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By Molli Mitchell
Senior TV & Film Reporter (SEO)
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Two years since the release of Florian Zeller's Academy Award-winning and critically acclaimed debut, The Father, his highly anticipated second movie, The Son, has hit cinemas.
The Son is an adaptation of Zeller's 2018 stage play, Le Fils, which follows the heartbreaking story of 17-year-old Nicholas's mental-health struggles and his family's struggle to help their son.
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Not only does The Son tackle the important issue of mental health, but it also shines a light on the complexities of family relationships, the influence of past mistakes on the present, and the human instinct to protect everything we love.
Director Florian Zeller told Newsweek about the casting process for The Son and the remarkable way Wolverine star Hugh Jackman, 54, landed the role of high-flying attorney, Peter Miller.
Zeller said that he wrote the script for the film adaptation of The Son with no particular actor in mind, but ultimately, the role was always going to go to Hugh Jackman after a chance encounter.
Zeller said: "This is what happened. I was just starting the process of dreaming about who could be in the film when I received a letter from Hugh Jackman.
"He knew that I was working on the adaptation of The Son. He knew the play and so he wrote to me saying, 'If you're already in conversation with an actor, please forgive my letter but if not, I would love to have 10 minutes with you to just let you know why I should be the one to do that part.'"
Zeller added: "I was really impressed and moved by his bravery and admired his courage, and honesty and humility to do that.
"We met on Zoom and after a few minutes, I stopped the conversation and I offered him the role because I felt strongly that he would be extraordinary. He's such a brilliant actor, of course, but he's also an extraordinary human being if it means anything, and I think it does mean something."
Zeller continued: "I felt that his humanity would shine in this story, and I was very impressed by his commitment, generosity, and again, courage, because he was ready to explore these emotions without shying away. It was a wonderful journey together."
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Audiences may recognize Jackman from his performances as Frank in Bad Education and P.T. Barnum in The Greatest Showman.
The Son also marks the second collaboration of Sir Anthony Hopkins and Zeller after 2020's The Father, with Hopkins reprising his Oscar-winning role as Anthony Miller.
Set a few years before Anthony's diagnosis with dementia in The Son, Jackman's character Peter pays a rare visit to his father at his lavish childhood home. There are hints at Anthony's failing health, but nothing explicitly states he has been diagnosed with dementia.
Zeller said that he wrote the film adaptation of The Son with Hopkins in mind.
The French director added: "When I finished the script, he [Hopkins] was the first one I sent the script to, and he read it right away. I really wanted to do it with him because to make a film is really like a sentimental experience and we did The Father together and it was like something very special for both of us. So, I really wanted him to be around."
Zeller said: "It was compelling for us just to do the exact opposite [than Hopkins's character in The Father], because in The Son, he is this man, completely in control of the situation, and very cruel.
"And the joy to have that scene, which was a pivotal scene in the story, when you do understand that this father, Hugh Jackman, is also a son. and a son in pain. He was just trying to, as we understand, to be a better father than the one he had, or the father he never had, which is what we all do," Zeller added.
Joining Jackman and Hopkins in The Son is Twin Peaks' Laura Dern, 55, as Peter's ex-wife, Kate, and The Crown's Vanessa Kirby, 34, as his new partner, Beth.
Up-and-coming actor Zen McGrath portrays Nicholas, who is Kate and Peter's troubled son.
The Son is available to watch in cinemas now.
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