A24 announced its newest film, a story of a man named Edward who has a facial difference and receives a life-changing drug to change his appearance completely. This story is A Different Man, directed and written by Aaron Schimberg. The first trailer for the film was released July 16 on A24’s YouTube channel.
Sebastian Stan stars in the leading role of Edward. Edward has neurofibromatosis, which is condition where tumors grow on the skin and bone, mostly seen on his face. Stan received complex prosthetics for this role and was “modeled after his co-star Adam Pearson, a real-life actor who has neurofibromatosis and has starred in films like Under the Skin and Schimberg’s Chained for Life,” according to Variety. Alongside Stan and Pearson, the cast sees Renate Reinsve, C. Mason Wells, Owen Kline, and many others.
A Different Man premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won the best actor award at the Berlin Film Festival for Stan’s performance as Edward. At Sundance, Stan discussed how he would wear his prosthetic makeup outside on the streets of New York City to get a feel for the world as a person with this type of difference. He explained, “I interacted with people and it was really interesting…It was sort of scary to see how limited the interaction is between two extremes: don’t address it or overcompensation.”
A Different Man will tell the story of identity and acceptance in what The Daily Beast calls “The best performance of Sebastian Stan’s career.” The film will be in theatres on Sep. 20, 2024; the trailer is linked below.
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