by Nathaniel R
Mike Faist on his "transcendent" experience making West Side Story
The reinvention of West Side Story (2021) has been the subject of much conversation since it opened, from Spielberg's incredibly enduring career, to the health of the movie musical genre, to the complicated subject of its Oscar prospects since the 1961 picture was a sweeper. The one thing that's felt especially unanimous in the response, though, is the exciting work from a trio of Broadway breakouts making a very big leap into movie stardom: Tony nominees Ariana DeBose and Mike Faist and Tony winner David Alvarez (Bernardo). I had the pleasure of sitting down with our new Riff, Mike Faist a couple of weeks ago to discuss the movie and his career (well, sort of. Read on).
He was in great spirits, laughing frequently, and filled with praise for his co-stars. Coincidentally we had both just been back to a Broadway show for the first time since the shutdown. He describes theater as an important "communal empathy project" and West Side Story continues that tradition.
Faist is funny and thoughtful. He is also, as it turns out, self-deprecatingly aware of his caginess around certain topics, like, his future and stardom...
Both are pressing topics, as you can imagine, given the response to his reinvention of "Riff". Consider, if you will, this gif'ed moment of laughter when we were still making small talk and he went silent when I asked about one of his first big magazine profiles that had pegged him as "ambivalent" about this whole career and wondered if that had changed.
On other topics, with the exception of what he might do next (same reaction!), he was much more willing to chat but is clearly not about to let "stardom" interfere.
[This interview has been edited for length and clarity]
NATHANIEL: When you sent in your audition tape, did you know it was going to be for Riff or was it something more vague like "a Jet"?
MIKE FAIST: Cindy Tolan the casting director called me in to put a tape together for Tony. I sang "Maria" and maybe did a scene? I can't remember. I was like 'Great thanks' ...and then you let it go. It was months later... "Actually, we'd like to put a tape together for you for Riff." That's when I started to perk up, actually. 'Hmmm, Riff'
The secret is that Tony is never the best role!
It usually isn't. But Ansel has done an amazing job. I've told Ansel this. He's my favourite Tony I've ever seen. You really fall in love with Rachel and Ansel which is important. If you didn't fall in love with them, you'd have a really big problem. [Laughter]
The supporting characters are always the sizzle in West Side Story, though.
Well, you can argue that with any movie, really!
I have to confess that I was skeptical about this movie at first. The original West Side Story (1961) is my all time fav.
It's amazing.
"Cool" gets a major Riff-focused reinvention in the new West Side Story (2021)
Your take on Riff is so intense, I was getting a death wish feeling. How did you get there?
It was a lot of conversations with Tony Kushner in terms of building that story arc between Tony and Riff. In this version we wanted to get to that place of the disbanding of the Jets. We're at this place where they're on the way out. The entire home is being torn apart, wrecked around them. They're picking a fight, obviously with the wrong people, but they don't understand that they've already lost the war.
It was that conversation about the inability to accept change and the fear of that. I jokingly relate it to going home for Thanksgiving.
How so?
Here's this guy Tony who wants to change. He wants to be a better person. He gets out of prison and goes back to the lion's den, home again. He's trying to tell his family 'I am different. I'm not what you think I am. Please accept that'. Riff's unable to come to terms with that. For Riff, Tony is this intrical part of his own life and if Tony doesn't want to be that then Riff's identity spirals out of control. That's where we catch them in this moment.
One of an incredible series of photos by Bruce Davison from 1959
The other thing I keep coming back to is Bruce Davidson's photo series of Brooklyn gangs published in 1959. If you look at those photos, they just ooze nihilism. These people don't have anything to look forward to. There are no opportunities in front of them.
You understood the character early on but what was the toughest thing to film?
There were challenges to all of this but nothing was "hard". We had been in rehearsals and living it for so long. We were building building building for four months until we were just there and all we had to do was put on the clothes and walk in front of the cameras. It really did feel effortless once we started to shoot.
Obviously there were physical challenges. My body was broken the entire movie. The most challenging in terms of shooting was probably the rumble. That was six overnights in a row. There are a lot of moving parts and everyone has to be doing their job at the highest calibre. All you can do as the actor is just stay focused. It's the hardest part but also the most rewarding.
I have to ask you about working with the legendary Rita Moreno.
I mean, Rita is amazing. Her work in the film is stunning but she was wonderful to work with in the sense that she wanted us to take ownership of our roles. She's awesome, man. I told her that my only regret is that we didn't get to have more scenes together. She's incredible. She's incredible.
You guys shot right in my neighborhood. It was so cool to see familiar buildings dressed up like the 1950s and extras walk by in costume.
It's fun, right? I'll never forget walking on 126th street and turning on to Broadway and for five block it's just 1957. You're just transported.
You finished filming this a long time ago. Then came the loooong wait for release due to the pandemic. That's not normal. How did you process that empty space, this past year?
Look I think everyone -- even if they weren't in West Side Story -- had that feeling. You had this experience of 'we're living our life and then this thing happens'. You start questioning everything, the validity of everything we're doing. [Laughing] 'What is all of this?'
We had shot this two or three years ago and the experience of making the movie was incredible, transcendent. That sounds whatever but it's true. Then this awful thing happens that changes the world and how we function and operate and now this movie is coming out. It feels like maybe it was always supposed to come out right now. Maybe we all got a little lazy in terms of being audience members and engaging with the art. Maybe we took theater experiences for granted. Now we get to have a new outlook and appreciation for these things. This is how I feel. I get to reengage with art. Maybe it's the perfect time for this movie. It's a theater based story with a theatrical setting, that's only going back to be in theaters. You have to sit there with strangers and go on a journey together and that's important.
The response to this movie and your work, particularly, have been exciting. Are you already getting offers?
I'm honestly, like... [uncomfortable laugh, long pause]
You can't talk about this! I get it. But you're not a 'careerist' I take it?
I'm not paying attention to what people are saying about the movie other than, generally, that it's good. That's all I need to know.
Were you like that during Dear Evan Hansen too, with the excitement around that and your Tony nomination?
Faist at the 2017 Tony Awards for "Dear Evan Hansen"
Yeah, yeah. Because, you know, you have to show up and do the show that night! For myself, the most important thing -- my job as an actor is to protect my headspace. It's about focus. I have to be able to do my job at this level. It's just easy to get distracted.
Yeah.
It's one of those things, too, where, even if people are well intentioned, they could say something and you can't help but be like "oh!" and that can change something for you. But you have to go and do the job. So... I can't.
It's such a big winter for you. The movie is here and you're about to turn 30.
The big 3-0.
How are you going to celebrate it?
I have no idea.
It won't be more of this, I take it, interviews... publicity.
It might be, I don't know. [Laughter]
West Side Story is now in theaters. You can read more about the film here and check out the Best Supporting Actor Oscar chart where Faist is on the rise.