When indie film fans see John Magaro on screen, they know they’re in for something special. His memorable performances in films like The Big Short, Carol, and especially First Cow showcased a quiet vulnerability that few actors are able to tap into. His latest role may be his best yet – a boyish but self-aware American author who marries a Korean playwright (Greta Lee), only for her childhood sweetheart (Teo Yoo) to reappear nearly a decade into their marriage.
Following incredible buzz coming out of premieres at Sundance and Berlin, not to mention one of the year’s highest grossing limited openings, Celine Song’s impeccably crafted and tragically romantic drama Past Lives is expanding to theaters nationwide Friday, June 23. Though Magaro doesn’t appear until later on in the film, all three leads are equally entwined in the film’s decade-spanning deconstruction, a look at the balance of acceptance and regret in the face of reality and fate.
In anticipation of the film’s wider release, John Magaro sat down with Geek Vibes Nation to discuss his collaboration with Celine Song, his connection to the film’s central relationship dynamics, and how his own tastes in cinema guide which roles he takes on. You can watch our video conversation above, or read the full transcription below, edited for length and clarity.
Past Lives is now playing in theaters nationwide, courtesy of A24. Read our review here.
Hey, John. How are ya?
Hey Larry, how are you? I’m good.
I’m doing great. It really is such a treat to get to speak with you about this film. I love it very much. I saw it just a few days ago. Already feels like it’s become a part of me, in a way.
Oh, wow.
I feel very deeply connected to it. So, first of all, thank you so much for your work on it. I know that you spoke about having a great time at Sundance, I know you were also at Berlin with this film, and now it seems that more and more people are really starting to see it, and it’s really starting to connect very deeply with a lot of people with the general film audience. What are you most excited for people to get to see in this film?
When you do these things and all this time passes since you were on set filming it, it’s always just nice to start to share it with an audience. I mean, that’s why we make films. That’s the goal that I think we always kind of set out with, is to share it with people. So, that’s just exciting in itself. We’ve had a little bit of that going through Sundance and Berlin, as you said, but those are also very specific. It’s kind of like film geeks coming together and having our little convention of film and loving film, but it’s very different to share it with the average moviegoer who is just trying to see something and have a nice night out. So, I think that’s what’s going to be most exciting, is to share it with people in the general public because I think it’s a film that is very accessible and universal, and you don’t have to be a film buff to walk away with an appreciation or a tear in your eye at the end of it.
I want to talk a little bit about your personal connection to this story because I know that [you’re] married to a Korean American woman, [so] the story really resonated with you very strongly. But also, in hearing a bit about Celine [Song, the director] talk about the film, she spoke about how it was also based on her personal experience, but she didn’t want to directly reflect that because she was worried that it maybe was a bit dangerous to reflect it almost too closely. She wanted to sort of expand the story a little bit. For you, in the same vein – maybe it was in collaboration with Celine, maybe it was just for yourself – what were the parts of Arthur that you were able to connect to but also the parts of Arthur that you felt were separate from yourself that allowed this to be a separate character beyond just what was your initial connection to the script.
You know, it’s not a documentary. If Celine wanted to do that, she could have made a documentary. So, there is a difference. But Celine is married to a white guy who grew up in LA who is a writer. Like you said, I’m married to a Korean American woman who is in a creative field of her own. So, we had the initial commonality to draw on. I was really lucky early on when I first was cast to have Celine and her husband, Justin, over to my place and we had a dinner and just got to sit around and share an evening talking about life and not really talking about the film. And I think we realized we have a lot in common, and I think I realized I had a lot in common with Justin as well. So, in a way, I know Celine had to separate things and also pump things up within her own experiences and maybe take things down, but for me, it was almost strange because, I would say, for the first time in my career, it wasn’t necessarily about separating the two things. It was just kind of leaning into my life and leaning into who I am. Thankfully, the words and the situations supported that. That can be scary because it’s very vulnerable because in a lot of ways you’re just being yourself and there’s no mask to hide behind. That’s daunting and it can be embarrassing, but I like that chance to take those risks and to be that vulnerable onscreen. I think that’s some of the most challenging but also some of the funnest things to do as an actor. I really didn’t try and have a separate hat as Arthur and put that on when I was on set and take it off when I went home. I just tried to live through it and, when I was on set, just let the words in situations wash over me.
Speaking about this vulnerability in this character, I find that that’s a throughline that I feel in a number of your performances, especially in the works of Kelly Reichardt, who Celine has spoken about as being an influence on her. Is that something that you’re looking for? Are you looking for roles that really express this vulnerability and sensitivity? If so, was there a throughline between working with Kelly and working with Celine that you found that these roles felt a bit simpatico in that way of showcasing that kind of vulnerability.
Well, I think Celine and Kelly are both auteurs and very savvy about film and also intellectual in their own ways. At the heart of it, these kinds of stories … whether it’s a vulnerable character or not, I think there’s an honesty there in these kinds of characters, and that’s the kind of cinema I like and those are the kind of characters that I respond to. I’m not a huge fan of ham-fisted performances or over the top or trying to facilitate situations that are just absurd. I mean, there’s absurd filmmaking or heightened filmmaking that is cool and great and I love to be a part of that, but at the heart, it still has to have an honesty, I think.
Right.
So, I think the response is just because that’s my taste in film in general.
