The Big Picture

The Surfer is a gripping thriller led by Nicolas Cage, set in southern Australia with a brutal, unforgettable antagonist played by Julian McMahon.
McMahon shares his method of character prep for Scally, influenced by biblical figures and crafted on set in collaboration with the director.
Working alongside Nic Cage, McMahon praises the actor’s energy, creativity, and professionalism on set while filming gripping scenes in ‘The Surfer’.

Vivarium director Lorcan Finnegan returned to the Cannes Film Festival 2024 to premiere his film The Surfer, a thriller led by an explosive Nicolas Cage that left the audience buzzing. The movie invites its viewers onto the fictional Luna Beach in Southern Australia, where the waters are warm, but the welcome wagon isn’t. The match for Cage’s fuel is a toxic gang leader named Scally, played by Julian McMahon, best known for television roles in hit series like Charmed, Nip/Tuck, and most recently his run on FBI: Most Wanted. After the film’s midnight premiere, Collider’s Steve Weintraub had the opportunity to sit down with McMahon to pick his brain about his career from the early days to co-starring with Cage and celebrating at Cannes.

The Surfer is a pressure-boiled story of a man pushed to the edge, something Cage has made a name for himself mastering. Opposite him, McMahon plays the antagonist — something he’s quite mastered himself — who’s a relentless local with one mission: Cage’s “perpetual punishment.” It’s an onscreen presence audiences won’t quickly forget, nor will they be able to reckon with the brutality. McMahon himself admits, “I don’t really feel like I completely understand or know the character.” It’s the kind of simmering aggression we’ve seen Cage thrive under in horrors like Mandy, but from the “fascinating mind” of Finnegan in collaboration with his cast.

In this conversation, McMahon shares his biblical influences for Scally and how he was given the freedom to shape the character onset. He talks about sharing scenes with Cage, what he’s like as a scene partner, and how the script translated to screen. McMahon also talks about his upcoming film, Tina Mabry’s (Queen of the South) The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat and why his time on FBI: Most Wanted was such an exploration of creativity.

You can read the full interview transcript below.

The Surfer When a man returns to his beach side hometown in Australia, he is humiliated in front of his teenage son by a local group of surfers who claim ownership over the secluded beach of his childhood.Release Date May 17, 2024 Director Lorcan Finnegan Runtime 99 Minutes Writers Thomas Martin Studio(s) Tea Shop Productions , Arenamedia , Lovely Productions , Gramercy Park Media , Screenwest

COLLIDER: You’ve done a lot of stuff in your career, but there’s gonna be people that have never seen your work. If someone’s never seen anything you’ve done, what is the first thing you’d like them to watch and why?

JULIAN MCMAHON: Oh, that’s a good one. Well, we might just go back to the beginning to watch The Power, the Passion, which was the first TV show I ever did.

Julian McMahon on the Merits of Method & Finding His Place in Hollywood

I’m sure you stepped on set the first day, you’re scared out of your mind or nervous, so how have you changed as an actor in terms of that night before the first day of filming? Do you still love the butterflies? Do you still get nervous or do you have a routine now that makes you feel very comfortable in your skin?

MCMAHON: I think you always get a little bit nervous whenever you want to put your best foot forward and you want to do your best work in an environment that you don’t know at all. It’s foreign in every way. You don’t know your director, your co-actors, your whatever else. It’s a completely unfamiliar environment. You kind of have to go in there and put yourself out there, so it definitely can be intimidating or nerve-wracking, or whatever that is. But I think in the business, time and time spent on set and doing it over many years allows you some kind of understanding that you know what you’re doing and that you’ll have a way to figure it out. You kind of develop backup routines or whatever that may be. Obviously, I have my routine of how I like to work; so, what I like to do and what you have for breakfast and all that kind of stuff, but you also have your backup of, “I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I know what I’m doing.” But hopefully, you’re going into an environment where you’re gonna feel kind of relaxed, and everybody’s participating in a way that you can hopefully have a creative environment. That’s obviously the best way to get, hopefully, the best work.

Of the projects you’ve done, which is the one that you spent the most time on prior to stepping on set that first day in terms of preparing, getting ready, researching, whatever it may be?

