Powering the future is the center of the film The Current War. The two men at the center of this war are Thomas Edison (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) and George Westinghouse (played by Michael Shannon). The film explores the rivalry between Edison and Westinghouse and how their relationships with their wives (Tuppence Middleton as Mary Edison and Katherine Waterston as Marguerite Westinghouse) propelled them to further their goals.

Screen Rant had the chance to interview Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Shannon and Tuppence Middleton about the film.

My first question is for all three of you. I feel the film really does a great job of exploring the relationships of the Westinghouses and the Edison family. Is there any similarity that you feel both couples share?

Micheal, I read that you got an antique book about Westinghouse?

Benedict Cumberbatch: That’s a good question.

Michael Shannon: There seems to be a devotion, at least on the part of Marguerite and Mary, that seems to be met differently by George and Tom.

Tuppence Middleton: You have to be a very understanding, strong woman, I think, to partner either of these men. Because they’re very headstrong and ambitious and complicated.

Benedict Cumberbatch: I think one of the downfalls of Edison in this story is his belligerence and his doggedness to go it alone. And I think that costs him in his personal life as much as his professional life in this story. It’s sort of the aching void of the loss of Mary, the thing he took for granted, that has a real impact on him. Without her guidance and presence – in real life he moved on and remarried, but even then, I think the influence was negated by his work ethic, which was so tunnel-visioned. I think that really cost him.

Was there anything specific from that book that you really gravitated towards, that helped inform your performance?

Michael Shannon: From Alfonso, he gave it to me.

Benedict, I’ve read that Alfonso really helped you to break out of your comfort zone in the film. Was there any particular scene in which you were worried about playing it too “safe,” or that you wanted to make sure you got the best performance out of?

Michael Shannon: I haven’t read the book in quite some time, but as I remember it, it was very flattering to Westinghouse. Alfonso told me that he believes it was written by some of his workers, or people that really admired him a great deal. They were really memorializing him and saying what a neat guy he was.

I just think he was a very strong but sensible person, and he was very concerned about the impact [that] what he did had on society. He wanted to make the world a better place.

More: Current War Interview With Alfonso Gomez-Rejon

Benedict Cumberbatch: I’m trying to think what my comfort zone is, because I always try to do things –

Michael Shannon: Aren’t you in it right now?

Benedict Cumberbatch: No.

Michael Shannon: The nickname of this room is “comfort zone.”

Benedict Cumberbatch: This is very much the swan you’ve got going here; a very fast heartbeat even though I’m barely alive on the surface. No, I’m joking. I would like to answer that, but I’m not quite sure what it’s in reference to. I think he stopped me from smiling on quite a few occasions. Maybe that’s my comfort zone.

We all have tricks, and I think things that we can repeat in our work, so I’m always on the lookout for that. And a director who’s going to help me go to a different place is always going to be a friend and not a foe. I never resist it, because I want to keep growing and learning. There’s no point in doing this if it’s just the same every time.

I wish I knew what it was in reference to. It’s a great question. And also, it was a long time ago that we made this.

Michael Shannon: It is uncomfortable, and I can speak to my own experience, when you’re doing things on camera that could be perceived as, “He’s being so mean. Why’s he doing that?” That’s something I’ve encountered time and time again. Because nobody wants to be mean, I don’t think.

Benedict Cumberbatch: There is that. Edison is pretty mean in this. There’s a human story behind it, and I think it’s a failing, which is to be understood and empathized with, in a way, in order to try and learn from it. Maybe that’s part of it; not being frightened of being someone who is on the outside making the wrong decisions.

  • The Current War Release Date: 2019-10-25