“There’s a bizarre confidence in being prepared to play the submissive,” Christopher Abbott says whereas sitting throughout from me inside Soho Grand Lodge, his legs and arms each outstretched as he casually leans again right into a sofa. The actor is describing Hal, his character in Zachary Wigon’s new movie, Sanctuary, who usually hires an escort, Rebecca (performed by a glowing Margaret Qualley), to dominate him. However he may simply as simply be speaking about himself. In spite of everything, whether or not it’s the lovelorn Charlie, who Marnie as soon as accused of not being manly sufficient in HBO’s seminal Women, or the depressed Kevin, who agrees to a suicide pact along with his finest good friend in On the Depend of Three, Abbott has by no means shied away from enjoying the delicate, delicate man.

Hal provides a brand new wrinkle to the formulation. A rich resort chain inheritor, he has the flexibility to undertaking dominance by way of his pecuniary energy. And but, if Rebecca is to be believed, Hal could be nothing if he didn’t have her to place him in his place—which is why she’s demanding a slice of his resort fortune. An erotic thriller-cum-undercover love story that takes place practically solely in a resort room, Sanctuary is a nimble two-hander about energy and management the place nobody has the upper-hand for too lengthy. Abbott brilliantly encapsulates Hal’s inscrutability, sliding from compliant to sinister utilizing the subtlest shifts of tone and temperament. However when all is claimed and executed, he desires Sanctuary to go down simply. “[It’s] meant to be a popcorn film,” he stresses. “A enjoyable, rom-com, popcorn film!”

What was it notably about Sanctuary that labored?

I favored [director] Zach Wigon’s first film, Coronary heart Machine, so I trusted him. Margaret and I had been associates for years and had been on the lookout for one thing to do collectively. There have been a couple of initiatives we nearly did, however this felt like the appropriate one. And for apparent egotistical causes, it’s simply two individuals within the film—so nice, good, it’s simply us! [laughs] We needed to be open and be free to experiment.

Each side of this movie is nice, however I believe Sanctuary actually does begin on the web page. Micah Bloomberg’s screenplay!

It’s very very similar to a play. It strikes like that. I do performs fairly usually, however at the moment, I hadn’t executed a play or a film in a short time. So it actually felt like the right alternative to kill two birds with one stone.

Aggression doesn’t appear to return naturally to Hal—he appears fairly delicate. And but, due to his monetary capital, he’s nonetheless in a position to undertaking this feigned sense of energy.

Each characters are type of “enjoying elements” themselves. What makes [Hal] tick is that this submissive factor, proper? On the floor, he desires to be dominated or advised what to do. But it surely’s attention-grabbing the way in which the facility dynamics shift round between the characters. He writes for her to do this [stuff] to him. It’s odd. It’s nuanced and layered the way in which that works. Finally, it’s a love story. I believe it’s a rom-com. However I really feel like, because the viewers, you’re probably not positive what the characters’ intentions are, and I believe, neither are they as issues unfold and unravel.

As an actor, how did you discover that stability between dominance and submission?

I believe he’s assured in enjoying the submissive. That’s the place he’s really snug. He’s not assured, at the least at first, when he feels that [Rebecca] is beginning to break their association. That’s the place he begins to lose himself. However there’s a bizarre confidence in being prepared to play the submissive.

A number of years in the past, you starred in a movie known as Piercing, which is coincidentally additionally a couple of quasi-BDSM dynamic, the place you equally end up dropping the upper-hand, in a way. What retains pulling you in the direction of these tales?

I don’t know. I didn’t even actually discover [the similarities] at first. I seen whereas we have been taking pictures. There’s a scene in Sanctuary the place I’m pulling Margaret away from the elevator again to the room, and once I was doing that, I used to be like, I really feel like I’ve executed this earlier than.

Déjà vu?

Precisely. However I actually don’t give it some thought. It’s really easy for me to maneuver on once I’m executed with a job, so I genuinely forgot. There’s an identical setup, however they’re very completely different movies.

Nicely, Piercing finally ends up being about mommy points. Sanctuary is about daddy points.

That’s very proper. I believe I’m executed with this style now. [laughs] I’ve executed all of it. That’s sufficient!

You joked about being drawn to Sanctuary for egotistical causes as a result of it was a two-hander. Piercing isn’t precisely that, however it’s largely simply you and Mia Wasikowska. Similar could possibly be mentioned of On the Depend of Three, which could be very centered on you and Jerrod Carmichael. How do these extra one-on-one tales examine to bigger ensembles?

I assume, merely, it’s extra targeted. On the Depend of Three, for instance, is about these two finest associates, and Jerrod is one in all my expensive associates. It’s simply simpler. I can deal with this one dynamic between two individuals. I can deal with this one character, whether or not it’s a finest good friend, a lover, a dom, or no matter. It makes a [character] arc simpler to form. If you’re coping with an ensemble, and you’ve got completely different relationships with completely different characters, you need to work slightly more durable to trace it. That’s actually the one distinction.

Interested by the ending, what do you assume the movie is attempting to say concerning the potential to search out widespread floor past class distinctions?

Nicely, it’s simply that. We handled it as a love story from the get-go, and no matter class distinction they inherently have is secondary in comparison with no matter love that they’ve for one another. I believe that outdated [everything else].

What concerning the distribution of energy between sexes?

I don’t actually assume it’s saying something about it. I’m not by any means dodging that [question]. I simply assume that it’s actually about these two people who find themselves primarily each weirdos, and so they’re in love with one another and so they don’t even comprehend it. I believe this film’s meant to be a popcorn film—a enjoyable, rom-com, popcorn film. In a great way!

What was essentially the most enjoyable a part of the filming for you?

There was a very nice routine. We principally shot in sequence. We did six-day weeks, so it was a marathon, however there was one thing good about simply getting into, beginning the story, and the subsequent day, choosing again up the place we left off. It’s like we obtained to dwell by way of the film through the schedule of taking pictures it. I don’t all the time look ahead to work, however I genuinely did. It felt straightforward.

Later this yr, you’ve got The Crowded Room on Apple TV+, Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Issues, and Marvel’s Kraven the Hunter—to not point out different initiatives that have been introduced for the long run. You mentioned you don’t all the time look ahead to work, however do you ever really cease?

100%. I love not working. I like working, however I actually love not working. [laughs] It’s type of the character of films. A few of these films I shot a very long time in the past. It simply relies upon once they come out. Generally, when issues come out abruptly, it appears like I’ve executed a shitload. However, you understand, Yorgos’ film, I shot not final yr however within the fall of the yr earlier than that. I stagger my work once I work, however typically, it’s the character of the beast that they arrive out all on the identical time.