'Finally Dawn' Exclusive Interview: Joe Keery

Moviefone speaks with Joe Keery about 'Finally Dawn' and 'Stranger Things' final season. "I'll remember the amount of time that I spent with these people."

Joe Keery in 'Finally Dawn'. Photo: 01 Distribution.

Opening in theaters on July 18th is the new Italian movie ‘Finally Dawn’, which was directed by Saverio Costanzo (‘Hungry Hearts’), and stars Lily James (‘Cinderella’), Willem Dafoe (‘Poor Things’), Joe Keery (‘Stranger Things’), and Rachel Sennott (‘Saturday Night’).

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Joe Keery about his work on ‘Finally Dawn’, how he got the role, learning Italian, shooting at Cinecittà Studios, working with Willem Dafoe, and collaborating with director Saverio Costanzo, as well as shooting the final season of 'Stranger Things' and his memories of working on the series.

Related Article: Willem Dafoe Talks 'Inside'

(L to R) Joe Keery and Lily James in 'Finally Dawn'. Photo: 01 Distribution.

Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about the audition process and how you got cast in the film?

Joe Keery: I don't really know the history of the movie before me. Saverio had maybe thought of me for the job and there was a conflict. So, I didn't even see it. They sort of passed on me, maybe just due to scheduling stuff. I think maybe because of the show (‘Stranger Things’). Then something changed, and I freed up after they were looking for somebody for a while. I read it, and thought it was fantastic. It was an easy “yes” for me. Saverio's other work is beautiful. The script was amazing. And shooting in Rome, what an amazing opportunity.

MF: How was your Italian before making the film and was it difficult learning the language for this role?

JK: Yeah, I was working a little overtime in that regard. It's funny. My sister lived in Rome at this time. She ended up working on the film as well. So, the two of us were doing a little Duolingo between us. She was good though. I had some work to do, but she was good. I picked up some stuff though.

Joe Keery and Lily James in 'Finally Dawn'. Photo: 01 Distribution.

MF: What was it like collaborating with director Saverio Costanzo on set?

JK: Great. I mean, he's got a lot of trust, I think, in his actors. But he also isn't afraid to challenge you, I think. It's always like there's a cross section between the way that you see a character and maybe the director sees the character. Sometimes it's good if that Venn diagram is really connected, but sometimes it's also good if it's not. I'd say we were kind of right in the middle where we were kind of both pushing each other in interesting ways and taking the character. He also just made some changes once I kind of came around. I think we both talked about the character and adjusted it as the movie was happening. That's one of his strengths, I think, is that he's able to take the different inputs and shape them to what will best fit the film. I think he did that across the board. He's such a great guy to work with. It was an enjoyable experience on set.

MF: You play an actor in the film and when we first meet him, he is playing another character in the movie within the movie. What was it like playing a character that is playing another character?

JK: You know, I kind of tried to not honestly think too hard about it, I guess. You go down the rabbit hole of thinking about all this different stuff. Then at a certain point you're like, "Well, now it's time to actually do it." So, you just sort of put all your work aside and kind of get into it. But I really liked that dynamic within the movie. The meta dynamic of kind of bouncing in between what is real, what's a movie, and what's going on. That was exciting for me personally.

Rachel Sennott in 'Finally Dawn'. Photo: 01 Distribution.

MF: You also got to shoot at Cinecittà Studios in Italy where some legendary films were made. What was that experience like for you?

JK: Absolutely. I think shooting at Cinecittà was great because some of the reference movies that I watched beforehand, they were filmed on the back lot there. That's where they did these things. So, the fact that we're paying homage to that period, and we are making a movie about it, it's just perfect. I think everybody on set was just sort of blown away by that. Then, also we were shooting on the Spanish Steps. That's ridiculous. I'm not in that scene when she's walking down the steps. But one of my first days on that film was, it was the night shot at the beginning of the movie when we're coming down the steps. You know, it's World War II. Then as the sun was rising, we switch over and we do Rebecca's thing at the end of the movie, so we stuck around. Just watching Rebecca come down those stairs, and it's totally empty, and the city's waking up, and there's no tourists. I mean, it was incredible. Nobody gets that experience. You really don't get to experience that unless you're very lucky.

MF: Just to follow up, what were some of the films you watched for inspiration before shooting this movie?

JK: Obviously, I think there's a fair amount of ‘8 ½’ in this film. ‘Ben Hur’ and ‘Cleopatra’ were too. I know I've watched the film ‘Cleopatra’, just based on that big old scene that we do with me and Lily, and Hafþór (Júlíus Björnsson) and stuff. Those are the three that come to mind off the top of my head.

Willem Dafoe in 'Finally Dawn'. Photo: 01 Distribution.

MF: What was it like working with actress Rebecca Antonaci?

JK: I mean, I think she's extremely talented. Working with her on set, I feel like there's so much of the movie where she has no dialogue. But she, for me, was the most captivating part of the film, just to watch her experience this world and the emotions that she's able to convey just through one look. It's unbelievable. She's extremely talented. I can't wait to see what she does next.

MF: Were you intimidated to work opposite the great Willem Dafoe?

JK: Yeah, definitely. I mean, he is like singular. He's one of the great working actors, I'd say. It's very clear to me. I think he's just like a lover of acting. To me, it just seems like he really loves what he does, and he's very passionate about it, and cares very deeply, and doesn't take himself too seriously. We were all making this movie together. There's no “holier than thou” thing going on. He's just a real person. So, it makes a lot of sense to me why he's had the career that he's had.

Joe Keery as Steve Harrington in 'Stranger Things'. Photo: Courtesy of Netflix © 2022.

MF: Finally, ‘Stranger Things’ will be ending soon. What was it like filming the final season and what memories will you take with you from working on the show?

JK: Well, for the whole thing? I mean, I don't think I can pick a favorite single memory. There are a lot of great working memories in all these amazing sequences that we got to film. The end of season 1 sticks out. The underwater stuff sticks out to me in season 4. Working in the mall. But then, mostly I'll just remember the amount of time that I spent with all these people and the deep connection that we have. Yeah, that's really what I'm going to take away more than anything else, is that.

Editorial Note: James White conducted this interview and contributed to this article.

What is the plot of ‘Finally Dawn’?

A young Roman woman (Lily James) during the 1950s is on the verge of becoming engaged to a man. She goes to Cinecittà to do an audition as an extra and is thrust into this almost infinite night during which she discovers herself.