Extended cut: Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali talk new Netflix thriller “Leave the World Behind”

[Music] I went online this morning and I rented us beauti FL house out by the beach I figured if I made the reservation and packed our bags it would eliminate most of the reasons to say no in Leave the World Behind Julia Roberts is a far cry from the America's sweetheart role this is your house when your characters me first of all I could not stand your character I never thought there would be a Julia Roberts movie where I thought to myself oh my gosh I want to just strangle her well my work is done here Leave the World Behind is not your typical end of the world apocalypse film it centers around two families forced together starring Julia Roberts Ethan Hawk Mersa Ali and Mahala Herold were you concerned about playing someone who would be so unlikable was that on your radar no I wasn't concerned but definitely you know I want to find the the balance and the fairness to her I didn't want her to be just unlikable and just annoying and so I mean unfortunately there's a lot of people to draw from to play a character like this in the world so it was uh interesting always to be in especially in in our scenes where she's showing who she is but she's also so guarded and so just suspicious and defensive and a arm lengths away from what was the experience like Julia working with this man you know there's just a poetry to the way that he carries himself in life and in art in my experience a poetry that's a that's a beautiful way to describe you very kind to you how how would you describe working with Julia a joy a joy just a joy a joy cuz sometimes it's not a joy with more people and you know that and so um that makes all the difference in the world enjoying who you're working with because so much of our work has to do with like playing in vulnerable places the Obamas are the exact producers on this how much did that play in the fact that you two are sitting here together I think it plays into how puffed up I feel sitting here right now I think I'd still be sitting here but that they wanted to collaborate was a thrill yeah and it has elevated the project but I I first and foremost I'm always looking at what is the material what is the opportunity with the character what is the opportunity for growth and who am I working with Mersa is a two-time Academy Award winner who plays the Suave Finance advisor GH Scott so you think that the hackers or whatever knocked out our satellites I no longer think that this is just a couple of teenagers in the Philippines well variety basically said that the quote I think was Al the show how does that how does that land how does that with you no it's so weird I just hope the film resonates with people and I'm just grateful for the opportunity to do this work and grow and be pushed you know so I'm I'm in good whatever he and you know who else Ste to show is Ethan I think they say it a little differently but you I know what you mean so if you were giving the elevator pitch on this movie um how would you describe it it's a thriller that's about the way we hold ourselves in the world and seeing people put in the most extreme circumstances of Crisis and how they respond to that how about you Marshall I'm just in awe of that answer um it's it's early it's it's um a study in in trust um a study in the fragility of uh The Human Condition and our dependence on technology yeah and that's a big one and it's really about us to me walking away and beginning to have a conversation about how we can appreciate these Technologies but also not be so dependent upon them where if something happens we're not going to be able to continue to to exist in a similar way I mean there's a there's a scene obviously the first scene when your two characters meet for the first time you're in a tuxedo you're clearly been out for a beautiful night out and there's a lot of skepticism from clearly he's trying to make it seem as though perhaps totally normal right yes so in that you know before you became wildly famous were there moments in your life where you were prejudged I'm 6'2 I've been 6'2 since I was 14 years old dark skinned black man proud to be but that comes with certain things in walking and navigating this world and people's reaction to you is ahead of your Consciousness and understanding about why they're reacting to you a certain way it's the things that are more subtle that are that wear on you a bit and it's the you know a turning over of of the ring on the subway or an extra set of questions and so what I love about GH is he comes into this situation totally aware of what to to expect and as certain things are happening he's just trying to find a way to navigate around it to get where he wants to be and that's just been my way in life that's been your way sure I could spend a lot of time getting caught up on certain exchanges and at times I do but if anything I'm still just trying to navigate that situation so that I can get to where I want to be and it's so it so it becomes like a muscle um that you sort of you you you walk the earth sort of defensively and sort of ready for things and you try to move them out your way with the least amount of explosiveness you know and I think that's GH there's a lot I felt like I sort of inherently understood about him M he was actually written older in the book a bit so there's elements of him that clearly remind me of an uncle or grandfather or whatnot that that are still very relevant today and how you how I have to or how many of us just navigate the world in general yeah uh that's beautiful by the way everything little long-winded I'm sorry but I I tried to get to it perfect poetry that's