Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s classic gets a splash of modern charm and humor inYoung Werther, where two unlikely individuals fall in love under the most serendipitous circumstances in lively Toronto. When hopeless romantic Werther (Douglas Booth) makes a quick detour before departing for his European adventure, little does he know that he’ll meet the bookish and introverted Charlotte (Alison Pill). But as luck plays out, Charlotte is engaged to the impossibly likable Albert (Patrick J. Adams). Stuck in a romantic pursuit of awkward sorts, as it turns out, Charlotte is wrestling with the idea of spending her entire life married to her fiancé.
Making its premiere at theToronto International Film Festival 2024, Collider’s ownSteve Weintraubhad the opportunity to talk more in-depth aboutYoung Wertherwith first-time directorJosé Avelino Gilles Corbett Lourençoand cast members Booth and Pill at the Collider interview studio at TIFF 2024, held at the Cinema Center, presented by Range Rover Sport.
‘Young Werther’ Is a Contemporary Rom-Com Inspired by a 250-Year-Old German Tragedy
COLLIDER: I really want to start with, and I’m so sincere when I say this, you were my big surprise of TIFF because I watched a lot of movies before I got here. I wasn’t sure what I was going to get. I loved your movie. It’s really so good, and trust me, I do not say this about everything. But most people watching won’t have seen it, so how have you been describing the film?
JOSÉ AVELINO GILLES CORBETT LOURENÇO: It’s a contemporary adaptation of a 250-year-old German tragedy that we’ve turned into a light romantic comedy.
[Laughs] Okay. You’re not wrong. Everything is accurate. For the two of you, what was it like reading this script for the first time? And what was it about the roles that said, “Oh, I need to do this?”
DOUGLAS BOOTH: The script was just so witty and intelligent and fun — all this man. For me, although it’s obviously not an original, it felt so original. I didn’t expect this to be the adaptation, and it just seemed like such a fun character to play. I felt like I knew how I could get into it. You know when you read something, and you’re like, “IknowI can do this. I can bring out my inner child.” I really wanted to be a part of it from the beginning.
ALISON PILL: I read the script, and like I often do — which is sometimes wise, sometimes unwise — is not to look at whoever’s involved, but just to read the script itself first to just get, “What the heck is this thing?” And I read it and loved it. I thought it was some of the best dialogue I’d read in a very, very long time. It seems like it’s sometimes a lost art. I don’t know that it’s lost, it’s just a really tricky art to writeslightly elevated, clever, witty dialogue that sounds realistic that you can imagine saying, but that is somehow better than life.And so it was a joy to read. And then, in looking at it, I went, “Wait,José? I’ve known this cat for 20 years.”
Did you read the script without knowing…?
PILL: Yeah! Which is sort of absurd. And then I went back, and I was like, “This is such a good script.” And then I went, “Wait, this is José’s script!” And I was even more doubly pleased to not only have read it and loved it, but for it to have been this wonderful surprise that this wonderful person had written such a glorious piece.
I want to give you another compliment on the script, which is I love that Patrick [J. Adams]' character, who is your fiancé, is not written like an a-hole. They’re all good people. Well, maybe Werther is a little bit questionable, but you know what I mean.
LOURENÇO: Absolutely. We’re all just human beings fumbling our way through life and trying to connect, fall in love, make friends. I feel like one of the things that drew me to the novel originally, and then was so fun to play with in the film, was that idea that no one’s really a villain in your extended circle. I know there are villains out there, mustache-twirling maniacs, but I feel like day-to-day people are doing their best and trying to be a human being in the world.
BOOTH: I think a lot of the scenes and dialogue at times felt elevated, but all the characters are very much grounded in something true. I felt every day on set we were kind of interrogating truth out of these characters and the situations and the complexities of love and lust and life and friendship.
You had to learn a ton of dialogue and deliver a ton of dialogue. What is it like preparing for a role like this where you’re doing it in an accent? It’s a ton of dialogue, and it needs to sort of become perfect to make it what it needs to be.
BOOTH: For me, there were certain lines that I would just have to say over and over and over again, especially the stuff during the waltz when I was having to do the waltzandsay José’s dialogue. But it was sort of a repetition so that when I got there, I wasn’t scared of it. I wanted it to come out of my mouth so quickly and completely effortlessly. It was just a lot of work. I did the work in advance so that I could get to set, forget I’d done any work, and just try and be as present as possible.
‘Young Werther’ Is a Love Letter to Toronto
We’re here at TIFF, which is my favorite festival. You get to premiere here, you shot here, the movie takes place here. Everything about this city is married to this film. What was it like filming and premiering here?
