“It’s astonishing it has taken us so long to put that story out there in a more popular light” Interview With Garth Davis, Director Of Mary Magdalene

Mary Magdalene is the sophomore feature from director Garth Davis. You are probably familiar with his fine debut feature Lion, which was nominated for six Academy Awards in 2016. And he brings much of that poetic simplicity to the table here as well. The film follows Mary Magdalene, a devote follower of Jesus played by the always brilliant Rooney Mara. She, and the 12 disciples, follow at the heels of Joaquin Phoenix‘s Jesus like reliable lap dogs.

Playing to stunning wide-screen vistas and intimate close ups, Davis takes us on a spiritual journey in which a woman must find a way to grow in a man’s world (sound familiar?). I was lucky enough to discuss this timeliness, the movies influences, and the honest-to-God miracles that took place on set with the film’s director.

Asher Luberto for Film Inquiry: I would first like to congratulate you on Mary Magdalene, it’s a very powerful story.

Garth Davis: Thanks mate! So you liked it?

I very much liked it. I got a chance to read the script and I noticed it starts and ends with that biblical seed metaphor, and much of this film is about Magdalene sprouting up in a man’s world. Was it this timely message that made you want to take on the project?

Garth Davis: That aspect was definitely attractive. But it was the spirituality of the story and the relatability of this telling that stuck with me. As well as to realize that Mary’s story hadn’t been told before – that really made me want to get this thing out there.

Were you familiar with Mary Magdalene before you read the script?

Garth Davis: Not in a deep, detailed way, but in the movies I have seen before and in the way everyone kind of understands. When I read this it was a completely different version, so that got me curious. I started to investigate it in a deeper way and found it astonishing it has taken us so long to put that story out there in a more popular light. Extraordinary really.

It was definitely different than the story I grew up reading in the bible. I remember when the Passion of the Christ came out, an actor got struck by lightening during shooting. Anything like that happen on set for you?

Garth Davis: There were a couple of pretty amazing moments. When we were shooting the scene of the exorcism, where the family was exorcising Mary in the Sea of Galilee, just before we were about to walk into the water the wind just completely stopped. Completely still, almost on cue, right? Then suddenly lightening appeared all over the ocean. It was unbelievable! So much so, that when shooting the scene I had to paint it out. It just felt like a trope, you know? People would have thought it was a visual effect. [laughs]

Wow!

Garth Davis: The other one was during a scene on the beach of Magdala. I did a drawing of the location and I wanted to add some smoke in the background. So we went down to the Recee, and as I was standing there, smoke emerged exactly where I was drawing it (laughs). It was one of those moments where you have to ask if something was guiding us in some way.

You obviously knew Roony Mara was a great actress from having directed her in Lion. I’m assuming she was your first choice in the leading role here?

Garth Davis: Yes, definitely.

She was terrific here. As was Joaquin Phoenix who, I think, joins Willem Dafoe, Claude Heater and Will Ferrell as one of the great Jesus performances. Besides looking like Jesus, why did you choose him for the role?

Garth Davis: Both Rooney and Joaquin are very unique actors. They are never acting. They have this emotional connectiveness to the world that brings such an atmospheric outcome. Both have a capacity for empathy and love, so it was very hard to think outside of these two to bring that to the screen in a very believable way. Also, Joaquin is special because you know that the Jesus in our movie is very human, while also being divine. To try and do that believably is tricky. And I believed Joaquin could pull it off. Some of those healing scenes brought such a humanity and depth to the character. You almost don’t know the miracle is happening. What can I say, they are both talented actors and actresses.

Garth Davis: Oh yeah. [laughs] I love locations. A lot of biblical movies do it the same way, you know? They shoot it in a back-lot in Morocco or in the desert. But when I did my research, I realized it was a very different landscape from the one I grew up watching on screen. Especially Magdalene’s hometown. The Sea of Galilee was such a precious place to the people back then, so I wanted the audience to have the experience of going back in time and being in these landscapes. We went to Israel and tracked all the locations there. Then when we got to Italy, we found that there were a lot of similarities. We managed to embrace that setting as a character in our film.

You had cinematographer Greig Fraser, who was nominated for an Oscar for Lion, back here. What’s it like working with him?

Garth Davis: We have worked together since I was 19. He’s like my brother, really. What’s beautiful about working with Greig is that we have such a close connection and have been working together so long that our work and our art can transcend to a deeper place. I really believe our work on this is special. It was an amazing experience getting to work with him again.

He has a very distinct style, as do you. I haven’t quite been able to pinpoint who your greatest influences are, mind sharing?

Garth Davis: Oh God. [laughs] To be honest, I don’t really reference. [laughs] I suppose it’s quite an eclectic mix of things I’m inspired by. I like early Italian cinema as well as the human vibrancy of John Cassavetes. Even elements of Tarkovsky in the celebration of silences and landscapes. There’s probably a load of influences creeping in there. But ultimately at the end of the day, the two big driving forces behind my work is the landscape and reminding audiences our connection to planet earth. That’s important. I also always love my characters. Regardless of where they go on their journey’s, I try to bring an emotionality to it.

I saw a lot of Cassavetes particularly in Lion. I remember taking my mom to see that and we both left sobbing. It really is one of my favorites in the past five years.

Garth Davis: Thanks mate!

Anything in the works right now?

Garth Davis: Nothing I can really talk about right now. Just working on some development.

Well, I’m looking forward to whatever it is you do next!

Garth Davis: Thank you!

Film Inquiry would like to thank Garth Davis for taking time out of his busy post-production schedule to discuss his thought process with us.

Mary Magdalene comes to theaters April 12, 2019.