what I'm telling you that's you're right yeah offscreen Julia and husband Danny motor have three teen teers Mersa Ali and wife amatu Sami kareim have a six-year-old daughter we discussed parenting in the age of smartphones watching the technology Obsession scared me watching this because I think about this with my kids now how did you navigate with your kids or what you do so for us we just had sort of simple rules where we had a charging station where everybody's phone goes when you get home and there's no phones at the table certainly and I think that my kids have seen my my complete um despair when we're in a restaurant and we see a mom out with her kids and the kids are all on some kind of device and she's just kind of sitting there I mean it makes me just want to burst into tears and I'm like you guys never do that to me never I mean I know the feeling too um by the way how has has fatherhood changed you oh wow it's definitely you've heard it before you just feel like your heart is outside of your body just like running around in the world and you feel so much better when you're when you're close to them so I'm going shut it down there that's all I can say um get emotional but it's softened me and I think it's allowed me to to Really begin to hone in and lock in on the things that matter most I feel like I've always had a general sense a good sense of the things that matter in life but but I think that it becomes more articulate when you have a child and I think when you have a daughter specifically you be as a man you you see the harms of the world in neon so to speak because of how much girls from a very young age have to navigate to have the best chance of being their whole full self by the time they're an adult I mean we're parenting young kids your your kids are in in college and one's about to go off to college how do you parent adult children I mean I parent them the same way out of the house that I parent them in the house which is which is you know are you getting enough sleep and you sound like you're sick and are you drinking tea and texting when you get home because even though I'll be asleep that way when I wake up I can see that your home safe and sound and and I have an immense amount of appreciation for both of my older kids because they are embracing the things that I still need from them as opposed to Mom you know come on I'm I'm F you know it it's they still allow me to be the same mom to them and it's not eye rolling and there's a huge amount of understanding I think that they are allowing me to occupy a space and kind of get used to them being away because they're also getting used to it too it's you know this is a whole new landscape for all of us is it ask is it a different discomfort you leaving and traveling for work and all that compared to them leaving and going to college yeah yeah and it's funny too and especially it's interesting when right now me being away and so Henry and Danny are home and then I'm in another time zone and then Finn is somewhere and Hazel is somewhere and we all were on a FaceTime the other day together all of us and it was so fun and that we made it work because sometimes with the time differences doesn't always work and that and it was like this like gift that we looking at you know I might have had like a towel on my wet and it was just so and that we were all so happy to be together in that way it's just it's so sweet I mean I'm so proud of them I'm proud of all of us that we kind of have gotten to this place and are still so deeply in love and and in interest with each other I love your family I love how you speak about them every time you talk about them I feel like you're home like like thanks I agree with that actually I look you have to do a junk it you have to talk about your film and we are excited to talk about it because I think this film is going to be amazing and everyone's going to go but I swear every time it happens with you especially because when I interviewed you with Clooney you laughed and joked about everything and then the minute you talked about your kids it was like I'm home yeah I'm home like that's really your Northstar yeah well it all starts with Danny motor you know he's just really our anchor and our person and and in the most beautiful way our the captain of our ship you know truly and it's not like giving it all away to him it's just that for me understanding How Deeply felt life could be really started with him and my understanding of him as a person wow tissue I love love man when it's real I can feel it I I swear a couple of things that you guys both said I could feel chills up and down my body I'm like anyway um thank you I just want you to listen to one thing this is a song um that Jenna and I have [Music] released are you feeling it I feel you I feel you feeling it wow how okay first of all when did you have time we did because we first we did it for fun and then it it's going to be a that is so this is an original song you you wrote it okay we're getting no compliments here no I'm really impressed I'm totally impressed congratulations watch out Mariah Carey yeah hey thanks for watching don't miss the Today show every weekday at 11:00 a.m. eastern 8 Pacific on our streaming Channel today all day to watch head to today.com allay or click the link right here

Channel: TODAY

Views: 60,635

Keywords: Today, Today Show, Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker, Natalie Morales, domestic news, international news, weather, interviews, politics, money, media, entertainment, sports, breaking news, food, health, home, parents, style, concerts, pets, shopping, Hoda Kotb

Id: BCQGysT60AQ

Length: 12min 45sec (765 seconds)

Published: Mon Dec 18 2023