MCMAHON: Probably earlier on because when I first started, I kind of fell into the business a little bit, and so I was learning the craft at the same time that I was working. I did a TV show called Profiler — this is years and years ago — and I was studying method at the time, and so I made some really odd choices about doing things. [Laughs] And I remember actually going to another actor, this great actor, and I was like, “Oh, I did this, and I went and stayed down at the thing.” And he was like, “What are you there for?” And I was like, “Well, because I’m trying to…” And he’s like, “Just act. Don’t worry about it.” And there was kind of a bit of truth to it. Well, there was a lot of truth to what he was saying, but there was also my kind of desire and need to go through the process a little bit and kind of find my own way with it.

Then it’s an interesting question because with this movie, which is not the last one I did, but certainly within the last year or so, I kind of didn’t do too much research and study and all that kind of stuff. I got a very clear idea of what I thought the character could look like, and that was actually an interesting derivative of where I was starting to develop the character. Also, the way that the script was written, it kind of had this prophetical, kind of angelic kind of way that this character was written, like it was kind of coming over the hill or something with a light behind, you know what I mean?

Sure. He has the answers.

MCMAHON: Yeah. So, for some reason, I was looking up Jesus the whole time. Interestingly, the first look that I looked up was him in this red robe thing, which ended up being exactly what the character was wearing with no influence by me whatsoever. It was the clothing designer’s tastes and whatever else. But that was pretty much as far as I went, and I was just looking for my own specific reasons. Then I decided I wanted to develop my character on set. I don’t know why, but I had a hunch that I might have the ability to do that. So, I didn’t go in clearly cut as to how I wanted everything to be or exactly how I wanted him to be. Then working with Nic and Lorcan really gave me the ability to kind of explore it on set. So each day, you could come up with an idea that was completely off the wall in regards to where you thought it was going and create something different, and then that adds an element to who the character is. I don’t really feel like I completely understand or know the character, even after watching him on Friday.

What I find fascinating about filmmaking is that I’ve been talking to people for almost 20 years now, and there is no definitive answer on how to make a movie or how to play a role. It’s just amazing. Everyone works differently, yet what ends up on screen, it’s crazy.

MCMAHON: No, absolutely. Everybody goes through their own unique experience and expressions of creativity. I really enjoyed making this movie because Lorcan gave you the parameters, even interestingly with a time constraint because obviously it’s a little stricter than other environments, but not once did I feel like we were rushed. Even a couple of times when we did a scene, and I was just like, “It doesn’t feel right,” and we had to redo the whole thing and block it — blocking is very important — and we did. Then you could get it to the place where it felt right. Then, when you’re feeling good, you can start to express and explore a little bit more whilst you’re on camera.

Julian McMahon Calls ‘The Surfer’ Brutal and “Pretty Harsh”

One of the things that I loved about the film is how it keeps the audience off balance. What was it like for you reading the script for the first time? I’m curious how it was on the page versus what it ended up being on the screen.

MCMAHON: It definitely translated pretty well. There was a lot that you would have read in the script that is on the screen, but then it’s the Lorcan interpretation of it. He’s got such a fascinating mind and his own kind of take on things that you can’t really write that unless you’re him, I guess. You know what I mean? When I read the script, I had two first thoughts, and one was, “Who the hell is this character? This Scally guy? Can you say all that stuff?” [Laughs] I was kind of like, “I don’t know, is that okay to say that?” And then the other was this kind of perpetual punishment of this guy, which was just so, I don’t know, so brutal, which I kind of even felt watching the movie the other day. I was like, “Oh my god, this poor guy.” So, I still have the same kinds of feelings that I had from when I originally read the script, and that is: “Who is this guy saying all this stuff? And how is this guy coping with this?” There is that beautiful moment where he gets out to the surf and whatever, but aside from that, it’s pretty harsh.

What Is Nicolas Cage Like on Set?

Oh, 100%. So like you and the whole world, I’m a big fan of Nic Cage, and Nic gets to do a lot in this movie. Talk a little bit about working with him and what surprised you about collaborating with him, or anything you’d like to share.

MCMAHON: Well, firstly, I’m as big a fan as you are of his. I’ve been watching him since, I don’t know, Raising Arizona or something really early, and then a fan of a lot of stuff that’s coming out now. He’s one of those actors who really carries things on his own energy and his own ability of interpretation and performance. He’s just always interesting. That said, you never know what somebody’s like until you meet them and you get to work with them, but he’s just a bundle of energy, and he’s a bundle of creativity, and he’s very thoughtful, and he’s very inclusive. He wants everybody on set to be as invested in it as he is, and he invites you to be a part of that process. I like that, too. I like everybody to be working as hard as they can because they’re enjoying themselves and they’re getting a lot out of it. He’s very giving, and available, and professional.