I did want to ask about that. In reading other interviews with you, it does feel like you do have a very particular taste in cinema. I was always curious to ask you what are some of the films or filmmakers that are maybe north stars for you?
I mean, Bergman. That’s kind of the guiding post, I think. Just saying “Bergman” in general opens up a whole tree. Then, there are many who were influenced by what he was doing. I leave that as kind of the pin and then I think people who know film can kind of trace it down from there.
I’d love to hear about the duality between your relationships in this film, particularly when developing your relationships with both Greta [Lee] and Teo [Yoo]. I know that, with Teo, you were very intentionally separated from each other to create that kind of tension. Talk to me a little bit about working with Greta to define the relationship between your two characters and then how it was very different with Teo.
Yeah. So, the relationship with Greta which much more [of a] traditional actor relationship. There was [sic] no boundaries. We came in, we started talking to each other before we even met, we had some rehearsals together and we kind of talked over scenes. We both shared our own experiences and our own relationships. And then, obviously, Teo, like you said … the genesis of that whole thing, there might be different takes on it, but I remember that dinner we had with Celine, and our partners were both there, kind of tossing around this idea of not meeting Teo and trying to keep it away and also having awareness that this may be difficult, obviously, on a set to do. But Celine pushed up for it and she made it happen. And it was an experiment. We didn’t know what that would yield or if it would have any value to either of us as actors, but we both were happy to go along for that ride. So, yeah, we didn’t meet, we never saw each other. Then, Celine added this other component of only hearing about him via Greta.
Interesting.
So, that was kind of sadistic and weird—
[laughs]
…but that was all I knew about him while they were filming their movie and we were sort of filming our separate movie. And she was the wall between us. And then when we finally met, which is the scene in the film where Hae Sung and Arthur actually meet for the first time, that was it. You know? It was like being introduced to a bride or a groom who you’ve never met before.
[laughs]
All of a sudden, they’re brought into this room, but in our situation, cameras are rolling. And I know we each had our own thoughts, and whatever you’re seeing on our face is whatever we were going through. I didn’t reach for something in those moments, I just sort of took it in, and that’s what the audience gets to share with us.
Were you able to then further bond with Teo after that initial scene had happened? What were your impressions of him upon first really getting to know him?
Yeah, it was kind of great. After the wall came down, then we could talk. And there wasn’t a lot left in the filming. We only had a few more days left after that, so that night when we wrapped, we all went back to the trailer, and we shared a drink together and actually sat down and talked. We’ve become friends. I was recently in Korea over Thanksgiving, and we had our wives with us, and we had dinner in Korea.
Wow.
Yeah, it was worth it. It was nice having that separation and then getting to come in and celebrate together.
That’s so great to hear. Another question I have for you in terms of Celine and working with her as a director – in a great interview she did, she spoke about [how] she did this one take where she set the camera right on your face. It’s the scene in the bar. And she was just like, “We just want to get those reactions. We’re just going to let the film roll go and we just want to get all those reactions from you.” I’m curious, is there something conscious for you when you know that the camera is going to be right on you like that and they’re just letting it roll, going for those reactions. Is there something conscious in your performance where you have to think, “Okay, now is the time to get this or that,” or are you still trying to immerse yourself in the context of that scene, because that scene for you is very much about listening and reacting, and yet, in that moment, you knew that you would be really the only thing that the camera was seeing.
I mean, I’ve been doing this for a long time now.
[laughs]
And I remember as a young actor, the camera was always very present, and that’s one of the things you have to get over as a young actor, understanding how to separate yourself from the camera. You have all your training, your skills, and your techniques and all that stuff, but like I said, I like to just be honest and listen. I don’t put the expectation on myself as an actor to recreate anything in another take that was in a take before. A lovely thing about film is once you have it once, it’s there. And I am a believer in doing as many different things as possible because I don’t have the answers. I don’t have the answers and I have to trust the director. Luckily, with Celine, she’s a director who you can really trust. So, I just let the camera roll and just try and be as present as possible and as honest as possible. Anything else I think would feel false and phony and I’d feel bad about it. I wouldn’t feel like I’m doing my job. So, yeah. Whether it’s on me or whether it’s a mile away from us shooting a scene, I try and treat it kind of the same way.
My last question for you here, John: your character in the movie has a memoir called Boner…
[laughs]
…which I thought was a hilarious little cutaway. Was there any thought about the contents of that book? Did you yourself have an idea of what the contents of that would be?
Yeah, I do, because it’s actually based on a book that Celine’s husband Justin wrote called Asshole.
[laughs]
I don’t know if she wants me to share this, but it exists, and I read it, and if you want to know what Boner is about, just read that.
That is amazing. What an amazing way to wrap this up. John, it’s truly a treat to see you in every single role that you have.
Thank you.
And I think this might be my favorite one from you.
I appreciate that.
So, congratulations on the film and everything, and best of luck as it only is seen by more and more people.
Thank you. I appreciate it. Talk soon.
Larry Fried is a filmmaker, writer, and podcaster based in New Jersey. He is the host and creator of the podcast “My Favorite Movie is…,” a podcast dedicated to helping filmmakers make somebody’s next favorite movie. He is also the Visual Content Manager for Special Olympics New Jersey, an organization dedicated to competition and training opportunities for athletes with intellectual disabilities across the Garden State.