Actor Mike Faist has opened up on his experience taking on the role of Riff in Steven Spielberg’s film adaptation of West Side Story, revealing it was ‘exciting and daunting all at the same time’ to join the project.
The 30-year-old snagged a Bafta award nomination for best supporting actor for his efforts but revealed that he still struggled with feeling anxious at the outset, as well as his view that there were ‘no second chances’ when it came to acting for film roles rather than on stage.
Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk on the red carpet as the 2022 Baftas, Mike revealed: ‘It was very exciting and daunting all at the same time. It’s kind of how I feel about any project – I get really anxious and “Oh, God”, and then I’m like, “Okay, this is gonna be great”.
Referencing that small matter of working alongside legendary director Steven Spielberg, he jokingly added: ‘[And with Spielberg] No pressure – or [screenwriter] Tony Kushner for that matter!’
The star, who got his career started on Broadway with the likes of Disney’s Newsies and originated the role of Connor Murphy in Dear Evan Hansen – for which he was Tony award-nominated – also reflected on the difference in his approach for movie roles compared to theatrical ones.
‘It’s not too much different. I would keep joking and saying the biggest difference is that with film you go home that night, and you think about what you’ve done and then you are just laying [sic] awake thinking, “Oh God, why didn’t I try this? Oh God, why didn’t I do that?”’
‘With theatre, you get a second chance tomorrow at least, but with film – that’s it!’ he laughed.
Mike also lifted the lid on the influence playwright Tony Kushner’s adaptation of the musical by Arthur Laurents, Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim had on his interpretation of his part as the tough Jets gang leader, Riff.
‘You have to start from the very beginning on the page and what’s there, and Tony wrote an adaptation, a different script, and so that was a great place to start. And then having wonderful conversations with Tony – obviously he loves Shakespeare, who doesn’t, I don’t blame him – and taking inspiration from Romeo and Juliet and Mercutio and talking about that.
‘There was also this photo series, Bruce Davidson photos that were taken in 1959 [Brooklyn Gang]. I believe they weren’t printed though, or at least not for publication until the 90s and these photos – if you just look at these people, you could just see the rawness about them, the bullet-proof ability that they have, and it just really resonated with me and I just kind of used that for myself and ran with that.
‘Then the rest was building the relationships with the Jets and all of the people and making sure that those relationships were authentic and honest, and so when the cameras were rolling it just worked.’
The Panic star, who described his Bafta nomination as an ‘honour’, also shared that he was a ‘huge fan’ of his fellow nominee Ciarán Hinds, who was also up for best supporting actor after his turn in Sir Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast, and had been enjoying rubbing elbows with him and catching up with old friends at the awards ceremony.
Baftas 2022 full winners list
Best film – The Power of the Dog
Leading actor – Will Smith (King Richard)
Leading actress – Joanna Scanlan (After Love)
Best director – Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog)
Outstanding British film – Belfast
Best adapted screenplay – CODA
Best supporting actor – Troy Kotsur (CODA)
Best supporting actress – Ariana DeBose (West Side Story)
EE rising star – Lashana Lynch (No Time To Die)
Best production design – Dune
Best animated film – Encanto
Best original screenplay – Licorice Pizza
Best documentary – Summer of Soul
Outstanding debut – Jeymes Samuel (The Harder They Fall)
Best original score – Hans Zimmer (Dune)
British short animation – Do Not Feed The Pigeons
Best special visual effects – Dune
Best costume design – Cruella
British short film – The Black Cop
Best cinematography – Dune
Best editing – No Time To Die
Best sound – Dune
Best makeup and hair – The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Best casting – Cindy Tolan (West Side Story)
Best film not in English language – Drive My Car
‘I’ve been hanging out with the gentleman in my category, [including] Ciarán Hinds, who I’ve been a huge fan of forever and ever and is also connected to Tony and Steven as well with Munich, and running into some of my good friends from New York who were here, like Erica Schmidt from Cyrano.
‘It’s just nice to be here and celebrating all the people again.’
Troy Kotsur celebrated an historic triumph in the best supporting actor category for CODA, becoming the first deaf actor to win a Bafta in one of the main categories, while Mike’s co-star Ariana DeBose scooped a best supporting actress win for her portrayal of Anita.
In the winner’s press conference, the star revealed his hopes that there will be more awareness of the deaf community in Hollywood and more recognition on the big screen as he saw the deaf and hearing community ‘now being pulled together and bridged as one so we can finally make that connection and understand each other’.
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