“Max Is So Authentic”: The Appeal of Working with Director of Sundance Drama with 94% Rotten Tomatoes Score for Josh O’Connor & The Rebuilding Cast

Following his successful performance in Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers, actor Josh O’Connor is set to captivate audiences again with the poignant film Rebuilding, which has already garnered significant acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival 2025. O’Connor’s enthusiasm for this project stems from his desire to engage with diverse genres, as evidenced by his roles in upcoming films like Rian Johnson’s Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery and Steven Spielberg’s UFO mystery film. His collaboration with writer/director Max Walker-Silverman further fueled his interest in the film.

In Rebuilding, O’Connor portrays Dusty, a rancher in the American West whose life spirals out of control following disastrous wildfires that devastate his ranch, forcing him to relocate to a FEMA camp. Amidst this turmoil, Dusty connects with fellow residents, including his daughter and ex-wife, leading him to discover a renewed sense of hope for himself and his community. The film also stars notable actors such as Meghann Fahy, Kali Reis, Lily LaTorre, Oscar nominee Amy Madigan, and Jefferson Mays.

To celebrate the premiere at Sundance, the cast members, including O’Connor, Fahy, Reis, LaTorre, and Walker-Silverman participated in an exclusive interview with ScreenRant. They shared insights into what attracted them to the project, LaTorre provided a glowing initial review, and Reis offered some disappointing news about Wind River: The Next Chapter. Walker-Silverman detailed his inspiration for the film, revealing how his life experiences shaped the narrative and why O’Connor was the ideal choice for the lead role.

O’Connor’s Criteria for Selecting New Roles

“I Actually Don’t Overthink It, Is The Truth”

Josh O'Connor as Patrick Zweig smiling while smoking a cigarette in Challengers

With over a decade in the acting industry, O’Connor has risen to prominence through his roles in acclaimed series like The Crown, which earned him both an Emmy and Golden Globe, and more recently in Challengers. Discussing his approach to choosing roles such as in Rebuilding, O’Connor remarked, “I don’t overthink it; I’m extremely lucky to work as an actor.” However, he does have specific factors he considers when evaluating new opportunities:

Josh O’Connor: That’s a good question. I actually don’t overthink it is the truth. I think, first of all, I’m extremely lucky to get to work as an actor. I always feel very grateful for that. And then, script is always a big aspect of it. There are certain directors, like Rian or Max, who I’m really excited to work with. II think variation is the key. All the actors that I aspire to kind of [emulate], you know what their next move is, and stretch themselves. So, yeah, I guess variation is the one for me.

Reis on Walker-Silverman’s Directorial Style: A Balance of “Peace & Groundedness”

She Also Hasn’t Heard Any Updates on Wind River: The Next Chapter

Kali Reis has enjoyed significant success in her recent transition from a boxing career to acting, featuring in the critically acclaimed drama Catch the Fair One and co-starring in True Detective: Night Country. On being approached for Rebuilding, she emphasized her intrigue with both Walker-Silverman’s script and her character, which she found refreshingly different. Furthermore, she commended the director’s collaborative spirit:

Kali Reis: What was really intriguing at first was just the script. Max created such a beautiful script from personal experience, and you could tell initially from his writing that he really constructed something beautiful. But it wasn’t even just the script, it was just the subject matter that he was focusing on. Not just the tragedy of these wildfires, but what happens after. It was a really beautiful way he explored it, and it was just really attractive to me. And Mila was just such a very interesting part of this story. She had so many layers that I could build on, and I love building on a character. Max was very open to having a conversation about who she was. He let me run with it, which is awesome.

Reis also appreciated Walker-Silverman’s unique directorial approach, describing it as one imbued with a sense of tranquility and support:

Kali Reis: His approach was way different. I’ve worked with a few directors, not too many as of yet, hopefully many in the future. But his approach, he just created this atmosphere of such peace and groundedness and just very gentle. It’s very gentle in a way that really works for him. And even the character that I had was way different than anything I’ve experienced. So, the fact that his approach was different, and my character was a bit of a challenge for me, something I’d never done before, which I jumped on, because I love a challenge. He just created an atmosphere that I will always remember and take me back to that calm and that peace and that grounding with this character.

