Sebastian Stan explains how A Different Man and The Substance tap into same zeitgeist
The Bucky Barnes actor stars alongside Adam Pearson in the excellent new film – and both reckon it has some similarities with another recently released critical hit.
One film that has really captured the imagination of cinemagoers and critics in recent weeks is Coralie Fargeat's The Substance: a terrifically entertaining body horror that also taps into many relevant issues, notably including ageism.
It's a film that has clearly struck a chord, and Sebastian Stan is hoping that his latest movie – A Different Man – can do likewise. Written and directed by Aaron Schimberg and also starring Under the Skin's Adam Pearson, the film follows an actor with neurofibromatosis who agrees to a new treatment to drastically alter his appearance.
Despite initially seeming pleased by the results, Edward soon begins a downward spiral – especially when he encounters Oswald (Pearson), another man with neurofibromatosis who appears very comfortable in his skin.
Although A Different Man and The Substance have many differences regarding how they approach their subject matters, there are also some clear similarities.
Both are concerned with the ideas of self-image and the ways in which people are perceived by others – albeit for different reasons.
And crucially, both involve their subjects agreeing to a radical and experimental medical procedure that doesn't fix their issues in quite the way they had in mind.
"I definitely feel like it's not necessarily a coincidence of The Substance and this film [coming out at the same time]," Stan explained in an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com. "I mean, maybe we're on to something in the sense that I feel it's a reflection of the times that we're in.
"Everyone's looking for a shortcut all the time. You can go online and see people that are addicted to plastic surgery, addicted to Ozempic.
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"They want the cure, they want the shortcut, they want the quick change, they want to be accepted. It's total dependence on other people for validation, and not as much investment in the self and in trying to understand the self and what's happening on the inside."
He added: "Because no shortcuts really gonna help you with anything... which is why these addictions are happening.
"Because you keep wanting that dopamine hit to get you out of there, but then you're crashing just as fast."
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Pearson also agrees that the films both capture something that is in the "zeitgeist", explaining that "they both ask similar questions" even if they are "wildly different" beyond that.
"And I think it is time we, like, have these conversations," he added. "I think we've all – particularly on, like, this side of the industry – we've all sat in this vow of noble silence long enough.
"And I think particularly social media has annihilated young people's self-confidence and ability to communicate in long form, i.e. 280 characters or more.
"So anything that can open up this kind of dialogue and say, 'Hey, it's OK not to be OK... Let's talk about it,' can only really be a good thing."
A Different Man is now showing in UK cinemas.
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
