Slumberland’s Kyle Chandler, Weruche Opia & Chris O’Dowd Talk Epic Adventures

In director Francis Lawrence’s (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire) upcoming Netflix original movie Slumberland, a young girl named Nemo (Marlow Barkley) finds herself traversing a magical realm of dreams that was once only a figment of her late father’s (Kyle Chandler) bedtime stories. After his passing, Nemo’s life is turned upside down when she’s sent to live with her uncle Phillip (played by Chris O’Dowd) and enrolled in a new school. While dealing with the very real grief of her loss, Nemo is visited by an old friend of her father’s Flip (Jason Momoa), who reveals to her that there’s a treasure in Slumberland that will grant her any wish. In spite of the dangers cautioned by Weruche Opia’s Agent Green, Nemo is determined to see her father one last time.

In their interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, the trio shared what it was like working with Lawrence on Slumberland, discussed the “stunning” visual effects of the film, and getting to share this project with their relatives of all ages. They also reveal the biggest diva on set and speak on the heavier themes of the movie. You can read the full interview below, or watch the video above.

COLLIDER: I really enjoyed this movie. I thought Francis [Lawrence] did a great job with it. For all three of you, is it a little weird signing on to something when you know there’s going to be so much VFX, and you’re not exactly sure how it’s all going to turn out? Or, do you sort of have like, “Oh, Francis Lawrence knows what he’s doing. This is going to be great.”

KYLE CHANDLER: The latter.

CHRIS O’DOWD: The former.

WERUCHE OPIA: Oh, well I’m going to be in the middle then. I loved the story and I was just like, “You know what? This is going to be great. I just want to be in it anyways, an experience.” I expected a lot, but I was so, so happy. More than my imagination could imagine is how it looks. Yeah. I couldn’t have imagined it to look as incredible as it does.

O’DOWD: It really is. I mean, visually it is absolutely stunning.

OPIA: Stunning.

O’DOWD: I couldn’t believe it. We were watching it with my wife a few weeks ago in the screening room and we just kept going, “Oh my God.” I’ve taken it on in an honest way. I wasn’t so much worried about the CG stuff because I’m the only one that’s really in the non-dream world. I was like, “As long as I’m there at the table, we’re all good”. And I feel like the table was a table.

OPIA: Yep.

O’DOWD: They nailed that.

CHANDLER: Yeah, that’s right because the visual effects are earned by the storyline, and that’s what you’re looking for and hoping for when you choose a film like this. And it happened.

OPIA: Exceeded expectations.

CHANDLER: Yes.

I was talking to Francis about this. I don’t know if you realize, but the VFX industry is kind of effed right now. There are a lot of things that are behind the scenes, and so it’s a miracle that the visual effects in this look as good as they do.

O’DOWD: I didn’t know that. That’s interesting.

CHANDLER: No, that is. I’d like to hear that story.

Oh, I can just tell you a lot of directors I know that are waiting on VFX shots, and Francis even said they had a lot of issues with this movie, getting the VFX done. I won’t waste your time with all of it, but you can ask Francis about it.

O’DOWD: It’s an extraordinary job that they’ve done.

OPIA: Yeah.

I agree. For all three of you, is it nice to be in something that the entire family can watch? Like every one of your relatives, you can sit around and share this with them?

CHANDLER: Yes.

OPIA: Definitely for me as well. Did I cut you off? I’m so sorry.

CHANDLER: No, I used one word.

OPIA: I’ve got a 6-year-old niece, and the whole time I was doing this I could not wait to see her watch this and see me in this, in something she can enjoy and tell her friends, “That’s my auntie.” So, that was a real driving force for me. She is the person I’m most excited to see and see what her reaction is. To see if she respects me or not. So, I’ll let you know if she respects me or not after this.

O’DOWD: Yeah, and I’m the same. I’ve got a 7 and a 5-year-old. So it’s definitely going to get a lot of play in our house.

It’s a proper little adventure. There’s a treasure map! How many movies have a treasure map in them anymore? It’s got that real kind of Goonies–Labyrinth feel, and I’m kind of excited to pass on that kind of storytelling to my kids.

