Actor Cary Elwes, who stars alongside Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, and Al Pacino in the upcoming Row K Entertainment film, Dead Man’s Wire, called working with director Gus Van Sant a great experience. Elwes, who plays Detective Michael Grable in the new film, spoke highly of Van Sant, describing him as a director who loves actors. The film is based on the 1977 Indianapolis hostage crisis involving Tony Kiritsis and mortgage broker Richard Hall.
The film’s director, Gus Van Sant, has successfully blended mainstream success with independent roots. He earned Best Director nominations for the blockbuster hits Good Will Hunting (1997) and Milk (2008). Both of which also received Best Picture nominations. Before that, he directed acclaimed independent features like Drugstore Cowboy (1989) and My Own Private Idaho (1991).
Elwes has built a diverse film and television career, known best for his leading roles as Westley in the fantasy-comedy classic The Princess Bride (1987). Many people may know him as Robin Hood in the Mel Brooks comedy Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993). More recently, he played Mayor Larry Kline in the Netflix series Stranger Things (2019). With so much combined experience, we can only imagine what an incredible time they had on set.
Cary Elwes says Gus Van Sant is An Actor’s Director
Elwes noted that Van Sant’s reputation for getting exceptional performances is well-deserved. Stating there is a reason great actors want to work with him. Elwes experienced several key aspects of Van Sant’s directing style, describing him as really an actor’s director. “He is very nurturing and very gentle, and he doesn’t get stressed by anything, and despite having a very tight schedule and a very small budget, the production came in on schedule.”
Perhaps the most unique aspect of the experience was Van Sant’s deliberate use of time for creative freedom. Elwes recalled that the team typically did only one or two takes for every scene. “[Van Sant] would save the third one to experiment, which is to me like the most fun,” Elwes explained. This approach meant the director actually saved time in his day to have one more take just to experiment with the actors and try different things.
The film, “Dead Man’s Wire,” based on the 1977 Indianapolis hostage crisis, will be in select theaters on January 9, 2026.
