There's no doubt Nocturnal Animals is a divisive film. The content of Tom Ford's 2016 thriller is often intense and downright disturbing. The unconventional structure of the story within a story is also somewhat intrusive. Then again, the visually stunning movie takes risks that few movies of its budget do. It's also filled to the brim with truly outstanding actors. With a group like Michael Shannon, Ellie Bamber, Isla Fisher, Laura Linney, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams, how can one fail?
During an interview with Vulture, writer/director Tom Ford revealed that he had a very unorthodox (yet relatable) way of casting the film. Particularly when casting the actors who would support the leads (Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal), Tom turned to Google for help...
Why Tom Ford Cast Amy Adams And Jake Gyllenhaal In Nocturnal Animals
There's no doubt that Tom Ford went a very conventional direction in his process for casting the film's two leads. The acclaimed fashion designer and filmmaker, who suffered a terrible loss in 2021, claimed that he always knew that Amy Adams was the woman for Susan Morrow. It seems as though he cast Amy in his head prior to finishing his script adaptation of Austin Wright's 1993 novel, "Tony And Susan".
"Amy Adams was the very first person I cast, " Tom said during an interview on The Jess Cagle Show, according to Entertainment Weekly. "She was absolutely who I wanted for that role from the very beginning because I wanted the character of Susan to be sympathetic."
Tom went on to say that it's hard to not fall in love with Amy when you look into her eyes.
"When you look in her eyes she’s able to project a soulfulness that makes you care about her."
Clearly, this is something many directors agree with. Ever since she started her career on a classic series, Amy has been a go-to for some of the most acclaimed films of the last two decades.
As for Jake Gyllenhaal, who played both Tony Hastings and Edward Sheffield in the film, Tom said that he "needed someone who could be believable as someone young and idealistic and fresh." But also someone who has "literally had everything taken away from him, who is completely destroyed." Due to Jake's range and reputation, he was the way to go for the other leading role.
Tom Ford Was Really Unsure About Casting Aaron Taylor-Johnson
There's no doubt that Aaron-Taylor Johnson's Ray Marcus is the most disturbing element of Nocturnal Animals. While he was absolutely electric on-screen, Tom wasn't sure about casting him at first. This is because he knew Aaron socially through his much-older wife, Sam.
"I adore Aaron. I’ve known him socially, obviously, since he’s been with Sam, and that was the only thing I hesitated about," Tom admitted in his interview with Vulture. "Sometimes when you’ve known people socially, you don’t think of them in the same way as you would if you don’t. However, I was having dinner with him one night and something he said, some way he moved, made me think, 'My God, he could be so f***ing good as this character!' So I offered him the role. He was the big surprise to me, because he was so serious and so prepared. I don’t want to say he was the most professional actor on the set, but he was spectacular in every way. Just for him and not because we’re friends, I want him to be a big star because he’s so talented."
Tom Ford Used Google To Cast Laura Linney
Ozark's Laura Linney had a small but very memorable role in Nocturnal Animals as Amy Adams' mother. Prior to her steely performance on Ozark, Laura was seen as an often heartwarming performer. But Tom saw something in her that he could twist into a performance that was contrary to how audiences saw her at the time. But the truth is, he didn't think of Laura for the role right away. Instead, he went on Google and searched "Best American actresses". Laura Linney was one of the first people who came up.
"[I searched] 'Best American actors' [and] 'actors over 30' … you know. And I noticed, actually, that Laura’s facial structure was quite similar to Amy’s,' Tom claimed. "So I just emailed Laura and said, 'Would you do this?' and sent her the script. She asked me a really interesting question, which I liked: She went online and looked at Highland Park, which is the fancy neighborhood in Dallas, and she sent me four houses that she’d pulled off the internet and asked, 'Which house would this character live in?' And I wrote her back and said, 'Well, she wouldn’t live in this one because her husband wouldn’t like it, and she’d really like this other one, but she would think it was too feminine for her husband, and blah, blah, blah.' We talked about her accent, which she based on Lady Bird Johnson, and then she showed up on set and [she and Adams] just got along like that. [Snaps fingers.] I think when you have two great actors, it can just be so much fun to watch."
