The Knockturnal
  • Home
  • Entertainment
    • Events Film The Kontenders Theater TV All
      Events

      On the Scene: STORYTELLERS – Cynthia Erivo and André De Shields

      June 25, 2022

      Entertainment

      On The Scene: Museum of the Moving Image’s ‘Living with The Walking Dead’…

      June 24, 2022

      Art

      ON THE SCENE: NFT NYC COCKTAIL PARTY HOSTED BY SWOPES + SUNRISE ART…

      June 23, 2022

      Entertainment

      On The Scene: “Alien (The Other)” Premieres at Tribeca Festival

      June 23, 2022

      Film

      Cast and Crew of ‘Trevor: The Musical’ Celebrate Special New York Screening

      June 24, 2022

      Film

      On The Scene: Red Carpet for the Velvet Goldmine 4K restoration at Tribeca

      June 23, 2022

      Film

      On the Scene: VENGEANCE Tribeca World Premiere

      June 23, 2022

      Film

      Exclusive: Gia Coppola Talks Being One of the Directors for the Film ‘The…

      June 23, 2022

      The Kontenders

      Exclusive: Interviews At The 37th Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards [video]

      March 15, 2022

      The Kontenders

      Knockturnalist: Top 20 Favorite Films of 2021

      January 9, 2022

      The Kontenders

      The Kontenders: Stepping behind the curtain of “Nightmare Alley”

      December 17, 2021

      The Kontenders

      The Kontendors: The Humanity behind the Refugee Crisis in “Flee”

      December 13, 2021

      Theater

      On The Scene: The 75th Annual Tony Awards Red Carpet!

      June 21, 2022

      Theater

      On The Scene: Inside The 2022 Tony Awards Press Room

      June 20, 2022

      Theater

      Review: Sarah Silverman’s The Bedwetter Captures a Child’s Despair with Not-So-Child-Friendly Humor

      June 17, 2022

      Theater

      Exclusive: The Cast and Creative Team of ‘Titanique’ Discuss the New Musical

      June 13, 2022

      TV

      On The Scene: Museum of the Moving Image’s ‘Living with The Walking Dead’…

      June 24, 2022

      TV

      Exclusive: Cast of ‘The Umbrella Academy’ talks upcoming Season 3

      June 22, 2022

      TV

      Exclusive: A Chat with Critter Fixer’s Stars at ABFF

      June 21, 2022

      TV

      Exclusive: Bod Odenkirk Talks ‘Better Call Saul’ at the Tribeca Film Festival

      June 20, 2022

      Entertainment

      On the Scene: STORYTELLERS – Cynthia Erivo and André De Shields

      June 25, 2022

      Entertainment

      On The Scene: Museum of the Moving Image’s ‘Living with The Walking Dead’…

      June 24, 2022

      Entertainment

      Cast and Crew of ‘Trevor: The Musical’ Celebrate Special New York Screening

      June 24, 2022

      Entertainment

      On The Scene: Red Carpet for the Velvet Goldmine 4K restoration at Tribeca

      June 23, 2022

  • Music
    • Koncerts News All
      Koncerts

      The Day Party Independence Day Celebration 2022: Meek Mill

      June 24, 2022

      Koncerts

      On The Scene: Bastille Rocks Terminal 5

      June 13, 2022

      Koncerts

      On The Scene: Vance Joy Headlines Pier 17

      June 10, 2022

      Entertainment

      Lollapalooza 2022 Will Be Historic: Thank You BTS’ J-Hope

      June 7, 2022

      News

      Exclusive: Cast and Creators Talk ‘The Wire’ 20th Anniversary

      June 23, 2022

      News

      Interviews with the Cast of Tribeca Festival’s Premiere of “The Courtroom”

      June 23, 2022

      News

      NOW OPEN: MUSICA Nightclub Brings European-Style Clubbing to NYC

      June 20, 2022

      News

      Interview with Actress Samira Wiley for the Tribeca Festival Premiere of “The Gratitude…