LOURENÇO: Premiering at TIFF is like a dream. I want to say a lifelong dream. I’ve lived in the city for 20 years now, and for every one of those 20 years — with a few interruptions during the worldwide pandemic — for the most part, I’ve been coming to TIFF every year and watching movies and being in the audience. And to be premiering here is just unbelievable. It’s a thrill. And shooting in the city, I mean, Toronto is always, always in films, always in shows, but very rarely playing itself. It was such a joy to work with our incredible cinematographer, Nick Haight, our production designer, Ciara Vernon, and our whole costume team. They’re all based in Toronto. We had an incredible Toronto-based crew, and it was so much fun for everyone getting to show off the city the way it deserves to be seen.
When you think back on the shoot, what day did you have circled in terms of, “I can’t wait to film this,” and what day was circled, like, “How the f— are we going to film this?”
BOOTH: For me, the one that I was so terrified of was I had to speak as a baby chimpanzee. I had this whole speech, and I was so nervous. I was like, “How do I play a baby chimpanzee without just looking completely ridiculous?” So yeah, I was watching all these chimpanzee shows, and I was like, “I’m not sure this is the way forward.”
PILL: “Realistic baby chimpanzee voice.” [Laughs]
BOOTH: But also because it leads to our first kiss, so I was like, “It has to be ridiculous.” That was just a hard line to toe, like, how do you make her fall in love or break that barrier with you by doing the most ridiculous, embarrassing thing ever? That was the hardest one. And then what I was looking forward to the most was…
PILL: Ice cream bars. Be honest. You gave yourself such a stomach ache on gelato day.
LOURENÇO: There was some sort of gelato-related injury or something
BOOTH: The medic had to come to my trailer because I had 45 gelatos. I swear to god, I was there and my head was spinning.
PILL: [Laughing] It was not funny. It was a medical emegency.
How did you have 45 gelatos?
BOOTH: Because we were shooting a scene, and the thing was, it was so good, I just started eating them.
PILL: He can’t resist gelato. He has a real, real gelato weakness, and he was surrounded by ice cream bars and gelato this entire show.
This is not his first movie. He knows — donoteat on the first take.
BOOTH: I remember my first film,From Time to Time, was with Maggie Smith. She was like, “Don’teat the chocolates,” and I was like, “Of course I’m going to eat the chocolates.” I ate them, and then I felt so sick. I should have learned this lesson on my first-ever film.
PILL: And didn’t. And then had to have a medic called because he lostsight.
BOOTH: I literally lost my sight. I was like, “Guys, I can’t see. I can’t focus on anything.” Don’t eat 45 gelatos.
LOURENÇO: Too much sugar in your body all at once. That’s the power of gelato.
BOOTH: What I was most looking forward to was the scene at the end, at the gala, where everything kind of heightens and gets bigger, and he gets quite drunk. I was really looking forward to that whole scene.
PILL: I was most nervous about the fireworks because I am a mom and an anxious person.
BOOTH: And I’m very clumsy.
PILL: Well, I’m very clumsy! There were fireworks, and we were under the Gardiner Expressway. It was very stressful. Very, very stressful.
BOOTH: You surprised we were actually going to be shooting real fireworks.
PILL: But nobody died…that I know of.
BOOTH: That’s right. I heard there was an accident on the expressway.
PILL: Yeah, no, no. Everybody’s fine.
[Alison], do you have an honorary key to the city because ofScott Pilgrim[vs. the World]?
LOURENÇO: Oh, interesting.
PILL: I don’t have an honorary key.
That’s bullshit.
PILL: I don’t have a ticket. I don’t have keys. I don’t have any keys. I don’t have tickets to places. Are city tickets a thing? Should be. I haven’t gotten a free PRESTO card. No, I’m a daughter of this city, and nobody has given me neither a key nor a PRESTO card.
LOURENÇO: We’re gonna call the TTC assoonas this interview is over and get you one PRESTO card.
BOOTH: What is PRESTO?
PILL: It’s the Metro card. It’s for the streetcars and what have you. But I’m just saying, love a streetcar. [Laughs]
LOURENÇO: The scene I was most nervous about filming was this shot that the cinematographer and I had designed and didn’t tell anyone else about. It was supposed to be this glorious, beautiful one-shot scene, with all this conflict and tenderness, outside the hotel. Anyway, there were a number of production events that day — things go wrong. And at the end of the day, we were like, “Oh yeah, we’re just going to knock out this two-and-a-half-minute single…
PILL: It’s like a four-page scene.
BOOTH: I was like, “You can’t shoot this in one shot, man.”
PILL: This was 3 AM, and we couldn’t get a lock-up on the street.
LOURENÇO: All the actors looked at me, and I was like, “I think it’s gonna be fine. Let’s give it a try.” Our operator, Sasha [Moric],reallysaved us that day and really saved that scene. And then the scene I was most looking forward to? I think it might have been Werther and Paul in the hotel during the rainstorm. I’m a very nervous, anxious person much of the time, and that scene just reminds me of how my brother and I would react in thunderstorms when we were kids. It was just a lot of fun.
