Steven Spielberg’s production company Amblin Entertainment was one of the production companies that backed up the 1996 film Twister. The hit disaster thriller starring Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Jami Gertz, and Cary Elwes introduced storm chasers trying to contain a tornado outbreak in Oklahoma. Spielberg also served as an executive producer (EP) on the film.
Many years later, Spielberg is also an EP on the standalone sequel Twisters which is coming soon to theatres. The film stars Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Anthony Ramos. For Ramos’ character Javi, the actor envisioned him having a Southern accent. However, Spielberg told him to keep his natural accent for the film, which surprised Ramos.
Anthony Ramos Kept His Natural Dialect for Twisters, Thanks to Steven Spielberg
After 2023’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Anthony Ramos is back in another big-budget studio film Twisters, a spiritual successor of the 1995 hit disaster film Twister. Similar to the first film, Twisters will see Ramos, Glen Powell, and Daisy Edgar-Jones fight for survival as multiple powerful storms converge over central Oklahoma.
In a new Entertainment Weekly Summer Preview article focused on the film, Ramos talks about how he thought his character, Javi would have a Southern accent while he was discovering the character. However, executive producer Steven Spielberg shot that down and told him to own the role and speak in his own dialect. The actor appreciated Spielberg’s input in allowing him to represent people like him in a big-budget film like this.
Ramos also felt it cool that his character from the hood went to Oklahoma University to study meteorology, and eventually became a brilliant meteorologist. The character’s achievements also inspired him a lot. The actor said,
“…but then I heard Steven [Spielberg] was like, ‘No, I want him to do it in his dialect’. It was a little surprising to me. but it was really cool, to me, because I’ve never heard someone who speaks in my vernacular — especially this New York, Northeast, Latino dialect that I have — in a movie of this size, in a place like Oklahoma.
It makes me feel it’s possible for a kid from the hood to go to a school like OU, study meteorology, be this brilliant meteorologist and storm chaser. This is something that a kid like me could do. I thought that that was really cool.”
Spielberg’s advice must have been freeing for Ramos as he could lean into his natural attitude, language, and behavior to portray his character in the film. The actor further called the experience of shooting the film insane and intense, and one which will be worth seeing in theatres.
Glen Powel Praises Lee Isaac Chung’s Ability To Retain Emotion Amidst The Spectacle
After a small indie film like Minari, director Lee Isaac Chung is now helming a $200 million studio film and a standalone sequel to Twister. The big leap from indie to a big studio production did not necessarily dilute the director’s approach to filmmaking. With Twisters, Chung is attempting to make something special being his biggest project to date.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Glen Powell detailed how Chung maintains an emotional throughline amidst the craziness of the film. The actor called Chung one of the best filmmakers who knows how to balance emotion and scale to great effect, and the film is a great showcase of his prowess as a filmmaker. Powell said,
“Lee Isaac Chung is one of the best filmmakers to really guide the emotional storyline of this movie and the way that he’s adapted to the scale of this without losing any of that emotion, I think it’s incredibly impressive.”
Chung’s work on Minari proved that he could handle human drama in a very intimate way and still have some moments of levity. Twisters stars Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos, Maura Tierney, Brandon Perea, Daryl McCormack, and Kiernan Shipka among many others. Twisters is set to hit theatres on July 19, 2024.