      June 20, 2022

      Music

      The Day Party Independence Day Celebration 2022: Meek Mill

      June 24, 2022

      Music

      Exclusive: Cast and Creators Talk ‘The Wire’ 20th Anniversary

      June 23, 2022

      Music

      Interviews with the Cast of Tribeca Festival’s Premiere of “The Courtroom”

      June 23, 2022

      Music

      Lori Harvey, Justine Skye, Janelle Monáe and More Kick Off Juneteenth Weekend at…

      June 21, 2022

  • Lifestyle
    • Art Events Fashion & Beauty Sports All
      Art

      ON THE SCENE: NFT NYC COCKTAIL PARTY HOSTED BY SWOPES + SUNRISE ART…

      June 23, 2022

      Art

      Bodvár House of Rosé Throws Lush, Pastoral National Rosé Day Event

      June 14, 2022

      Art

      Exclusive: Reyna Noriega Partnered W/ BAND-AID® Brand OURTONE™ To Create ‘Thank You Cards’…

      June 3, 2022

      Art

      A toast to Opera Lafayette and their upcoming New York Baroque Musique Festival

      May 23, 2022

      Events

      I Heart NFT at Marquee in New York City

      June 24, 2022

      Events

      Cast and Crew of ‘Trevor: The Musical’ Celebrate Special New York Screening

      June 24, 2022

      Events

      The DiscOasis Gets Rolling At Central Park’s Wollman Rink With Special Guest DJ…

      June 23, 2022

      Events

      Gov Ball Weekend’s Best Kept Secret: The BACARDÍ Rum Room At Mr. Purple

      June 23, 2022

      Fashion & Beauty

      Swimming in Style This Summer with Sperry

      June 24, 2022

      Fashion & Beauty

      This Tasting Menu Paired Every Dish with Champange. Here’s How it Went.

      June 21, 2022

      Fashion & Beauty

      Ever/Body Launches in New York at Grand Affair

      June 20, 2022

      Fashion & Beauty

      Eva Longoria’s Tequila Brand “Casa Del Sol” Kicked Off The Summer With The…

      June 18, 2022

      Sports

      Carriage Driving 60th Anniversary Festivities – Join us for a day in the…

      June 16, 2022

      Sports

      Exclusive Interview With Jahfari Harvey

      May 26, 2022

      Sports

      NINJA Undergoes Full Rebrand by Creative Studio EAT

      April 20, 2022

      Sports

      On the Scene: Red Bull Dance Your Style

      March 31, 2022

      Lifestyle

      Restaurant Review: 8282

      June 24, 2022

      Lifestyle

      “Yappy Hour” To Celebrate The Best In Show

      June 24, 2022

      Lifestyle

      Restaurant Review: Filé Gumbo Bar

      June 24, 2022

      Lifestyle

      I Heart NFT at Marquee in New York City

      June 24, 2022

  • News
  • Videos
  • Covers
  • Merch
EntertainmentFilmThe Latest

Exclusive: Director/Writer/Star Joel Edgerton Talks ‘Boy Erased’ at NewFest Premiere

by Liam Haber October 27, 2018
by Liam Haber October 27, 2018 0 comment

Joel Edgerton, the conversion drama Boy Erased director/writer/star, talks about politics, choosing projects and more at NewFest

This year marks the 30th Annual NewFest, a film festival bringing LGBTQ+ stories to New York and beyond. With it, the new film Boy Erased debuted in New York as the Centerpiece screening. Boy Erased is based on the memoir of the same name by writer Garrard Conley, telling the story of a young man (Lucas Hedges) who is forced into gay conversion therapy by his well-meaning mother (Nicole Kidman) and pastor father (Russell Crowe). Once at the facility, he encounters a number of other unwilling patients (Troye Sivan and Xavier Dolan, among others) as well as the abusive leader of the facility, Victor Sykes (Joel Edgerton)

The film was accompanied by the film’s director, writer, and co-star Joel Edgerton giving an introduction to the movie. After walking the red carpet, Edgerton spoke with The Knockturnal for a few questions about Boy Erased and the making of such a personal film. Read below for the full interview.