Yeah, something that I also really appreciated about the script is that it doesn’t talk down to kids. It treats kids with a lot of respect. Can you sort talk about that aspect? That this is not watering it down.

CHANDLER: It’s a smart script. On the outside of it all, it deals with a serious issue of grief and loss, and what have you, but it’s wrapped up in this story. I think for young children, if they’ve gone through some grief or whatever, they’re able to see some expression of it in a film like this, which is why we all go to films. We all have grief, and we all have thoughts of this, and ways we’ve dealt with it. Everyone can relate to what this film is. It’s a human story like that. It just happens to be wrapped up in a great adventure with treasure maps, and Jason Momoa running around with horns and sharp teeth, and all the rest of it. It’s just all around a great story. It’s well-done.

O’DOWD: She’s grieving, and she’s active in this kind of adventure. She is. She’s not only the protagonist, she is also the action herself. Everything that happens, this awful thing happens over at the beginning, but then henceforward, she is driving the plot forward, which is so exciting. I think that’s what you mean when you say that this is from the point of view of the child. You want them to be the protagonist.

For all three of you, for soon-to-be fans of this movie, is there anything that you think they would be surprised to learn about the actual making of the film?

CHANDLER: I don’t know. I had to go through two quarantines. This was shot during the height of the…

OPIA: The pandemic. Yeah, it was crazy.

O’DOWD: We weren’t allowed to meet each other.

OPIA: Yeah.

O’DOWD: That was strange. So, I didn’t meet Jason until the last day of the shoot. I didn’t meet you guys until after.

CHANDLER: I’ve never met Jason.

O’DOWD: Yeah, Really?

CHANDLER: No.

O’DOWD: It’s wild, huh?

CHANDLER: I met the pig before I met Jason.

O’DOWD: How was the pig?

CHANDLER: Nice.

O’DOWD: Yeah, that’s what I heard.

I did not hear that about the pig. I actually heard the pig was a diva.

O’DOWD: When I met him. He was pretty small.

CHANDLER: Well, I met him at the beginning of shooting, so the stuff about him not coming out of the trailer…

O’DOWD: That’s a lie.

For all three of you, if someone has actually never seen anything that you’ve done before, what is the first thing you’d like them watching, and why?

O’DOWD: I’m going to go with Moon Boy just because I wrote it. So, it’s probably more about me than anything else.

OPIA: I’m going to go with this. Slumberland. Slumberland is a great introductory film for anyone who wants to see any of my work. Then you can do what you want afterward.

CHANDLER: I don’t want anyone to see any of my work. I like people to like me.

O’DOWD: Oh, get out of town.

CHANDLER: No, what would I say?

O’DOWD: I’d start with Bloodline, move on to Friday Night Lights…

What is Francis actually like on set? I’m always curious about how a director likes to direct actors. Is he giving you, when he wants something, a few words? Is he pulling you aside and having a full-on conversation? What was he actually like to work with?

CHANDLER: Speaking for myself, it was a friendly, collaborative relationship where you were playing together, and it was a safe atmosphere, too. It’s nice for actors to feel safe with a competent director, and a very good director. So, it was a great atmosphere.

O’DOWD: Yeah, and I think it’s because he spoke what he meant if he needed things to be put across, rather than just to fill the silence.

OPIA: Yeah, I feel he let me do what I wanted to do, and I always appreciate a director who does that. Who gives me the freedom to explore the character for myself. Then, he’d just come and say a few words, say, “Do you want to try it this way? Shall we try it this way?” So, it wasn’t more of a demand but more of a discussion, and if I was happy to do that, and most of the time I was, because I completely trusted him. I did enjoy that. He let me do my own thing with it, and then added a little bit of paprika, salt, and some seasoning on it. I love it.

CHANDLER: Of course, that was when he wasn’t having temper tantrums. Yelling at us.

O’DOWD: Yeah, the flame thrower was surprising.

CHANDLER: The cast war.

OPIA: Really, he did?

O’DOWD: Good guy, though.

Slumberland is now streaming on Netflix. Check out Collider’s interview with director Lawrence below: