On The Scene: “Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance” Special Screening

On August 27^th, Netflix held a special screening event for its new series “Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance” at the Museum of Moving Images in New York!

Based on the feature film from Jim Henson, the same creator of “The Muppets Show” and “Sesame Street”, “Dark Crystal” was a dark and fantastical sci-fi world where a magical crystal must be restored in order to bring balance to the world.  Since its release in 1982, the movie garnered a niche yet cult following with thousands of dedicated fans exploring the lore of the immense and creative world Jim Henson created.  36 years later, this new series developed by Netflix and The Jim Henson Company is a prequel to the original film.  To celebrate the launch of the new 10 episode series, a special screening event was held at the Museum of Moving Images in Astoria, Queens.  The series has an all-star cast of voice actors and a few came to the event to celebrate.  Jason Isaacs, Keegan-Michael Key, Nathalie Emmanuel, Hannah John-Kamen, and Donna Kimball were in attendance as well as Executive Producer and CEO of The Jim Henson Company Lisa Henson, Executive Producer, and Director Louis Leterrier and Co-Executive Producers and writers Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Jeffrey Addiss, and Will Mathews.

We got a chance to speak with Jason Isaacs, Keegan-Michael Key, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Hannah John-Kamen about the new series, check it out below!

The Knockturnal: Were you a fan of the original movie?

Jason Isaacs: I was, it was very deep in my memory because I was twenty when it came out and I went to see it with some friends as students, probably expecting to laugh at it thinking it was a Muppet movie and then being shocked in my seat and stunned by how profound, challenging, and complex the world was.  I was admiring, even then, before I was coming into the entertainment business, admiring Jim Henson for using his currency in the world that he had earned through the Muppet Show and Sesame Street to get people into the cinema to deal with something so adult and so rich and to create such an enormous universe.  No wonder he thought about it as the best and most challenging thing he ever did and I think that Netflix, Louis, and the writers ran with that; they felt the bar was very high.

Nathalie Emmanuel: I’d seen it.  I wouldn’t say I was a die-hard fan, but I remember seeing it as a kid and being super terrified of the Skeksis, but I also really appreciated the puppets and the

beauty of the movie and the world, the sort of magic of it.  So yeah, I guess when I heard about the project, I was like “Oh yeah, I wanna do that.”  I just remembered the effect it had on me as a kid, but I hadn’t seen it in a long time.

The Knockturnal: Did working on it give you a whole new experience?

Nathalie Emmanuel: Oh absolutely, definitely.  Also, I’m an adult now, so I don’t have to scared Skeksis as much as I was.  Still a little bit but there you go.  I think I had a whole new appreciation for the artistry that is in it and you get to appreciate the vast textured world that Thra is and what these characters have been in.

The Knockturnal: What initially drew you to it as a child and growing up?

Keegan-Michael Key: I think what drew me to it as a child was that the world became so immersive by virtue of the fact that all of the characters were puppets, you weren’t linking into a human.  What’s so amazing about the Hansens is that they bring so much art to what they do that you fall in love with this small piece of vinyl or plastic or rubber, and you’re really invested in what this creature’s going to achieve or not achieve or win or lose or how that’s gonna work.  But the other thing that’s going to suck you in is like “Oh I’m really entering another world, there are no people in this world,”  I think that’s what drew me in.  I’m of that age that I was fully aware and a huge fan of the Muppet show.  It was darker and more adult, so in a way, I felt it was almost taboo and it was also a predecessor to a lot of those stories like “Never Ending Story”, “Labyrinth”, “Legend”, and all of those types of movies came after this one.  It really set a done in the 80s.

The Knockturnal: The new series stays true to a lot of the styles from the original movie and continues to use puppets.  Was that important for you coming into this?

Jason Isaacs: They used puppets which was an amazing decision to make in the modern world.  You know, it doesn’t make any sense and yet when you watch it, somehow I think, and this is just a theory, but because they don’t look like humans, because they’re so extraordinary, and because they don’t look like CGI, which means you have a sense that you’re watching something physical and real, it allows us to release our empathy, hatred, fear, and our emotions somehow more than when you watch actors.  There’s something that you can release through some fantastical creature in some ways more than when it’s so obviously related to your own life.  Because who would do that?  Only Netflix, frankly, have the resources and clout and the balls, the leverage in the world to take giant creative swings like that.

The Knockturnal: The movie uses puppets that were recorded before the voices were.  How did that affect your approach to voice acting?

Jason Isaacs: Well this was different from anything I’ve ever done before because I’ve done lots of voice for animated movies, animated series, and video games, and in those instances they record your voice first and then they go off and animate.  Here, Louis had already shot the scene with the giant puppets and these extraordinary puppeteers who are also brilliant actors.  And so you are presented with the entire world and the scene as it is going to be and mouth flaps, so you have to make it fit technically.  Then once get over that technical hurdle you remind yourself that they’ve hired you on as an actor, you better bring something to it, because if you are just doing a facsimile of the puppeteer they didn’t need to bring you in.  So it was taxing but then they say creativity flourishes within parameters and these were very narrow parameters.  But luckily, Louis was a very exacting and friendly taskmaster.

Nathalie Emmanuel: It does slightly.  While it can be quite restrictive at times because you have to match your performance to an established lip sync.  It required a lot of concentration but sometimes that kind of pressure can spark ideas and make your brain fire in ways that are under pressure, you’re like “Oh wait, I’ve got this amount of time to say my lines, what can I do with it?”  It can actually be quite a fun, freeing, kind of experimental experience, which is pretty fun and something I didn’t expect because I haven’t done a whole lot of voice acting.  It was definitely a new experience for me so I was really excited.  And Louis was fantastic because he was “Okay, well try this one,” and if I was like “maybe if it was more like this,” and he would be like “yeah, try it!”  He was really great for encouraging that playfulness.

Hannah John-Kamen: It was certainly interesting.  I remember when I saw my puppet and at one point the puppet is crying and I’m going “Damn, she’s a good actor, I’ve got to keep up with this!”  But it’s kind of great because you see your puppet have these quirks about them and I think there was something about my puppet’s design gave me something to play within my voice, like a certain kind of cynicism.  It was interesting to do it the other way around, I don’t know if there was a pro or a con with it but it was just interesting, I’ve never done that before.

Keegan-Michael Key: There was a challenge in trying to match the syntax, but then the fun was also trying to put a little English on it and put my own style in there.  There were decisions I

wanted to make on the character and that I did make and then had to find a way to fuse them into the rhythm of how the puppeteer had made the puppet move.  And I’m looking forward to seeing them today to see how we achieved them or if we achieved it.

The Knockturnal: Keegan, you’re such a physical actor, was it tough for you to only do voice-overs?  Were you trying to act out the lines and getting more excited in the booth?

Keegan-Michael Key: I always do.  My favorite thing is when I walk into a voice-over room and the room is this size [large], I’m like “Haha, strap a mic on me!”  Like if I’m a booth, that’s a challenge, but if I’m in a room where there’s a mic and there are open walls, it’s better because if they need you to land, I like to jump and land as opposed to trying to fabricate them.  I continue to be a physical actor and make as physical choices as I can even if I know if I’m not going to be seen.

The Knockturnal: How does it feel to be presenting this series that breathes new life into this beloved movie from an influential artist at the Museum of Moving Images?

Keegan-Michael Key: Yeah, my aunt is coming to see it today and she said “What, where are we going?” and I said “We’re going to the Museum of Moving Images,” and she’s like “Well why is it happening there?” and here’s the thing.  This thing is not about tricks; now we’ve used some CGI elements in this particular one, but back in the day, it was all practical which I thought was fantastic.  I think it’s a perfect place for it to happen because the imagination of cinema and how it worked and how it expanded is displayed in this building.

Hannah John-Kamen: It’s absolutely amazing.  It’s just legendary what Jim Henson achieved with the connection that we, as viewers and audience members, have with these puppets and with the world he created.  I remember in my childhood, Dark Crystal for me was just terrifying and that was because I had older siblings so I watched it then.  But I just absolutely loved it, it was legendary to me and it’s one of those things that never leaves your mind so just to be part of it was an honor.  I remember going into the microphone booth for the first time and I was just like “Oh my god!  There’s the Gelfling!”  It was just crazy and to be with the highest caliber of actors, just wonderful actors and to be part of this is just an honor!

The Knockturnal: One of Jim Henson’s more famous creations, alongside the Muppets, was “Sesame Street” which was such a big influence on many people’s childhood.  Do you have any fond memories of watching it?

Jason Isaacs: I was too old for it, so I used to watch it with a kind of cynical, teen eye, or early 20s I only watched it for fun.  But the thing about really great storytelling, whoever it’s aimed at, children or adults, is that it works on every level.  So the Dark Crystal for instance, like Star Trek that I just did, you can watch as a kid and enjoy the story, and you can watch as an adult and both enjoy the story and enjoy all of the political resonances and the things that say who we are and how we treat each other.  So I think with Sesame Street, it was always true, but it worked perfectly as it was designed for children, but there something there, certainly for students who weren’t getting out of bed.

Nathalie Emmanuel: Absolutely, I love Bert and Ernie.  They were just so much fun.  I love how Bert always used to lose Ernie or Ernie used to lose Bert, I can’t remember which way it went, but it was always super cute.

Hannah John-Kamen: Yeah, it was like before getting ready for school.  It was like coming down the stairs, watching Sesame Street, singing the songs, laughing at Cookie Monster, and then going to school!

