"He Just Bonked the Dinosaur!" Ewan McGregor & Anne Hathaway on Filming 'The End of Oak Street'

I actually freaked out, like got really scared, like started clawing at Ewan, who then protected me and he had a bat and he just bonked the dinosaur. Right in the nose. Water's not working. Anybody else see that weird light last night? What weird light? I absolutely love this film. It was so much fun. And Anne, I know that you were one of the first to join onto this movie and you have a history of wanting to work with David after seeing It Follows. So what about David's pitch initially drew you onto this project? And did you get a similar feeling when reading the script that you did compared to initially loving his filmmaking? You absolutely did your homework. It's true. I saw It Follows and I just thought this is an incredible filmmaker. I just felt like he had like feature master filmmaker written all over him. And I actually asked if I could have a meeting with him because I just wanted to know who he was and what he was into. And the conversation just went on for hours and hours and hours. And then I didn't hear from him for like eight years. You know how it is when you're on a meetup or something and you're just like, oh god, I think I was way more into them than they were into me. I thought that was great. So I was thrilled when eight years later, I got a script from him. And it came with the little caveat that said, it's like if the ice storm and Jurassic Park had a baby. And I was like, what is that? That's insane. And so I read it and thought, oh my god, this actually is insane and irresistible and so bold and imaginative. And I wouldn't trust everybody to be able to pull this off, but I trust him. If there's anybody that can do this grounded but bonkers thing, it's him. And then I'm so happy that I'm in the movie because I saw it with my family. It's just fun. It's just this huge swing that if you let yourself get on the ride, it's just such a fun time at the movies. I'm really pleased that I'm a part of it. Absolutely. Your instincts were right. It was a big swing, but he pulled it off. And Ewan, for you, it's easy to imagine that working with Anne is all the pitch that one would need. But I'm curious for you, what else in the script particularly drew you into wanting to be a part of this project? No, well, very much that. I've wanted to work with Anne for years, for a long time. And I imagine because of our sort of musical past that we might, you know. But it's taken a long while to arrive at this film. And I'm glad it was this film because it is so bonkers and so fun. But at the heart of it also is the exploration of this couple and their marriage and their family. And I love that. I think more than anything, if you're exploring how we work as human beings and how we interact with each other, how we deal with things, that's the most exciting part of acting, really. But also when you get to do that and be chased around by dinosaurs at the same time, it doesn't get much better than that. So especially with Anne. So yeah, you're right. I didn't know where the script was going when I was sent it. So I thought I was reading a family drama set in the 80s and I was really enjoying it. And it was really well written. And then I had my mind twisted apart when I turned over page 20 and discovered we were dealing with dinosaurs as well. Yes, absolutely. And I love the dynamic of your character's marriage. It really is like the heart of the film for me. What were you able to explore in this movie that you wouldn't necessarily be able to explore in another dinosaur or even another sci-fi film? That he chose to base it around this family, this slightly broken relationship. I think that was a genius move. Usually those two sort of genres wouldn't go together. And then that was kind of his genius, I think. I feel like setting it in the suburbs wasn't by accident. And I feel like when you think about what the suburbs are, they're spaces that people created. So that way you had room, but it was safe. It's kind of like a manufactured wilderness. And it's very controlled. And so I just think that the choice to put this family there and say maybe there's a family who actually loves adventure and maybe it's their surroundings that are the problem for them. Maybe they don't want this cookie cutter life. And then you put them in the middle of chaos and adventure and a really wild, dramatic, dangerous attack. That's when they actually get to see who they are and not who they've been pretending to be. And when they can see who the other person is, then you can figure out if that's the person you really want to be with when literally the last thing you would expect ever comes into your life. Absolutely. Another scene that I loved in the film was the moment that Anne, your character, realized that the neighborhood had moved. And in the trailer, we actually see that David used that split diopter shot, which I thought was really cool. So can you each talk about filming that sequence in general? And maybe if David explained to you why he chose that particular shot for that particular scene. Did you ever get an explanation, Ewan? I don't know that I ever thought to ask. I know he never. But what I think is that it keeps us all in focus at that moment, you know, I mean, literally and metaphorically as a family, you know. Yeah, it's not a reference to a split diopter shot, but one of my favorite movies from... Actually, it was my first favorite movie I saw when I was way too young. It was Poltergeist. And I just remember loving that there were kids in it and the kids had real feelings. And I remember there's like this one scene where the little boy, he's talking to a grown-up, but they're whispering to each other. I was a kid and I was like, that feels like a real kid. And so there's something about split diopter that like allows for the intimacy of a family where people don't wait their turn. You're not like always polite with your family. People talk over each other. People are reacting to what the other person's saying all the time. So with the split diopter, it allows for talking and listening simultaneously from a portion of the cast. Now, I know there was a life-size practical titanoboa on set. And ultimately, it looked absolutely terrifying in the film. But I heard there were some laughs with the other stand-in performers. So can you just paint a picture of a time that you couldn't help but laugh watching the stand-in performers in between takes? Well, the thing that was amazing was before they yelled action, it was funny. And then they would yell action and it was scary. It was like a switch that you'd flip. And so our amazing stunt and visual effects team, bless them, they were just on a suburban street in Georgia wearing these full gray leotards that went over their faces. And we would see them practicing their dino movements. And they just looked like an insane dance troupe. It was so, so, so silly. But of course, you want to be respectful. And then they would have to hold these metal pipes that had dino heads on them. And then you would see them practice their prance moves to kind of make it look like it was a halting dinosaur movement. And the second they would yell action and those things would come towards you and your adrenaline would be going and you'd be screaming, suddenly these things became completely menacing and terrifying. Whether or not you knew it was real, it didn't matter anymore because it was so real. And there was this one time and they would just be charging towards you and just makes you feel sick, like sick with anxiety and fear. And one take, David just called cut a little bit later. And so the dinos came really, really close. I actually freaked out, like got really scared, like started clawing at Ewan, who then like protected me and he had a bat and he just bonked the dinosaur. Right in the nose. Right in the nose and dented the model. And I just remember thinking like, I feel so silly, but also Ewan, I love you. Thank you so much. That was ridiculous, but you handled that beautifully. Oh my God, that is amazing. I absolutely love it. Lastly, before I leave, why should audiences see this movie on the biggest screen possible? Oh, please. It's such a good, it's such a Saturday night of the movies movie. It really is. It really belongs in the cinema and I'm so proud of that. It's lovely. Go and see it with a whole bunch of people. It's fun and you're going to scream your head off and there's jump scares. And that's so much fun when you're in a huge crowded cinema and the popcorn's flying and somebody squeezes their drink too tight. And it's just, I don't know. It's a larger than life premise and it deserves to be seen on a larger than life screen.