Exclusive Interview: Ed Skrein Talks Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, Transforming into His Character, and More

Ed Skrein is one of the industry’s most versatile talents. Throughout his career, he’s transformed into dynamic characters in projects including Kill Your Friends, Deadpool, and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.

This fall, he stars opposite Kate Hudson, Jeon Jong-seo and Craig Robinson in the trippy fantasy-thriller, Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon. When a struggling single-mother (Hudson) befriends a mysterious mental institute escapee with supernatural powers (Jong-seo), she sees a lucrative opportunity to make some fast cash. But when they draw the attention of a detective (Craig Robinson), their luck starts to run out as the cops close in on their crime-spree. Ed shines as Fuzz, a drug dealer with a heart of gold.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Ed about Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, transforming into his character, and collaborating with writer-director Ana Lily Amirpour.

PC: Tell us about Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon and your character in the film.
Ed: Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon is a psychedelic deep dive into the cauldron of New Orleans, its psychiatric wards, and its deepest, darkest corners. It’s the people on the peripheries and edge of society, all set to a banging house beat, and some crazy old 14mm lenses. We were all beating to the drum of the most incredible composer Ana Lily [Amirpour].

Fuzz is the Cheshire Cat. He exists outside of the human struggle. He’s a rainbow, a shooting star, and he’s a trip in himself. If you read too much into him or get scared off, you will miss a trick because he’s a special dude. You give him a chance and he’s sweet, lovely, and warm. He is one of those rare people that will give without expecting in return.

In the story, a lot of people are just taking from Mona Lisa. A lot of people see what she can offer, and they leech and manipulate her. Fuzz isn’t like that. Even though he seems dangerous at the beginning, he’s putting up a front. That’s his nature. If you go back and rewatch the movie, you realize that he was cool and nice from the beginning.

PC: You’ve brought so many iconic characters to life on the screen. What is your vetting process like when you’re deciding what roles to go out for? What was it about Fuzz that attracted you to this project?
Ed: Fuzz is the greatest. I’ve never seen a character like Fuzz before. I like cameo roles as well. I like to be able to dip into things and not necessarily be the lead. I like to add another energy and be the chili in the pot.

Fuzz was the coolest proposition ever. I was like, “Damn, how can this guy be nothing like me but be the closest to me in real life out of any character I’ve ever played?” That sounds a little messed up and untrue because we’re so different in so many ways, but it’s mostly the superficial stuff like dress sense, the tattoos, the accent, and drugs. Those are differences. But I exist. I’m a good dude that looks like I might be trouble just like Fuzz. It was nice to play someone who was really kind but also really fu*ked up and different.

My vetting process is to be someone that I’ve never played before. I can’t have you turning on the telly and being like, “It’s that guy. I know what this is going to be about because he’s in it.” It’s like, nah. I want you to watch the movie and be like, “Is that the guy? Nah. That’s not him.” Then you’re like, “Oh, it is him! Wow. He looks so different. He sounds so different.” Or I want you to watch the film and not know it’s me. I want to have fun. I can only have that fun if it’s challenging in a new way, and I always want to get better. I want to improve. For me to improve, I need to take on these different roles and challenges.

PC: Speaking of having fun, this is such an eccentric character, which I imagine for you as an actor is a lot of fun to play, but you also have to keep him grounded in this world. How are you able to find that balance?
Ed: I don’t know the underbelly of New Orleans, but I know the underbelly and process of finding balance. If you watch all the takes that we didn’t use, you’ll see where the balance wasn’t right. [laughs] For instance, I remember when we were in the car at the end when I’m saying goodbye to them and giving Mona Lisa my headphones. I was really sad, and I played it as such. Lily was like, “No. No. No. Fuzz isn’t sad. Fuzz knows they’re going to see each other again. Fuzz knows this.” He knows there’s something divine at stake here and that they’re soulmates. They’re meant to be.

I tried that and it felt great. When I watched the movie, I saw it. I was like, “Thank God she told me to change it.” She didn’t use any of the other takes. That’s the most exciting part of the process. It’s going out there, tweaking it, and feeling it at the moment.

Every director that works with me knows that I like to give them a lot of variation for the editing room. This wasn’t the case early on in my career, but nowadays, I’m trying a lot of different things, and hopefully, it’ll be interesting and translate.

PC: Ana Lily has emerged as such a distinct voice in this industry. What was it like getting to collaborate with her? Is it a different filming experience when you’re working on a project where the person who created this universe and world is also at the helm directing?
Ed: It’s the best when it’s like that. I’m having that moment again right now with Zack Snyder. It means any question you ask, they have the answer. This stuff is deep inside their head. They still want us to bring it to life and to bring something to it. I feel like they appreciate it even more when you bring things to the table and when you collaborate with them.