After the red carpet, the screening for the first episode of the series was shown.  The word that comes to mind after watching the first episode is brilliant.  The scenery of the world of Thra is beautifully created in CGI.  From lush plains to iridescent underground caverns, everything looks realistic yet amazingly fantastical.  Additionally, all of the characters and creatures of the world are puppets which are magnificently performed by master puppeteers of The Jim Henson Company.  The first episode shows the world of Thra being inhabited by many interesting creatures and the Gelflings.  Different clans of the Gelflings inhabit different parts of Thra, from forests, ice lands, and dark caverns.  Keeping Thra alive is the Crystal of Truth that maintains balance.  However, one day, the Skeksis arrive, malicious creatures that use the crystal to gain eternal life.  For many years they’ve hidden their ill-intentions by presenting themselves as all-knowing and gracious rulers of Thra.  The Gelflings happily live under their rule and worship them as almost deities, until one day, a few Gelfling start to uncover the truth about what the Skeksis have been doing, how they’ve been taking advantage of not only the Gelfling but the life force of Thra itself, setting up the start of the age of resistance.

The creatures of Thra are so unique and are created beautifully as puppets.  The Skeksis are old, crow-like creatures that lie on the border of scary and grotesque.  The Gelfling are cute, mini elf-like humanoid creatures.  Everything about the world is so creative and uniquely used.  For instance, there are giant pill bug creatures that roll up and serve as tortured wheels for the Skeksis carriage.  Small details like this really show how unique Jim Henson’s world is as it diverges from typical fantasy creatures and devices.  While this first episode was just the setup, the creators of the show assured everyone that the series will get much darker, just like the original movie.  “No child left unscarred,” they said.

After the screening, a short Q&A was held with the director, producers, and writers of the show, with Jason Isaacs moderating the panel.  Check out a few of the responses from the panel below!

Jason Isaacs: So it strikes me a little bit like “Dogma” when they said they’re going to use natural light and music; so you decided you were going to use puppets but we’re going to use CGI in certain circumstances.  What was the rule you set yourself for when you use CGI?

Javier Grillo-Marxuach: It seems to me that there’s sort of a false dichotomy between the idea that CGI and the puppetry are in some ways at odds with each other.  I think that the use of CGI and I’m sorry, I don’t want to speak up to [Louis’] method, but the use of CGI in this integral to the world-building in the same way as with live actors in a “Star Wars” movie.  Where the puppetry shines in what it does is that it literally takes the place of the performances that live actors do.  It remains an incredible tool for the kind of scope we are presenting here so it’s really about the symbiosis between the two.

Jason Isaacs: So you’re using the puppets, you’re learning about the technology, what story do you want to tell?  I see a ton of politics, a ton of ecological issues, all very contemporary and resonant things, how did you decide what your template was, what your palate was; what kind of story it was going to be and how it was going to end?

Jeffrey Addiss: There was a lot of the world-building that had been done by The Henson Company.  They had a number of what they called “Great Conjunctions”, where they brought people in and built a lot of the plans, brainstorming, there were the YA novels…

Louis Leterrier: Yeah, let’s talk about the YA novels.  Joe Lee never gets the credit he deserves.  This guy’s is a writer but he’s a fan first and foremost and The Henson Company did a

Lisa Henson: We did a writing contest.  Our publishers are here as well from Penguin.  When they commissioned YA novels based on the “Dark Crystal”.  We thought it was going to be really hard to find writers that are fully steeped in the “Dark Crystal” mythology and then read all of those writing samples, like how are we going to find that person?  So we just decided to have a writing contest and we put a lot of our brainstorming material online and we opened our lore and our franchise information to fans to read everything that we’ve been coming up with.  And so we had a writing contest which Joe Lee won and he subsequently has written four really good YA books based in the world of the “Dark Crystal”

Jason Isaacs: That is very smart and I have never heard of anybody doing that in order to generate material.  Presumably, you stole from the other people who didn’t win.

Jeffery Addiss: No, they never showed us any of that.

Jason Isaacs: I would!

Jeffery Addiss: We just stole a bunch from him!  So our job really, was to come in and there was all of this stuff and say, “Okay, what’s our path through all of this?”  We created a lot of that, used a lot of that world and bring all of these pieces together.  And then within that, when you talk about the politics, we weren’t trying to draw one for ones between our political situations.  We realized this was a show going to a lot of countries and it was important to us that you go and watch this show in whatever language you are steeped in it will feel like it was made for you.  So we were really looking at unfortunately universals that occur over and over.  I re-read the “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” coming into this.  There’s a lot more of the Roman Empire in the Skeksis in their fall than even you’ll see in modern political situations.  Unfortunately, themes like taking care of our planet and corruption in government and in our leader are sadly universal.

Louis Leterrier:  I don’t want to bum you out, but this was Jim Henson’s nightmare 37 years ago.  We just didn’t do anything different Jim laid down.

“The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance” series will be released only on Netflix on August 30^th.  Based on what I saw in the first episode and not only the deep enthusiasm that the cast and crew share for it, but that of the thousands of fans of the Dark Crystal that love Jim Henson’s work, I highly suggest checking out this series!