz. Elordi told us that it is going to be “one hell of a movie.” With “On Swift Horses,” for anyone eager to see the film before its release, he says that reading the book is a “fundamental part of understanding the script.”