The Knockturnal: I’m really looking forward to seeing the movie.

Joel Edgerton: Thank you!

The Knockturnal: So you are Australian. A decent number of the other cast members are Australian and British and from non-American countries. What did it take to get into the Southern-American style, especially with such an international cast?

Joel Edgerton: Well, I did a lot of research about all aspects, I spent a lot of time researching the place and the people. The other aspect of it is that I feel like Middle America is like Middle Australia, it’s like Middle India, it’s like Middle Anywhere. And I’m not talking about the middle of the country per se, I’m talking about a psychological and mental perception of rights and freedoms. So I felt like, in many ways, rendering the place and the accents were one thing on the surface, but the energy and the perception on a psychological level… I felt very already connected to it.

Joel Edgerton and Lucas Hedges in new film Boy Erased

The Knockturnal: That actually leads me into my next question pretty well. Right now there’s a lot of political changes that are happening in both Australia and America with regards to queer people. The referendum in Australia for gay marriage as well as right now—the past week—in America with the rumor of changes to American policy relating to trans identification. What do you think Boy Erased’s place is in this really fraught and very politically charged time for queer people.

Joel Edgerton: Well, it takes you under the roof of one household, where the rights and freedoms of one child are under question. And I hope that—the best hope for cinema… The beauty of cinema is that through one person’s experience you can speak to so many other people’s experiences. I’m very aware of what’s going on in America right now. Nothing has made me more politically educated and aware than Donald Trump becoming president. But recently visiting Australia, I really just how much in my country—not just because of on the back of lobbying—I was educated about the fact that Australia still hasn’t caught up on the grounds of marriage equality. But right now, there’s a question that teachers in schools may be fired for being openly gay, and that students may be expelled—not for burning down the fucking gym, not for punching another student—expelled simply because of their sexuality. Not only that, but there was a report released when we screened the film in Australia about the prevalence of at least ten conversion therapy units in Australia. So it’s very much a thing going on in that country as it is here.

The Knockturnal: I’m curious about your finding the book in the first place. What did it take to write the movie and direct the movie, as well as starring in the movie yourself? How did you get into a character with such an interesting story?

Joel Edgerton: The best answer to that is two words. The first one is “obsession,” and the other is “possession.” Like, I became obsessed with the feeling that I got from reading the book, and then I became possessed in a way that I’ve never been before. I’ve been an actor in many projects, I’ve directed many projects—a few short films, a play, one film [The Gift]… Never before has a project chosen me. I’ve tried to choose projects, I’ve tried to insinuate myself into other people’s projects, but the fact that Garrard [Conley]’s book picked me up and dragged me along with it… And I’m talking very quickly. I wrote the screenplay, cast the film, shot the film and we were in post-production within nine months of me having read the book. I became so daily obsessed by it, that the process felt easy because it felt like something outside of me was dragging me along with it.

Boy Erased will be released on November 2nd in select cities

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Boy ErasedJoel EdgertonLucas HedgesnewfestNicole Kidman
0 comment
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Liam Haber

previous post
NewFest 2018 Review: ‘Boy Erased’ is an All-Too-Modern Gay Horror Story
next post
On The Scene: The Selects Pop-Up Shop Opening Party

Related Posts

On the Scene: STORYTELLERS – Cynthia Erivo and...

June 25, 2022

Restaurant Review: 8282

June 24, 2022

The Day Party Independence Day Celebration 2022: Meek...

June 24, 2022

“Yappy Hour” To Celebrate The Best In Show

June 24, 2022

Restaurant Review: Filé Gumbo Bar

June 24, 2022

On The Scene: Museum of the Moving Image’s...

