Ted filmmaker Seth MacFarlane directs, co-writes and stars in A Million Ways to Die in the West. The Western features MacFarlane as a sheep farmer named Albert who, after backing out of a gunfight, finds courage when a mysterious woman (Charlize Theron) rides into his lawless town.
Amanda Seyfried, Liam Neeson, Giovanni Ribisi, Sarah Silverman, and Neil Patrick Harris also star in this Western comedy which, if MacFarlane keeps up his comedic hot streak, could give Blazing Saddles a run for its money.
During the A Million Ways To Die in the West press conference, MacFarlane talked about the acting challenges he faced during production. “There were two things that became apparent pretty quickly into the process, and one was the muscles didn’t take as much reconditioning as I thought it would,” said the filmmaker. “It was more like voice acting than I thought it would be. You’re using your whole body and there are some things that are different, but when you are doing a character, even in the booth, my face will do different things when I do different characters.”
MacFarlane credited Theron for elevating his performance. “I was with the most talented actress that I could have (worked with),” said MacFarlane. “What became clear as well, and this is probably old hat to actors but it’s new to me, was that your performance really does depend in a large portion to what you’re getting from the other person. I got so much from Charlize and was made so comfortable by her during this process that I got to like (acting) pretty quickly.”
In the audio clip below, MacFarlane talks about his love for John Ford Westerns and he discusses how The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance influenced A Million Ways To Die In The West.
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The movie comes out May 30.
