In “The Legend of Ochi”, myth and nature collide in a visually stunning tale of courage, connection, and the wild things we carry inside. At the recent press junket for the A24 fantasy epic, stars Helena Zengel, Finn Wolfhard, and Emily Watson, along with director Isaiah Saxon, offered a glimpse into the film’s emotional heart and behind-the-scenes magic.
From bonding with Willem Dafoe on set to working with lifelike puppets and crafting a “Jane Goodall-meets-Obi-Wan” character, the cast and crew shared what made this cinematic adventure unlike anything they’ve done before.
Q: “Can you talk a little bit about both of your characters’ relationships and what it was like filming with Willem Dafoe?”
Helena Zengal: “I think that Yuri is a very complex character with a lot of emotion and different bonds, like with her brother, Willem’s character, and her mom. Each character arc develops differently throughout the movie. With Willem, she has this weird bond, wanting to love him as a dad or have a father figure, but at the same time being pushed away. There’s a scene where she’s sitting next to the pigeon, and he says, “I never got to have a son.” She feels like she’s not accepted. She really wants to meet her mom, too. It’s a complicated relationship. Until the very end, they’re not intimate and don’t really know each other. She’s kind of growing up next to the Cosmic Boys, but not really being seen for who she is.”
Finn Wolfhard reflects on the internal tension his character carries.
Finn Wolfhard: “With my character and Willem’s, there’s an internal conflict. He’s trying to be what Willem’s character thinks a man should be but on the other side, he’s just a curious kid.
It was interesting trying to strike that balance. Willem was an amazing scene partner. He made it easy.”
Emily Watson describes the story’s heart and her role in its wild world.
Q: “Tell us a little bit about the story and your character.”
Emily Watson: “It’s an incredible story about the courage and bravery of a child who ventures into what is supposed to be a terrifying animal world. It’s a love letter to nature.
My character is kind of smelly, eccentric, and a little crazy. She lives up in the mountains. It was tremendous fun to be part of.”
Director Isaiah Saxon shares how a pandemic pivot turned into a powerful pitch tool.
Q: “I saw an interview with you talking with Finn Wolfhard, and there’s a pitch video that was sent to him. Was this sent to the entire cast? And if so, is that a normal thing that usually happens when you’re pitching movies?”
Isaiah Saxon: “The video was a byproduct of COVID. I had been developing this pitch I’d give in a room to financiers, production companies, and studios. It was full of my concept art, footage I shot in Romania, and creature tests from John Nolan’s team. It had to be an undeniable package to get A24 to do it. When COVID hit, that presentation became a video. We sent it to Willem, Emily, Finn, and Helena. They all said yes in about two days. We cast the film just from them reading the script and seeing that video.”
Emily credits the decision to her trusted in-house advisors.
Emily Watson: “My kids said yes. They said, ‘You have to do this movie.’ Isaiah pitched it to me as a sort of Jane Goodall-type character.”
Isaiah Saxon: “Jane Goodall meets Obi-Wan Kenobi was the shorthand to get people to understand the tone of that character.”
Helena was surprised and impressed by the realism of the Ochi, and that only enhanced her performance.
Q: “What was it like working with a practical puppet? In fact, what were the surprises, and what were the more challenging parts of it?”
Helena Zengal: “The surprising thing was that it was practical. That’s the beautiful thing about Isaiah’s work: he wanted practical puppets. He painted the background and the island himself. He got detailed. The Ochi looked like a real thing. I didn’t feel like I was shooting with something that wasn’t alive. It reacted to me. It had six amazing puppeteers who made it move. It made things easier, honestly. It was fun. We tried a lot of different versions of scenes. I loved it … he couldn’t complain. I could do whatever, and he just stood there, looking at me, and did nothing.”
Isaiah Saxon reflects on rejection, reinvention, and persistence after not landing what he hoped was his big break at Sundance 15 years ago.
Q: “This wasn’t the first time you submitted to Sundance, one could say that it might have been something that could be seen as this is a stretch, where I’m going to have to come back and be motivated to continue going and doing more. What motivated you to come back and resubmit?”
Isaiah Saxon: “When I was in college, I made a thesis film shot on 35mm. I was really proud of it. I submitted it to Sundance, it didn’t get in. That changed the trajectory of my career.
All I wanted to do was be Paul Thomas Anderson. My narrative film didn’t go to Sundance like his did when he was 20, so I thought it wasn’t working. Then I saw these DVDs of collected works—Michel Gondry, Spike Jonze, Chris Cunningham. They showed me another path: music videos. That helped me develop my visual skills, and I knew I could get into features from there. Fifteen years later, that’s exactly what I did.
“The Legend of Ochi” is in theaters now.
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