The Phoenician Scheme Cast Names Their Favorite Wes Anderson Movies [Exclusive Interview]

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We might think we know what we're going to get out of any given Wes Anderson production, more or less, but that doesn't mean we've seen everything the innovative director has to offer. "The Phoenician Scheme" marks the auteur's thirteenth total film (counting the collection of shorts that make up 2023's "The Wonderful Life of Henry Sugar"), meaning we've had almost three full decades to try and put Anderson in a box. His latest, as /Film's Bill Bria reviewed for us here, almost seems preoccupied with putting that theory to the test — largely through the motley crew of characters at its center.

"The Phoenician Scheme" follows wealthy industrialist Zsa-zsa Korda (played by Anderson regular Benicio del Toro) as he attempts to juggle several things at once: dodging one assassination attempt after another, concocting a desperate gambit to defeat his business rivals bent on his destruction, and reconnecting with his estranged daughter, Liesl (Mia Threapleton), whom he wishes to position as the heir to his global enterprise ... despite her calling as a nun. Of the seemingly endless parade of celebrity cameos and supporting turns they run into over the course of their road trip, however, it's Michael Cera as the meek and unassuming entomologist/secretary Bjorn (sporting an outrageous Norwegian accent) who steals the show in his long-awaited Wes Anderson debut. Together, they form the heart and soul of a movie that's both vintage Wes Anderson and unlike anything he's made to this point.

I recently had the chance to sit down with the main trio for an in-person chat, where we talked about the ins and outs of "The Phoenician Scheme." Topics include their biggest surprises from the screenplay, the extraordinary amounts of research Threapleton put into her role, and, naturally, their personal favorite picks of Wes Anderson's filmography. Come for the impromptu geeking-out session over "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" and stay for offhand references to various real-life figures, from Armenian magnate Calouste Gulbenkian to acclaimed surrealist director Luis Buñuel to Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, whose music features prominently throughout "The Phoenician Scheme."

Note: This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.

Wes Anderson's The Phoenician Scheme script jumped right off the page

Going into "The Phoenician Scheme," I was kind of anticipating this light and breezy caper with that quintessential Wes Anderson feel to it. But it also goes to these religious and even political places that I wasn't necessarily expecting it to go. When you're sitting down to read the script for the first time, were you surprised or caught off guard by any of the elements in the script?

del Toro: Yeah, I was surprised with the dream sequences and Zsa-Zsa's conscience or heaven sequences. I thought they were funny and added a layer to what was going on emotionally with the character. So, I was surprised with that. But not only was I surprised, I thought it was terrific and exciting.

Threapleton: Well, I was lucky enough to be allowed to read the script in a timed encrypted file [laughs] before my screen test with Benicio. It was still very much in the middle of the audition process. I felt like, while I was reading it, the whole thing was painting itself in my head. I'm a really visual person and reading things quickly on a timed link [laughs], as a very dyslexic person who really struggles with reading things quickly, I wasn't even having to think. It was just springing off and up into my head, and it was amazing. Yeah, so much happening and so human and versatile and subtle and nuanced, and it was so wonderful to read. So, so wonderful to read.

Cera: Yeah, I just love that Wes was going into this world in the 1950s and kind of jumping around this country on private planes, and just knowing that was the direction he was heading in for his next movie and this kind of adventure story was really exciting.

Mia Threapleton's research for The Phoenician Scheme made her home look like a 'murder investigation'

You three obviously share a lot of screen time together and it kind of feels like a little movie within the movie. Did Wes ever share any of his inspirations, influences, or his touchstones with you to hone your performances and the tone and emotionality that he was going for?

del Toro: One of his inspirations for Zsa-zsa, who was a famous billionaire from the turn of the century, was an Armenian businessman called Calouste Gulbenkian, and he mentioned that to me. We even talked about [Luis] Buñuel too, the filmmaker. [Looks at Mia] Yeah, did he talk to you about...?

Threapleton: He didn't talk to me about specific character reference points at all. He did send me some visual references for things, for the green tights or green stockings, those sort of things. I mean, I had formulated a little to-do list during my preparation time before I got to Berlin and we back-and-forthed if he had anything to add to that. And he didn't, really, but we talked through each point. As I went along, something popped up. I said, "Oh, I found out about this thing." And then he'd say, "Oh, great. Actually, let's do a little bit more research on that, really." Or he asked me to make my [character's] dossier that we see. That's come out of my brain, and he asked me to collaborate with the props department, and I was not expecting that to happen. My whole kitchen floor looked like a murder investigation for a while.

Cera: That's amazing.

Threapleton: It was very weird.

del Toro: That's cool.

Cera: That's a lot of work.

Threapleton: It was fun. It was a lot of fun, though.

Cera: We didn't really talk about movies as touchstones, but it wasn't necessary either, because this was so vivid. And when you show up, Wes and [costume designer] Milena Canonero have already figured out what you're going to wear and you see what the sets look like. Wes did play us the Stravinsky piece.

Threapleton: Oh yes, he did play us that piece of music.

Cera: So that gives you a big feel for the kind of movie you're making. But you also know who you're working with and you've read this script and you know his own filmography and the language is just clear. And also what's exciting is what's new for Wes in this kind of movie — this palette and this world — and you just try and bring something new to life together.

The Phoenician Scheme gang names their favorite Wes Anderson movies

Final question, lightning round: Favorite Wes Anderson movie? Besides "The Phoenician Scheme," of course.

Threapleton: [without missing a beat] "Moonrise Kingdom."

del Toro: [thoughtfully] I think it changes, but "Life Aquatic" is one that I took for granted and now I really enjoy it. It's a dark horse.

Cera: [going on a tangent] He has a killer whale eat a fish out of his hand in the first five minutes of that movie. Do you remember that shot where it jumps up into –

Threapleton: I remember talking to [Wes Anderson] over dinner about that shot. It was so cool to hear about how they did that.

Cera: That's amazing. I mean, that completely sells you on this guy [laughs]. You see a real whale jump up.

Threapleton: And then there's that great [scene where] he flicks the lizard off of his hand.

Cera: Oh, yeah.

Threapleton: It's amazing. It's so funny every time.

Cera: That's brilliant. I've always loved "Rushmore."

That's my favorite, too.

Cera: Yeah, that was just a huge, huge movie for me. It still is. It's great.

"The Phoenician Scheme" is now in theaters nationwide.