June 24, 2022

Cast and Crew of ‘Trevor: The Musical’ Celebrate...

June 24, 2022

On The Scene: Red Carpet for the Velvet...

June 23, 2022

ON THE SCENE: NFT NYC COCKTAIL PARTY HOSTED...

June 23, 2022

On the Scene: VENGEANCE Tribeca World Premiere

June 23, 2022

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Digital Cover No. 15

The Knockturnal Merch

Follow Us On The Gram

Follow on Instagram

About The Site

We are a collective of creative tastemakers made up of fashion, music and entertainment industry insiders. It’s all about access. You want it. We have it.

Terms Of Use

Privacy Policy

Meet The Team

CONTACT US

For general inquiries and more info on The Knockturnal, please contact our staff at:
info@theknockturnal.com
fashion@theknockturnal.com
advertising@theknockturnal.com
editorial@theknockturnal.com
beauty@theknockturnal.com

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • Youtube

© Copyright - The Knockturnal | Developed by CI Design + Media

The Knockturnal
  • Home
  • Entertainment
    • Events Film The Kontenders Theater TV All
      Events

      On the Scene: STORYTELLERS – Cynthia Erivo and André De Shields

      June 25, 2022

      Entertainment

      On The Scene: Museum of the Moving Image’s ‘Living with The Walking Dead’…

      June 24, 2022

      Art

      ON THE SCENE: NFT NYC COCKTAIL PARTY HOSTED BY SWOPES + SUNRISE ART…

      June 23, 2022

      Entertainment

      On The Scene: “Alien (The Other)” Premieres at Tribeca Festival

      June 23, 2022

      Film

      Cast and Crew of ‘Trevor: The Musical’ Celebrate Special New York Screening

      June 24, 2022

      Film

      On The Scene: Red Carpet for the Velvet Goldmine 4K restoration at Tribeca

      June 23, 2022

      Film

      On the Scene: VENGEANCE Tribeca World Premiere

      June 23, 2022

      Film

      Exclusive: Gia Coppola Talks Being One of the Directors for the Film ‘The…

      June 23, 2022

      The Kontenders

      Exclusive: Interviews At The 37th Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards [video]

      March 15, 2022

      The Kontenders

      Knockturnalist: Top 20 Favorite Films of 2021

      January 9, 2022

      The Kontenders

      The Kontenders: Stepping behind the curtain of “Nightmare Alley”

      December 17, 2021

      The Kontenders

      The Kontendors: The Humanity behind the Refugee Crisis in “Flee”

      December 13, 2021

      Theater

      On The Scene: The 75th Annual Tony Awards Red Carpet!

      June 21, 2022

      Theater

      On The Scene: Inside The 2022 Tony Awards Press Room

      June 20, 2022

      Theater

      Review: Sarah Silverman’s The Bedwetter Captures a Child’s Despair with Not-So-Child-Friendly Humor

