Benicio del Toro explains the unusual way in which Wes Anderson cast him inThe Phoenician Scheme. Set for release early next month, theAnderson-directed moviefeatures del Toro as Zsa-zsa Korda, who meets up with his daughter, Liesl, who he names his sole heir. The pair travel the world together as Zsa-zsa attempts to close business deals and bond with Liesl along the way. In addition to del Toro, the movie features Mia Threaplton, Michael Cera, Willem Dafoe, F. Murray Abraham, Scarlett Johansson, Riz Ahmed, and Tom Hanks.
PerThe LA Times, del Toro and Anderson detail how the actor got cast inThe Phoenician Scheme. According to the actor, Anderson approached him at a dinner at the Cannes Film Festival after he premieredThe French Dispatchto tell him about a new project, with 20 pages already written. He specifically had del Toro in mind. Gradually,the director would send del Toro more pages, but “little by little” the star understood that he was actually set to play the lead. Check out the full quotes from Anderson and del Toro below:
Del Toro:Wes’ writing had a lot of wisdom, and it served the character. But I didn’t know if it was going to be another film like ‘The French Dispatch,’ where my character ends and then another story rolls up. Little by little, I understood that it was the whole thing.
Anderson:I think he has a unique, magnetic, mesmerizing presence that I felt like I would like to build a movie around. He’s tremendously talented and interesting and, beyond that, I just wanted to work with him again.”
Del Toro:It’s a hell of a gift. Then, you know what the Greeks say, ‘May all your wishes come true.’ It’s not just: OK, I put it on and done. I have to work at it. It demands from you time, being focused. You’re going to have to sacrifice some things. But as an actor working in this industry, you pray for a gift like Zsa-zsa and ‘The Phoenician Scheme.’ You don’t get them often.
What This Means For The Phoenician Scheme
Del Toro Does Not Often Play The Lead
Del Toro hasworked with Anderson beforeonThe French Dispatch. Although Anderson’s movies typically have a packed ensemble cast, the storytelling inThe French Dispatchmeant that several actors only appeared on-screen for a few minutes. The 2021 movie had many anthology segments since it focused on key story headlines covered by the newspaper.Del Toro only appeared in the “The Concrete Masterpiece” segment, one of the newspaper headlines that covered the incarcerated painter. He only appeared in that subplot since the individual stories were meant to be a love letter to journalism.
Benicio del Toro did not appear in Anderson’s most recent feature film beforeThe Phoenician Scheme, 2023’sAsteroid City.
In addition,del Toro’s career doesn’t consist of many leading roles. However, he has many memorable supporting roles, including the two films for which he was nominated for an Academy Award,Trafficand21 Grams. Del Toro won the covetedBest Supporting Actorprize forTraffic. While the star is clearly a talented thespian and can showcase his versatility in drama and comedy, only so few of his movies have him leading the cast.The Phoenician Schemedisrupts this trend by putting del Toro in the spotlight.
Our Take On Del Toro’s Phoenician Scheme Casting
Del Toro Looks Great In The Role
Based onThe Phoenician Schemetrailers, del Toro looks like he was ultimately a great choice for the role of Zsa-zsa. He played the disgruntled 1950s businessman with confidence and humor and exuded the larger-than-life quality necessary for an Anderson film. From Bill Murray inThe Life Aquatic with Steve Zissouto Jason Schwartzman inRushmore, Anderson’s movies have had memorable leads. Hopefully, del Toro will be no exception when it comes toThe Phoenician Scheme.
