Asteroid City: Why Playing Two Roles Drew Jason Schwartzman To This Wes Anderson Script - Exclusive

Based on the trailers, viewers may think they know what to expect with "Asteroid City," which is being hailed as classic Wes Anderson fare. On the surface, it seems like a quirky romp where a bunch of people from different walks of life end up in a small desert town, only for something earth-shattering to happen while they're all there. However, the first scene quickly demonstrates this film will use a framing device that emphasizes the movie's themes even further.

The opening sequence consists of a television show host talking about putting on a production of a play called "Asteroid City." The audience is then introduced to the main players of the cast, including Jones Hall, who plays Augie Steenbeck. Schwartzman plays both parts, essentially being an actor playing an actor playing another actor. In true Wes Anderson fashion, nothing is how it seems, and the ideas of what's real and what's not are played with to delightful effect.

In an exclusive interview with Looper, Jason Schwartzman talked about what drew him to this particular double role. He's a Wes Anderson staple at this point, having appeared in most of the director's movies, and there was something special that happened when he read the script for "Asteroid City."

The collaboration between Jason Schwartzman and Wes Anderson goes all the way back to 1998's "Rushmore," which was the actor's film debut. The two would continue working together over the years in the likes of "The Darjeeling Limited," "Fantastic Mr. Fox," and "Moonrise Kingdom." So it's safe to say the two have a good working rapport at this point, but it sounds like Schwartzman is still impressed by what Anderson is able to produce.

When asked what made him want to work on "Asteroid City," Schwartzman responded, "I just love the script so much. I thought [about] all these layers and this idea of playing two characters and playing with reality and not reality, and what is reality? I love everything that the movie's about."

Perhaps the biggest praise the actor showered on the screenplay was the fact he read it repeatedly. This was a story that genuinely resonated with him, so he wasn't just signing on to work with his buddy again. He concluded, "I remember after I finished reading it the first time — because you read it a bunch of times, start drawing out drawings of what you think everything's meant to look like, because I was getting confused. There's so many people. I was always so happy at the end of reading it and wanting to read it again. I couldn't wait to get into that world. If I wanted to jump into a movie, I felt like that. We got to do that."

It would appear Anderson has once again created another vibrant world on par with "The Grand Budapest Hotel," and Schwartzman is the perfect actor to bring audiences through this journey.

"Asteroid City" is now playing in theaters nationwide.