“A Different Man”, interview with the director Aaron Schimberg and the actor Sebastian Stan

February 18, 2024

Aaron Schimberg, director, Sebastian Stan, actor, "A Different Man", a dark cautionary tale about self acceptance and the concept of beauty.

"A Different Man", interview with the director Aaron Schimberg and the actor Sebastian Stan Angelo Acerbi

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Aaron Schimberg‘s third film, “A Different Man“, in competition at the 74th Berlinale, is a tale about the perception of beauty and the need of acceptance from others. In this talk with him and one of the lead actors Sebastian Stan, we discover more about the creative process and the motivations of the characters in this audacious drama.

The insecurity within

Playing Edward, an aspiring actor who undergoes drastic medical and surgery procedure to change his facial features, in “A Different Man“, Sebastian Stan points out how insecurity is a key issue in our times, where acceptance is social and widespread. Plus, the fact that Edward is an actor is an additional element to this.

A natural genre mixture

Film-wise, “A Different Man” is a mixture of genre’s languages that Aaron Schimberg naturally juxtaposes; as he says, there is no mechanical or forced choice for this in the writing process, it has been a natural flow that ended with a screenplay that goes back and forth from drama to comedy, to thriller to horror to grotesque.

Plot

Ambitious New York actor Edward undergoes a radical surgical procedure to drastically transform his appearance. As a result, a lot of things change in his life – and yet everything remains disturbingly the same. Even though he may have changed outwardly and can start a new life, he is still who he is and not who he wants to be. Then he misses out on the role of a lifetime and his new dream face turns into a nightmare.
A Different Man is a dark and yet witty thriller that delves into the murky sphere between self-perception and how others perceive us.

Written by: Angelo Acerbi

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