Sebastian Stan was daunted by the prospect of improvising scenes on the set on Endings, Beginnings.
Directed by Drake Doremus, the romantic drama follows Daphne, as played by Shailene Woodley, as she becomes involved in relationships with two friends - Sebastian's Frank and Jamie Dornan's Jack. The film is semi-improvised and loosely based on a screenplay co-written by Jardine Libaire, with the Avengers: Endgame actor finding the experience much more challenging than other Hollywood films he has made.
"It's a very exposing process. There are takes that we probably shot for 20 minutes straight without cutting and we would go all over the place. You go home and wonder if any of it is good," he said in an interview with Variety. "But it's kind of nice because it gets you out of your head; it gets you out of your comfort zone. You just show up tomorrow and all you're trying to do is be as present as possible and available to any accidents that might happen."
Sebastian went on to explain that he found comfort in the fact that he had spent a long time preparing for his scenes alongside Shailene and could take cues from Drake and his team.
"We had a direction. A lot of it comes from the dynamic you build in rehearsal," the 37-year-old explained. "And being open with each other. Shailene, acting opposite her, it was total vulnerability, total honesty. It's a lot easier when someone opposite you is giving their all."
And Sebastian was full of praise for filmmaker Drake, who is perhaps best known for his work on movies such as Like Crazy and Newness, and his ability to blend all of the sequences cohesively.
"One of the things he's such a master at is being able to take all these moments and piece it together into a performance. I have no idea how he edited it all together," he gushed.
Due to cinemas closing as a result of the coronavirus crisis, Endings, Beginnings is now available to view on digital platforms.
