Exclusive Interview: Thomas Mann Talks Chariot, Working with John Malkovich, and More

Thomas Mann is an award-winning storyteller who is best known for the layered characters he’s brought to life in projects including Project X, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Kong: Skull Island, Maine, and Halloween Kills. Currently, he can be seen in the cerebral sci-fi thriller Chariot.

Written and directed by Adam Sigal, Chariot tells the story about a corporation and a doctor (John Malkovich) that oversees the process of reincarnation and a young man (Thomas Mann) who becomes a glitch in the system when he encounters a woman (Rosa Salazar) he loved in a previous life.

Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of speaking with Thomas about Chariot, sharing the screen with John Malkovich, and more.

PC: Tell us about Chariot and your character in the film.
Thomas: Chariot is a pretty trippy movie. It’s about this guy who is having this recurring dream. He goes to this sleep doctor to figure it out. It’s a film about reincarnation, our past lives, and the implications of that on our current and future lives. It’s also about whether love can transcend time and place. Can we find our lovers in other lives—past, present, and future?

Those are really heady topics, but it’s a David Lynchian sort of ride where it’s more about how the movie makes you feel than the plot of it. When you get to the end, you’ll realize that everything that you thought was going on is a little different because of what happens. You have to go back and rewatch. Then you have to peel back the layers.

PC: Adam [Sigal] has said that one of his goals with this film was to provoke emotions. What did you feel after you read the script?
Thomas: I agree with that. The best way to describe how this script made me feel is that it’s like waking up from a weird dream that you had. I love that quality. It’s this magical surrealism. It was really unique.

Especially coming out of 2020. It’s been a weird time. To do something dark and weird felt appropriate. It was the perfect opportunity to dive into the character of this depressed guy who has this thing that he can’t figure out that’s been affecting his whole life. It was like helping him through that was helping myself through certain things that had gone on in the past year. It was a great experience.

PC: You’re getting to star opposite a legend like John Malkovich, who really immerses himself into a character. What was that collaboration like working with him?
Thomas: I was a little intimidated at first. But that went away pretty immediately because he’s so generous. When it gets down to the nitty-gritty and talking about a scene and rehearsing, we saw eye to eye on all those things. He treated me as a peer. That was the most gratifying thing. It went from being nervous about working with one of your idols to being coworkers and making each other laugh in between takes. He’s a very playful actor. He’s constantly thinking. He tries to surprise you. Like you said, he’s iconic.

PC: You’ve worked on projects of all sizes. What is it about independent filmmaking that excites you as a creative?
Thomas: It’s the camaraderie between everyone. You feel like you have a real hand in shaping what you’re making and sometimes you don’t feel that way on a big movie. Sometimes you just feel like you’re a cog in the machine. It can be a little impersonal when you’re on a big, big movie. You’re sort of on your own. On a movie like this, it feels like everyone is coming together. You can create a family for the short time that you’re together working. For that reason, I love independent films.

PC: This is your first major venture into the sci-fi genre. Did anything surprise you about the experience? What was the biggest takeaway?
Thomas: I don’t really think of things like, “I haven’t done this genre yet. Now I’ve got to go cross that off the checklist.” But subconsciously, when I’m deciding what movie to do, I’m like, “Well, I haven’t done anything quite like this.” It’s trying to find a new version of myself to play on screen.

Like you said, I hadn’t done anything like this. I was always inspired by David Lynch and David Fincher movies. That sort of noir-y world that’s a little dark, a little depressing, but sort of whimsical and surreal as well. I want to immerse myself in that.

PC: Like you said, your character goes on a wild ride throughout the film. As an actor, how did you create the space for yourself to dive into those more emotional moments?
Thomas: Like I was saying before, 2020 was such a weird, dark year for a lot of people. I was very emotional. A lot of changes happened in my life and relationships changed. I knew that I had a lot to give.

PC: One of the beautiful things about art is its ability to provoke conversation, and this film definitely does that. What do you hope audiences take away after they see it?
Thomas: I hope that they keep an open mind. I hope that they’re able to pick up on certain things throughout the story. I hope they’re looking for a trippy, dark, cerebral ride.

That’s what it really is…with outstanding supporting performances. You’ve got Scout Taylor-Compton, who plays two characters. Vernon Davis, who is an incredible actor. Obviously, Rosa [Salazar] and John. Those are the reasons to watch it really. Everyone goes balls to the wall in this movie, performance-wise. It was a lot of fun.

PC: Is there a particular scene that you’re really excited for your fans to see?
Thomas: I’m excited for them to see the whole thing. I’m excited for people to see me work with John Malkovich. I’m excited for people to see Rosa’s scene where she’s doing an audition tape, which is a very meta thing for a lot of actors because we do those all the time. Maybe some aspiring actors will enjoy that scene as well.

PC: Besides this film, where can fans see you next?
Thomas: Later this year, I have a movie called About Fate. It stars myself and Emma Roberts. It’s a romantic comedy, and I’ve never really done a full-on romantic comedy like that. I’m really excited. It’s going to be very good.

Rosa and I—we don’t have a huge part—but we’re in Marcel the Shell with Shoes On from A24. It’s releasing this summer. You can catch us in that.

To keep up with Thomas, follow him on Instagram. Watch Chariot in select theaters and wherever you stream movies.