Playing autistic forensic accountant Christian Wolff, it is not one of Affleck’s flashiest roles but now audiences get their wish with a sequel. Recently The Phuket News was given the opportunity to chat to both Affleck and co-star Jon Bernthal, who plays Christian’s hitman boyfriend, while on their press tour for The Accountant 2.
The chat begins with us asking Affleck about what made him decide to make The Accountant 2 after seemingly avoiding sequels throughout his career.
“Yeah well you know we did the first one and it was successful and I was really happy with it but for some reason it felt like it had a longer life,” he explains. “With the feedback that people would give me when they came up to me so to me it felt like it was still a film that was being watched. Then streaming took off and it gave people another opportunity to see it.”
“Aside from that though it was just a character that I really enjoyed playing,” he continues. “And Gavin (director Gavin O’Connor) and myself were really open to the idea of bringing Jon (Bernthal) back and expanding on that because we were like ‘this guy is fabulous’ and we felt like there was a lot more to do and the one thing I think I would re-phrase from your question is that they really brought me back.
“Bill and Gavin spent a lot of time in the in-between years developing and putting together, in a typical Gavin way, quite methodically, detailed and character driven way, of what it could be because both were really mindful of not wanting to repeat it or ‘hey people liked the first one so let’s just figure stuff out’. But really just everything was appealing to me.”
HARD-HITTING
Like it’s predecessor The Accountant 2 is a hard-hitting action thriller but this time around the screenplay has allowed for some humorous moments to creep in. I asked Bernthal for his reaction when he found out there would be some light-hearted moments this time around.
“I don’t think I was actually ever told that – I was more like ‘What?’,” he says laughing. “But Bill’s writing is just so unbelievably strong and Gavin and I are really, really close. When you work with Gavin he is always going to whittle it down and try to find the truth of the character and he’ll leave no stone unturned.
“That was a big thrill to me and I loved being back. And with Ben it just kind of happened that way. And yeah it was there and it was supported by Gavin to just let things linger and to let moments happen naturally – especially the moments in between the beats – and he is just funny and he has mastered this character in such a way that there are just so many little moments of truth going on that you love, but can also drive you crazy from the right point of view, and I just feel that I was let off the leash to have a real opinion on that.
Affleck then jumped in to mention co-star Cynthia Addai-Robinson. “Adding to that as well, I think in a way Cynthia’s character is the entry point for the audience so we get to play character parts. In a way that is a relief because there are certain kinds of expectations when you are the lead in the a movie because the audience is projecting themselves onto you so in a way we are a dual aggravate to her. If you look at the general story of the film it is about her seeing someone getting killed and then she has to go through a lot of get to the resolution of her story and that is something that I find really artful and interesting.
“You have this main character then you have these dual character parts that Jon and I play where we get the luxury of doing this two-hander odd couple thing.”
The discussion then turns back to the action and how the intensity of those scenes seems to have been amped up this time around as well.
“To me what makes this interesting,” says Affleck. “And that is what makes me feel like we could do something here that would connect with an audience, in that they would feel something for what is happening, because Gavin’s approach is not about ‘well this is a shot where it will look cool because of an X,Y,Z element and you can work out why someone might be doing it that way’ - he always does it from the point of ‘well what does this character want and why are they doing it - there is a grounded reason for them doing that.’ He then takes that and makes it visually compelling for the audience.”
To finish off the interview I put it to them that the action sequences are also enhanced by the fact that they seem to also build the relationship between and characters arcs of Christian and Braxton.
“You can’t lie in a fight, you know,” says Bernthal. “You just can’t lie because what you want is just there so if you going for something you just have to know what you are going for and why you are going for it. More than any other director I have ever worked with Gavan has an appetite and an availability and a hunger to go back and get into what makes these guys tick. He’ll talk to you for as long as you want to talk to him about where these guys came from.
“And what is so beautiful about this being a second film, and for me with Brax, is that he is kind of really shrouded in mystery in the first film - you don’t actually know much about him but you have these amazing flashbacks where you see how these two boys were raised and what their relationship was with their Dad - and it really is the crux of what is bothering both of them, especially Brax, is that the roles that they have always filled for each other - getting each other’s backs, being there for each other, the lack of being there for each other - so all of that doesn’t just culminate in a gun fight it culminates in ‘hey I am there for you. I have your back and you are getting mine and we are joined forever.’ And that is a way, for lack of a better word, to show somebody how much you love them and violence can actually be that sometimes.”
The Accountant 2 is currently screening in Phuket and is rated ‘15’.
David Griffiths has been working as a film journalist for over 25 years. That time has seen him work in radio, television and in print. He currently hosts a film podcast called The Popcorn Conspiracy. He is also a Rotten Tomatoes accredited reviewer and is an alternate judge for the Golden Globes Awards. You can follow him at Facebook: SubcultureEntertainmentAus.