Mark Strong Interview: Cruella

Disney’s Cruella will transport audiences back to the Punk Rock era of 1970s London when it premieres on May 28. But amidst the music of the masses and the fashion shows for the glamorous, there is also room for a mysterious butler who tends to Cruella’s nemesis, the wealthy Baroness (Emma Thompson).

Mark Strong, who portrays John the Valet, spoke to Screen Rant about what drew him to the role and what his own personal contribution to the film’s soundtrack was.

Why did John speak to you as an actor, and what inspired you to take the role?

Mark Strong: Craig Gillespie actually was the reason that I did it, because I was a big fan of Lars and The Real Girl and I, Tonya. I was totally aware of him as a director, and when I heard that he was doing it and he was in London and he wanted to meet, that was enough for me.

I went and saw him before I’d actually seen the script. And he just explained that there was this guy who was going to be the butler of Emma Thompson’s character, and you don’t really know who he is. He’s quite a lurker; you don’t know what’s going on in his mind. There’s maybe not a huge amount to say, but he’s a pivotal moment in the film. And that was enough for me.

You’re a master of matching or even setting the tone of a film. What did you want to bring to John, and how did you research the role to fit into the film’s unique tone?

Mark Strong: John is a classic British butler. You kind of grow up knowing who that guy is – or a valet, I think you call them. Basically, he services the Baroness. He’s with aristocracy, so there is a certain way of behaving, a certain way of dressing, a certain way of… You watch and you never speak. You just know everything that’s going on, and you deal with the problems. He was a pretty easy guy to be able to get.

Can you talk to me about John’s relationship with Cruella versus his relationship with the Baroness?

Mark Strong: The relationship with the Baroness is that he’s her right hand, man, and he knows all her secrets – that’s the thing – but plays it very, very close to his chest. And without giving too much away, obviously, there is an incident in their past that happens, where the Baroness basically coerces John into doing something that he’s not that happy doing. So from then on, I think there’s a slight mistrust between the two of them, but he nevertheless stays with her.

And of course, what then happens is when the young Cruella turns up later and causes trouble for the Baroness, it becomes very difficult for him.

John has a very interesting journey from his first sense was last. Can you talk to me, without giving anything, about his journey throughout the film?

Mark Strong: Well, he’s been with the Baroness the whole time. As I said before, she asks something of him that is very difficult for him to fulfill. But he’s loyal and he’s a right hand man, so he stays with her. The result of that request comes back to haunt them both later on, so he then has to decide which side he’s on.

Did you feel like you were transported back to the 1970s once you stepped onto set? Because the music, sets and costumes were brilliant in this film.

Mark Strong: Yeah. The sets were amazing, and turning up every day was like… I’ve been on a lot of movie sets, and these were big sequences, massive costumes, huge built set, staircases, massive bouquets of flowers. You turn up, and you think, “This is a movie. We’re on a movie set here.”

And then of course, what Craig did with the soundtrack afterwards just blows it out of the water. It’s an incredible soundtrack. All those sequences of 70s London when Emma’s character is working at Liberty’s, and the sequences of when they’re on the run and you see the streets and the cars and all of that. And with the music, it’s a real feast.

Earlier, on you said working with Craig was one of the main reasons you took the role. Can you talk to me about working with him as a collaborator, and his directing style?

Mark Strong: Yeah, he’s very calm on set, and he knows exactly what he wants. And when you’ve got sequences as big as this, obviously, that’s essential. There was no improvising, none of that – not in my sequences, certainly. It was about getting it right in the way that he wanted, so that he could tell the story in the way that he wanted.

And collaborating with him was easy, because I trusted him. That’s basically what you have to have with a director and, from his earlier movies and having met the guy a couple of times, I just really liked him and I got on with him. He actually asked me to trust him, because he said, “You’ll see that there’s not a lot of dialogue that this guy has, certainly not for the first half of the movie. You’ve just got to trust me that I’m going to give him a presence. I’m going to make him present in the film.” And he did.

You’ve worked with a ton of talented actors in your in your filmography. Can you talk to me about working with Emma Stone, and how she surprised you in the roles of Estella and Cruella?

Mark Strong: Yeah, that’s not hard to talk about, because I was blown away by her. She’s incredibly impressive. Not just subsequently seeing the film and thinking, “Wow, you’re amazing.” I mean, she really nailed that character and took you on her journey faultlessly. But the fact that she manages to deliver that in front of the camera, while at the same time on set being lovely to everyone; being funny, being sassy, taking time out to have a laugh. The fact that she’s able to do that as well as turn in that performance is a sign of a real pro.

Do you think the character of John was more of a villain or a hero? How do you approach that?

Mark Strong: Well, that was something I wanted to leave to the audience. That’s the joy of the character. I’ve no doubt that when people saw my name on the cast list, they probably assumed he’s a villain. And he is working for the evil Baroness, but there’s a little more to him, which is what I found interesting.

By the time you end the movie, you get a sense that there’s a further life to be had. So, he’s a bit of both, I suppose. Which are the best parts.

What’s one of your favorite songs throughout the film?

Mark Strong: Personally, because I suggested to Craig that he should use it. And he said to me, “Actors always suggest music that never works. It never works,” and I went, “Okay, sorry. But listen, have you heard Ike & Tina Turner’s cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love.” He listened to it, and there’s a lot of caper sequences; they’re doing robberies. He put it against that, and it just worked perfectly.

And actually, when I saw him at the ADR session, when we were doing the dialogue recording, he said to me, “Mate, that thing that you recommended me, it’s in the movie.” And not only is it in, there’s another Ike & Tina Turner cover of The Beatles’ “Come Together,” which is amazing. But that particular track, I feel personally proud of, because it meant that I got what he was trying to do with the film.

How does Cruella add to the 101 Dalmatians legacy?

Mark Strong: I think it takes it in a slightly different direction. Because I think what we’ve had is a very good and evil kind of story in the past. It was quite analog: she was vicious, evil, and she wears coats made of Dalmatian fur. You can’t wear dog skin and not be the most evil person.

But I think what Greg’s done with this and Disney have done with this is they’ve made her sympathetic, because they given you her backstory and made you realize why she is the way she is. Which, having played lots of villains, I know is incredibly important. You need to find out why she is [this way] and where she’s come from. And so at the end of the film, when she literally comes out as the evil Cruella, you’ve got that whole tapestry of her past, which still makes her sympathetic.

Speaking of villains, a new Green Lantern project is in the works with the new Sinestro being cast. What advice would you give to the next Sinestro or Green Lantern actor?

Mark Strong: I don’t know. I mean, I loved playing Sinestro. I was so desperate to go on and take him into that yellow ring world. That final sequence at the end of that movie was so great, and I just thought I really want to take him on.

There’s no advice I can give. Whoever is going to take it on will bring their take to it, and I’ve no doubt they’ll be brilliant.