What I love is the keyword “professional.”

MCMAHON: He’s the true professional. He’s there to work, and he’s there to do it, and he’s there to be creative, and he’s there to hash it out. He’s there to make it into something unique, and all of that happens. Firstly, it’s an honor, and secondly, it’s an absolute pleasure.

There’s a great scene of you eating a sandwich with Nic at the car. How much fun was filming that scene?

MCMAHON: [Laughs] That was our first scene together.

Really?

MCMAHON: Yeah. And that one, it took a while to block it because there were lots of different elements to it, including fruit, beverage, and burger. Then there was all this stuff that was gonna happen in the car, so it was really, really complicated. It was kind of at the back of the parking lot and it was super hot, and we had just met each other. I think that with the three of us, Lorcan, Nicolas and myself, we just chucked everything on the table. So, everybody’s idea went on the table, and we tried it all, and then we came up with a mix of what we thought was the best of all of it and we did that. But it was kind of tricky because I had to do the drink, and then I had to do the fruit, so you gotta figure out what moments are best for those to happen.

Image via Cannes Film Festival

Also, you have to eat, which you don’t want to do 20 takes of that.

MCMAHON: Well, we did. [Laughs] And I ate 20 burgers. It was not a good start to the day.

I once interviewed Donald Sutherland, and he said to me that in his contract now, he wants to shoot things on the first few days from the middle of the script because he figures by then, by the middle of the movie, the audience is buying into whatever he’s doing, so he can play it a certain way, you know what I mean? And I thought it was the most brilliant observation of making movies.

MCMAHON: It sure is, actually.

But, of course, that’s Donald Sutherland, and he can work that into his contract.

MCMAHON: It’s interesting that you say that, and we were just talking about that other scene because that scene that we did first is kind of in the middle of that piece. I didn’t know how it would fit because it’s your first day and you’re trying to figure out your character and who you are and what you’re doing in your space and all this. So it was really kind of cool that it came in that piece because the audience was already understanding and invested in all of these kinds of things. So, absolutely. I couldn’t agree more again. Donald knows what he’s doing.

What Is ‘The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat’ About?
The movie stars Tati Gabrielle and ‘Orange Is the New Black’s Uzo Aduba.

The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat is an upcoming movie you’re a part of. What can you tease about that one? I don’t know much about it.

MCMAHON: It’s coming out on Hulu in September, I think. It’s a movie about three girls. It’s a life story movie directed by Tina Mabry and written by her. It’s a beautiful story. It’s based on a novel. It’s about the pitfalls and loves and hates, and the extraordinary journey of these three girls’ lives from very young to much more mature, and everything that life’s about and everything that life throws at you. It’s really quite a beautiful story and a beautiful picture and set in a very particular time period. The whole thing is centered around the diner, which is basically a place that they frequented when they were kids and eventually all come back to.

I’m understanding the title now.

‘FBI: Most Wanted’ Allowed Julian McMahon Creative Freedom

One last question. You were part of FBI, and I’m curious about your experience on the show because those FBIs, the CSIs, a lot of these American shows do incredibly well. They’re very popular. What was it like being a part of that show? Did you notice all of a sudden so many people were watching it?

MCMAHON: I guess I didn’t really know the audience before I went in so I wasn’t really judging it against anything else. Firstly, I had a great experience because FBI: Most Wanted was the show that I did, and it was kind of a little bit of a later-night show. I think it came on at 10 o’clock or something. We kind of had this ability to be a little bit explorative with that because there’s parameters you work with with that type of show.

It’s a procedural, essentially.

MCMAHON: Yeah, and so I knew that going in. But because of our particular time slot and the way that we were written, we had this ability to express and explore a little bit differently, and I thought that was really cool. The whole theme of the show and the pace of it and whatever else was also really good because it’s Most Wanted, so you’re hunting somebody specific in each episode. It’s got this kind of energy to it that runs through it. It might seem like those types of things become a little mundane, but when you’re actually doing something that feels completely different each episode, it’s not. Does that make sense?

100%.

MCMAHON: So, each thing was interesting for you as an actor. Even though it’s similar to the procedural type, it’s completely different. The experience of each episode was nice, and I had a lot of fun working on it and we had a great cast and great crew. It was a great experience.

Check out Collider for more from Cannes Film Festival 2024.