The ‘Juror #2’ cast still can’t believe they got to work with Clint Eastwood

Nicholas Hoult was definite personification had made a mistake.

Clint Eastwood wanted to talk to him astir starring his caller film, a slow pain ineligible thriller astir a normal feline faced pinch an bonzer civilized dilemma. Surely Eastwood meant personification else, he thought. But soon capable they were chatting connected nan telephone astir “Juror #2,” opening successful theaters Friday.

“I was truthful nervous,” nan British character said. “I retrieve saying to him, “I really for illustration nan script.” I was truthful eager to please.”

For Eastwood’s comeback, Hoult slipped into a pitch-perfect impersonation of his gravelly voice: “If you for illustration it truthful much, I conjecture I’ll person to publication it.”

Suddenly Hoult was laughing. The hostility was broken.

“I was like, wow this guy’s cool,” he said. “He’s sewage a awesome consciousness of joke and we’re going to get along.”

Though location whitethorn beryllium a patient magnitude of English self-deprecation successful nan story, nan tone of it isn’t unsocial to Hoult. Eastwood, 94, is nan benignant of surviving fable that has moreover nan astir seasoned veterans a small starstruck. “Juror #2,” his 42nd movie down nan camera, is getting beardown reviews for being a smart, original courtroom thriller astir an intolerable conundrum.

In nan original book by Jonathan Abrams, Hoult’s character, a recovering alcoholic pinch his first kid astir to beryllium born, gets selected for assemblage work connected a execution case. But erstwhile nan facts commencement to emerge, truthful do his memories and he’s forced to face nan anticipation that he mightiness person been unknowingly responsible.

“After nan first publication it had me,” Eastwood wrote successful an email. “It made maine deliberation astir what would you do if you were put successful this situation? What is right? What is wrong? Who would you protect? A existent civilized dilemma. That’s thing I’d want to watch.”

And he started rounding retired his cast, led by Hoult who he called a existent “movie star,” pinch supporting turns from Toni Collette arsenic nan eager prosecutor, Chris Messina arsenic nan nationalist defender, J.K. Simmons arsenic a chap juror arsenic good arsenic Zoey Deutch and Kiefer Sutherland, who wrote a missive asking if location mightiness beryllium a domiciled for him.

Sutherland had agelong imagined he’d transverse paths pinch Eastwood. A lifelong Western fan, Sutherland’s precocious begetter Donald Sutherland had moreover worked pinch Eastwood a fewer times (“Kelly’s Heroes,” “Space Cowboys”). But erstwhile he publication astir nan plans for “Juror #2” he felt a caller consciousness of urgency.

“I ever thought 1 time I would get astatine Mr. Eastwood’s doorstep. Then I realized that that clip was possibly benignant of going away,” said Sutherland. “I conscionable said, ‘I’ve ever dreamed of moving pinch you and if location is simply a part, immoderate part, I would conscionable for illustration to beryllium capable to person nan acquisition of watching you direct.”

He was yet formed to play a lawyer and an AA sponsor to Hoult’s character. The screentime was comparatively small, but nan acquisition precisely what he hoped: A masterclass successful nan truest sense.

“I’ve worked pinch group that outcry and get angry and they’re very demonstrative,” Sutherland said. “He was truthful amazingly quiet and calm and soft spoken. That’s personification who has power, erstwhile they tin beryllium that and get everything they need.”

On 1 of his first days, an adjunct head was explaining to Sutherland really to navigate a doorway successful a scene. Eastwood stepped successful to extremity nan tutorial, telling nan AD, “He knows what he’s doing.” Despite his 40-plus years successful nan business, Sutherland said he walked a small taller that day.

“It made my life,” Sutherland said. “I’m very gladsome I didn’t activity pinch him erstwhile I was 18 years old, because I would person tied myself successful knots.”

Collette likewise said she’s ne'er felt truthful trusted.

“He’s truthful assured arsenic a director, but not successful a antagonistic way. He’s conscionable truthful coming and allows it each to unfold,” she said. “I’ve ne'er worked pinch anyone who’s truthful easygoing, to beryllium honest.”

The movie would besides beryllium nan first clip she and Hoult would stock nan surface since they played mother and boy successful “About a Boy” 23 years ago, erstwhile he was only 11. They’d texted a spot prior, but Collette was not prepared for nan swell of emotion seeing Hoult, now 34, again. Then came their first segment together and it wasn’t going to beryllium an easy one: In fact, fact, it’s nan past changeable of nan film.

But that’s nan Eastwood way. His ratio connected group is nan worldly of legend. Sometimes you get 2 takes, but 3 is almost unheard of. Hoult said he and nan actors connected nan assemblage moreover rehearsed successful concealed to make judge they would nail nan lengthier scenes. No 1 wanted to beryllium nan squeaky wheel.

“He’s not businesslike for nan liking of being efficient,” Sutherland said. “I deliberation Sydney Pollack, for instance, was really businesslike and benignant of erstwhile he became known for being efficient, started trying to show disconnected his efficiency. … I deliberation Mr. Eastwood conscionable benignant of looks astatine a group and looks astatine a segment and conscionable finds nan straightest measurement to sprout it.”

Much has been made astir whether “Juror #2” is going to beryllium Eastwood’s past film. But he’s not saying that, publically aliases privately. In fact, erstwhile accumulation went connected hiatus during nan actors strike, he didn’t moreover usage that clip arsenic a break.

“I retrieve erstwhile we did travel backmost from nan strike, I was like, ’What did you do? And he was like, ‘Well, I was looking for caller material,’” Collette said. “It’s nobody’s position to opportunity this is his past movie.”

Sutherland added: “His parking spot astatine nan Warner Bros. batch isn’t going anywhere.”