      June 17, 2022

      Theater

      Exclusive: The Cast and Creative Team of ‘Titanique’ Discuss the New Musical

      June 13, 2022

      TV

      On The Scene: Museum of the Moving Image’s ‘Living with The Walking Dead’…

      June 24, 2022

      TV

      Exclusive: Cast of ‘The Umbrella Academy’ talks upcoming Season 3

      June 22, 2022

      TV

      Exclusive: A Chat with Critter Fixer’s Stars at ABFF

      June 21, 2022

      TV

      Exclusive: Bod Odenkirk Talks ‘Better Call Saul’ at the Tribeca Film Festival

      June 20, 2022

      Entertainment

      On the Scene: STORYTELLERS – Cynthia Erivo and André De Shields

      June 25, 2022

      Entertainment

      On The Scene: Museum of the Moving Image’s ‘Living with The Walking Dead’…

      June 24, 2022

      Entertainment

      Cast and Crew of ‘Trevor: The Musical’ Celebrate Special New York Screening

      June 24, 2022

      Entertainment

      On The Scene: Red Carpet for the Velvet Goldmine 4K restoration at Tribeca

      June 23, 2022

  • Music
    • Koncerts News All
      Koncerts

      The Day Party Independence Day Celebration 2022: Meek Mill

      June 24, 2022

      Koncerts

      On The Scene: Bastille Rocks Terminal 5

      June 13, 2022

      Koncerts

      On The Scene: Vance Joy Headlines Pier 17

      June 10, 2022

      Entertainment

      Lollapalooza 2022 Will Be Historic: Thank You BTS’ J-Hope

      June 7, 2022

      News

      Exclusive: Cast and Creators Talk ‘The Wire’ 20th Anniversary

      June 23, 2022

      News

      Interviews with the Cast of Tribeca Festival’s Premiere of “The Courtroom”

      June 23, 2022

      News

      NOW OPEN: MUSICA Nightclub Brings European-Style Clubbing to NYC

      June 20, 2022

      News

      Interview with Actress Samira Wiley for the Tribeca Festival Premiere of “The Gratitude…

      June 20, 2022

      Music

      The Day Party Independence Day Celebration 2022: Meek Mill

      June 24, 2022

      Music

      Exclusive: Cast and Creators Talk ‘The Wire’ 20th Anniversary

      June 23, 2022

      Music

      Interviews with the Cast of Tribeca Festival’s Premiere of “The Courtroom”

      June 23, 2022

      Music

      Lori Harvey, Justine Skye, Janelle Monáe and More Kick Off Juneteenth Weekend at…

      June 21, 2022

  • Lifestyle
    • Art Events Fashion & Beauty Sports All
      Art

      ON THE SCENE: NFT NYC COCKTAIL PARTY HOSTED BY SWOPES + SUNRISE ART…

      June 23, 2022

      Art

      Bodvár House of Rosé Throws Lush, Pastoral National Rosé Day Event

      June 14, 2022

      Art

      Exclusive: Reyna Noriega Partnered W/ BAND-AID® Brand OURTONE™ To Create ‘Thank You Cards’…

      June 3, 2022

      Art

      A toast to Opera Lafayette and their upcoming New York Baroque Musique Festival

      May 23, 2022

      Events

      I Heart NFT at Marquee in New York City

      June 24, 2022

      Events

      Cast and Crew of ‘Trevor: The Musical’ Celebrate Special New York Screening

      June 24, 2022

      Events

      The DiscOasis Gets Rolling At Central Park’s Wollman Rink With Special Guest DJ…

      June 23, 2022

      Events

      Gov Ball Weekend’s Best Kept Secret: The BACARDÍ Rum Room At Mr. Purple

      June 23, 2022

      Fashion & Beauty

      Swimming in Style This Summer with Sperry

      June 24, 2022

      Fashion & Beauty

      This Tasting Menu Paired Every Dish with Champange. Here’s How it Went.

      June 21, 2022

      Fashion & Beauty

      Ever/Body Launches in New York at Grand Affair

      June 20, 2022

      Fashion & Beauty

      Eva Longoria’s Tequila Brand “Casa Del Sol” Kicked Off The Summer With The…

      June 18, 2022

      Sports

      Carriage Driving 60th Anniversary Festivities – Join us for a day in the…

      June 16, 2022

      Sports

      Exclusive Interview With Jahfari Harvey

      May 26, 2022

      Sports

      NINJA Undergoes Full Rebrand by Creative Studio EAT

      April 20, 2022

      Sports

      On the Scene: Red Bull Dance Your Style

      March 31, 2022

      Lifestyle

      Restaurant Review: 8282

      June 24, 2022

      Lifestyle

      “Yappy Hour” To Celebrate The Best In Show

      June 24, 2022

      Lifestyle

      Restaurant Review: Filé Gumbo Bar

      June 24, 2022

      Lifestyle

      I Heart NFT at Marquee in New York City

      June 24, 2022

  • News
  • Videos
  • Covers
  • Merch