Charlie Plummer is a young American actor that got his first agent and the ripe old age of 10-years-old. Coming from a showbiz family, Charlie moved around a lot growing up. His mother is actress Maia Guest, and his father is producer/writer John Christian Plummer. Despite playing his grandson in the Ridley Scott disaster of a movie All The Money in The World, he is not related to Christopher Plummer (aka Captain Von Tropp). The movie famously had to be reshot when the original star of the movie Kevin Spacey had to be replaced with the actor mentioned above, best known for his starring role in The Sound of Music.
He earned critical acclaim starring in the A24 release Lean On Pete, written and directed by Andrew Haigh (45 Years) and featuring Steve Buscemi, Chloë Sevigny, and Travis Fimmel.
Forthcoming features include Spontaneous opposite Katherine Langford, Clovehitch with Dylan McDermott, Gully with Amber Heard, Kelvin J. Harrison and Jacob Latimore, and Share, written and directed by Pippa Bianco.
STRIPLV got the chance to sit down with Charlie to talk about his upcoming drama that explores mental health, particularly schizophrenia, in his upcoming release Words on Bathroom Walls alongside Taylor Russell, Andy Garcia, Walton Goggins, and Molly Parker. In this film, Charlie plays a young aspiring chef who is diagnosed with the condition.
STRIPLV: What attracted you to this story? PLUMMER: What attracted me to this story was a few different things. First of all the people involved. Second of all the subject matter. And then third really the way that the filmmakers Thor and Nick wanted to tell the story because mental health is one of those things that should be talked about way more than it is. I think a lot of the reason for that is that a lot of people don’t know how to talk about it. It is still something that is uncomfortable, unknown, and that’s very understandable, and I think it was clear to me that the intent on this was educating people. And telling them about it in a meaningful way and making a good movie in the process. So all those reasons are why I came to this. I was hooked. STRIPLV: So, how did you prepare? Were you doing it on your own? Did you dig down and do some research on mental illness? PLUMMER: Yeah, I kind of did an oh crap at the beginning. Because, I think for me I knew going in if I were going play this character and be a part of making this movie I needed to know for myself that I really did everything in terms of research, and in terms of trying to understand what this experience is like that I possibly could. So, that really started with having conversations with Thor and kind of understand the process he had already begun for himself and looping into that somewhat. And then doing some of my own research. He actually connected me to this psychiatrist that specializes working with young men who have recently been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Getting to talk to that guy at length about what the experience of having a psychotic break is like, what the experience of psychosis is like for the first time for somebody. How long it takes to understand these things. And, then also in turn you know what his other patients are in the midst of in their own lives. When it comes to their family when it comes to their relationships. These are still sixteen-year-old boys at the end of the day and in a lot of ways they don’t want to have to think about this illness unless they absolutely have to. They want to be thinking about their dreams and the people they might have crushes on and stuff like that. I think getting that information from that guy was so helpful in terms of helping myself as an actor that it’s so easy to get lost in the technicalities of what this illness might be and let that be the story. Rather than bringing it all back to a human place with this character. Remembering that this is a part of his story but this illness is not the entirety of his story in any type of way. STRIPLV: So, you are obviously the central character you are in most every scene if not every scene what was it like working with your co-stars the hallucinations all of them? PLUMMER: The whole gang of everybody really from the cast to the entire crew were genuinely so wonderful. I think everyone had their own stake in the story as well. It just made it that much better. And it was such a trusting place to be for that. I think to be able to tell this story you kind of need that. And that was set by the other actors like Andy (Garcia), Molly (Parker), Walton (Goggins) that have been doing this for a really long time showing up and just really knowing how to go about this. And just being so helpful throughout because it is a lot going on in my head all the time. The days were long and even if you have the greatest team, producers and all that stuff in the world it is what it is and it can be really tough at times. Being able to look to them for support and then likewise being able to look to Pete and Mickey from all angles having them there was just so helpful. They just bring such life to these characters in ways that I think are just essential to the story. Especially with those hallucinations I think if you didn’t have good actors playing those parts they could be so easily written off. And because we had actors of that magnitude doing it really made a world of difference. STRIPLV: I can only imagin what you and Devon went through you know with his more of he is definitely more of a character. It was a heavy subject but, any good times on set? PLUMMER: (Laughs) Yes, definitely good times I am just trying to remember a specific thing. Honestly getting to work with Devon he was always just making me laugh. He is just a really funny person naturally. And when he just shows us in the bathrobe and the boxers he is very much in the spirit of the character. I think it was really hard to keep a straight face. And quite honestly Andy as well he would kill me, he would crack me up so much. And, I think that was also tough because honestly again I think Adam for a lot of the movie is in a very chaotic head space. So, having these guys that would accidentally pull me out of that with their charm was sometimes tough. But, well worth it in retrospect. STRIPLV: Not to pry but one component of the film is about secrets. Adam has his secrets Maya has her secrets looking back is there anything from your childhood that you thought oh my god if anyone finds out about this my life is over? PLUMMER: Yeah, I had such a specific upbringing in that I started working when I was ten. I think I experienced the normal embarrassing things that people go through growing up but nothing that ever made me feel like oh my gosh I have to hide this. That more kind of manifested later for me. Because, I wasn’t really in that school environment with kids and I wasn’t having to deal with any of that. I was just with my family and they obviously they know everything about me. Of course (laughing) for better or for worse. I think I’ve really been able to learn that lesson and have a better understanding of what fear, and what secrets can do to a person. And for you what they can do. That idea of yeah, oh I can handle this. I can put up with this myself. You know that yes that might be the case in one moment but how quickly that curtain is pulled away and what is revealed is just like that for me what I found is that I was just really really scared. And I think accepting that and being able to move on from that place and doing so with the support of other people which I think absolutely happens in the movie. I think that is what helped me so much. And that is actually what happened with Adam. But I would actually say it was much closer to the experience of shooting movie that I learned those lesson. I am playing catch up a lot. STRIPLV: These days there is a lot of heightened anxiety and depression going on. What do you hope audiences will take away from this film? PLUMMER: I want them to take away my hope is that they take away an earned sense of hope for themselves and the people that they love and for the future of the world. I think that is my hope specifically with this because I think this movie is really going after what were just talking about secrets, and shame everyone in their own way experiences that and I think that is just a universal truth. And, now connecting that back to mental health and how that can be compounded if someone is suffering then that pressure to hide that suffering, that pressure to seem like everything is ok can just make things worse and worse going down that rabbit hole. I am hoping that this movie can be a lighthouse for people that might find themselves in a similar position. Feeling as they don’t have the safety, they don’t have a place to put those feelings, and those fears and thoughts that they might be able to find that in someone in this movie. Hopefully this movie encourages them to make those connections in their own life as well. Cause I think that is what helps Adam in the film so much. I think that’s what helps everyone.