It really means that they’re even better at vetting those ideas because you’ll be like, “How about I do this?” They’ll be like, “No, that’s not right because of this.” You’ll be like, “Great answer.” Or you’ll be like, “Let’s try this.” They’ll be like, “That’s exactly right. You got it.” Either way, it couldn’t be better when the director is the writer as well.

How was it working with Ana Lily? Intoxicating and psychedelic. It was a deep dive and adventure into enthusiasm, music, and subversion. It was a really wonderful, wonderful experience. I’m so grateful to have experiences like this in my life.

PC: You’re also a writer and director yourself. Have you found that your experience working behind the camera has changed the way that you approach your work on screen?
Ed: Of course. I’m wearing a football jersey (or soccer jersey in the States), but if you’re a player, that’s going to help you. When you become a manager, you understand the people you’re dealing with, their needs, and the day-to-day realities of pressure that they’re under. When you go to the other side, which is like moving from a child to an adult state, you experience a whole other side of it that as a player you can’t understand. As a manager, you say, “Now I have all the responsibility and now I need to protect my players. All of the information doesn’t go to them.” As a player, you think, “Huh? They’ve been keeping this stuff? They’ve been protecting me from things and they have to deal with all of this?”

There’s so much that goes into making movies. It’s so complicated. There’s so much to think about as a director. Then when you go back to being an actor, it’s like you’re seeing everything in 4D. You understand what they want. When they change the lens or tell you that they’re running late and they’re going to do a whip pan because there isn’t enough time, you understand the nature of it all and why they’re doing it. It really informs you a lot more from the beginning.

The first time I stepped onto a movie set, I was like, “What is this person doing? This is the most confusing thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Who the hell are all these people? What the hell are they doing? Why do we need 200 of them?” I’m never going to know who they are, let alone what they do. So I became a scholar, and I was like, “I’m going to study all of this.” I went up to everyone and asked, “What’s your job? What do you do? What does that mean? Why is that? What are you doing with that camera? Why is that bit so long at the front? Why are we waiting 45 minutes for lighting?”

Finding all this stuff out and analyzing it for so many years has given me quite a wide knowledge. All the experiences being on sets with Robert Rodriguez, Barry Jenkins, and Roland Emmerich…all of these guys are completely different animals and creatives. They have different approaches to the nuance of emotion and to cinematography.

If you have your eyes open, you can learn a lot in this job. I can never understand when actors are coasting and sitting around. I’m like, “No, I want to stay with the crew. I want to be on set. I want to be learning.” One informs the other and vice versa.

PC: Mentorship has been such a driving force in your career. When you’re working with a young actor like your costar Evan Whitten, what advice are you sharing with him about how to traverse this industry and craft?
Ed: Steven Gerrard from Liverpool leads by example rather than by telling everyone. Some people may argue with that, but I definitely try to lead by example for younger actors. I talk with them about my experiences and things I’ve learned that weren’t so good, rather than telling them how they should be. I definitely tell them to stay humble, protect their mental health, and all of that. But Evan’s really young. We were hanging out and cracking jokes. We had so much fun. That’s my little dude. He’s more professional than me. [laughs]

PC: One of the themes within this film is the quest to find freedom, which has become increasingly relevant in the world that we’re living in right now. Has this project taken a new light given everything that we’ve experienced in the past few years? What do you hope audiences take away after they see it?
Ed: It’s hard to separate art, reality, and culture, and with an Iranian-American filmmaker and everything that’s happening in Iran right now, it could leave one feeling guilty for talking about the movie rather than talking about that. The pandemic, the political situation worldwide, and the way that things have been tipping lately is a challenge for everyone. The arts have always been there as a place of respite. They often say, “You’re doing an important job because you entertain the people and make them forget about things.” I don’t know. I’m definitely not the guy to ask for a coherent answer about this.

But what do I hope people take from this movie? I hope they come out and they feel fu*ked up. Like, “Did someone spike my drink?” Because this movie is a trip. I hope people feel it in their loins like Bonnie (Kate Hudson’s character) does. It’s like the full moon. I hope when it’s a full moon, they look up. When it’s a blood moon, I hope they say, “There’s something in the air tonight. Where’s Mona Lisa?” I hope they have fun. It’s a really fun movie. We had an incredible amount of fun making it, and I hope it translates onto the screen.

To keep up with Ed, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Watch Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon wherever you stream movies.

Photo Credit: Ollie Grove