I’m always curious about the editing process because it’s where everything comes together. So, you’re in the editing room, you have a cut you’re happy with, and then you do the friends and family screening. What ended up changing after that screening?
LOURENÇO: We went in with a really clear editing plan for the movie. We worked with an incredible editor, Sandy Pereira. A good friend of mine is a guy named Matthew Hannam, who’s an editor, who’d seen the script for years, and I talked at length with Hannam and with Sandy about the cut. It was really just trims and tightening. After those first few cuts, there weren’t major scene reorderings. There were things that we needed to figure out along the way, but we got pretty close in that first cut. I wish there was more drama to it.
PILL: I have to say it also is a testament to the fact that it was a very well-polished script. I think so often, things that have to happen in the editing room happen because scripts are not necessarily finished, or people don’t agree on what the script is or what it needs to be, or where the characters are. And, too, José’s clear vision from the beginning and how much time he’d spent with the story and the characters meant thatwe could step into a really well-realized vision of what we were all coming together to make, which is not always the case. It’s a tricky tone to match. I think that is also an argument for why it’s such a good script, is that it wasn’t an editing process that required, “We gotta rethink thiswholething.”
The reason this movie works so well for me is your two performances and the dialogue. This movie lives and breathes by the dialogue. You have about 1,700 lines, or maybe 2,000 —it’s a lot. That’s the dealbreaker. Not to put myself in the interview.
LOURENÇO: Keep going. [Laughs]
BOOTH: It’s what José said to me before we started. He was like, “This has to be nailed. You have to nail that dialogue.”
LOURENÇO: But even in those early rehearsals, you guys had your scripts there, and just looking at the work you had both done in advance, I could see every line annotated and worked out. I feel like you found that rhythm really quickly together.
BOOTH: She’s a great scene partner, so she made it easy for me.
Let’s just talk real quick because I’m almost out of time, about your hatred of Paul Anka.
PILL: So, speaking of national treasures, or those who should be considered national treasures, we were late today because of Paul Anka. So now, Paul Anka, wherever you are, I’m coming for you. No, I’m not. I might be.
LOURENÇO: Wow. Alison Pill, Paul Anka, grudge match, cage match,death match? You heard it here first. Alison Pill is going to murder Paul Anka.
BOOTH: I’d watch it.
PILL: National treasure, to be fair.
LOURENÇO: National treasure.
BOOTH: We actually love him.
Douglas Booth Appears in Seven Episodes of ‘The Sandman’
I’m a huge fan ofThe Sandman. You are part of the additional episodes because it’s not Season 2, it’s “additional episodes.” So, what can you tease about joining that universe and the character you play?
BOOTH: I play the Cluracan, and he’s a really fun character to play. I had so much fun with him. Ann Skelly was brilliant as Nula. There’s not much I can say because I’ve never been on a project where they’re so secretive, and they make you sign so many things. But what I can tell you isthe world-building is brilliant.It’s gone up a level even from series one. All the additional cast is fantastic. Tom [Sturridge] is brilliant. Tom’s a friend of mine. I’ve had a movie here at TIFF with him before. He transforms. He literally floats across that set. On set, he’s nowhere, and he just appears on set and floats across, and he really has a great presence. They have a great supporting cast. It’s dark, and it’s entertaining, and it looks incredible. So, I hope you guys like it when it comes, but it’s looking great.
I’m not worried. But one of the things, if you don’t mind me continuing, is that a lot of the actors that do an episode, they do one episode. A lot of the characters are one or maybe two. Is that the case with your character?
BOOTH: I’m in seven episodes.
Get the F out of here! That was not the reaction I expected.
BOOTH: I don’t know what that tells you about how they’re gonna tell the story across these episodes. I’m not allowed to say much about the story, but I am in seven [episodes]. I am in seven.
First of all, congrats to you because the show is spectacular.
PILL: I loved it, and I’m very excited.
BOOTH: She told me to do it.
PILL: I did, and I helped you with your accent. Don’t worry about it.
LOURENÇO:Twonational treasures.
I had no idea. That’s really cool. José, this is, I believe, your feature debut?
LOURENÇO: This is my feature debut.
I’m all in on you making another movie. Are you writing anything? What are you working on?
PILL: So many cool things! Sorry, I said that too loudly.
LOURENÇO: No, that’s great. Alison, please. I love that answer, “So many cool things.” Yeah, there are, like, four things that are ready to go that I want to dive right into. I wanna work with these guys again. I appreciate the vote of confidence.
BOOTH: I’ve worked with lots of first-time directors, and he is really special. From the moment that we finished working with him, I was already texting him saying, “What are we doing next, please?”
LOURENÇO: We’ve got some fun ones in there.
Young Werther
Young Werther (2024) follows the turbulent journey of a young artist through the trials of unrequited love and self-discovery. Set against a striking modern landscape, Werther’s introspective quest explores the depths of human emotion, revealing lessons on passion, despair, and the relentless pursuit of meaning in contemporary life.