On another note, while discussing the film’s reception, Reis also addressed her lack of news regarding Wind River: The Next Chapter, expressing her eagerness for its release:

Kali Reis: You know just as much as I do, unfortunately. I am really excited about Wind River 2, as well. So just keep your eye out for it, and I can’t wait to share it with the world.

Fahy Considers Walker-Silverman to be a “Deeply Genuine”Filmmaker

She Also Praised the Filmmaker for Unlocking Self-Trust

Daphne looking sadly at Ethan in The White Lotus season 2

Fresh off her Emmy nomination for her role as Daphne in The White Lotus Season 2, Meghann Fahy enthusiastically shared her experience working alongside Walker-Silverman, highlighting how he fostered self-trust during filming:

Meghann Fahy: That’s an amazing question. I think what’s so special about Max is that he’s so deeply genuine, and he never places an expectation on an actor. He sort of is just there with them, and I think if there’s one thing I would say that I could take away from that experience with him, it would just be to sort of trust myself, which is a really, really beautiful thing for him to have sort of sprinkled on me.

LaTorre Hopes Audiences Embrace the Message of Hope “Even in the Toughest of Times”

“It Was Such a Beautiful Film…”

Mia looks over her shoulder in Run Rabbit Run.

The timing of Rebuilding‘s Sundance premiere is particularly poignant, aligning with the current wildfire crisis in Los Angeles. Lily LaTorre, who portrays Dusty’s daughter Callie Rose, is acutely aware of this coincidence and hopes audiences will recognize its message of resilience and hope:

Lily LaTorre: I got to see it back home. Max sent me a small preview of it, but not the whole movie. It was such a beautiful film, and so nice and slow, but perfectly slow, like, it’s perfectly paced. I don’t think I learned many lessons [from Max], not that I can remember, but he was just so lovely to work with, so kind. Always making sure that I was in the right costumes, always making sure that I was okay before getting anything else ready. One of the messages from the movie is hope can be found, even in the toughest of times. So yeah, I really hope that people take that away with the LA fires.

Rebuilding: A Fusion of Walker-Silverman’s Imagination and Personal Insight

“…Fiction is a Powerful Thing…”

Josh O'Connor sits with his character's daughter on the front porch of their mobile home in Rebuilding

Reflecting on the thematic underpinnings of Rebuilding, Walker-Silverman shared that the film emerged from a blend of his imagination and personal experiences, specifically from his childhood in Colorado. Discussing the narrative, he expressed his affection for both fictional storytelling and real-life representation:

Max Walker-Silverman: I don’t know, it’s all such a mix. I write for places I know very well, and people I know very well, and ways of life that are very familiar and very dear to me, and landscapes that I’ve lived my life in. But I also love fiction, and every character is designed to be invented and discovered by whoever’s playing it. And while there’s a lot of myself and my own questions in the movie, it’s not necessarily about my own experiences. My hope is that, you know, fiction is a powerful thing, and there’s a lot to be discovered in imagination and pretend and play, and there’s a lot of hope and beauty in that that reality doesn’t always provide.

Discussing the choice of O’Connor for the character, Walker-Silverman humorously pointed out the character’s geographic specificity and how he aspired to explore the universality of the role:

Max Walker-Silverman: Yeah, it was interesting, because it’s a very regional story, and very close to a very specific part of the world and country where I’m from and Josh isn’t. But, in trying to imagine who could play this character, it provoked these really interesting questions to me, of like, what is real really like? Is it a passport? Is it a dialect, or is it some bigger, weirder thing? Is it some spirit, some soul, some kind of mystical thing that people share?

And I just shared something with Josh, and the way we looked at the world was the same, and his questions and mine were the same, and his sense of land and legacy all just rang so true to me. And despite the oceans apart we were, I was like, “Man, I don’t know, I think, somehow, this is the guy.”And I’m so glad that he was, and what a pleasure to work with him. Just as sweet and talented a man as there is.

As Rebuilding aims for a wide U. S.release, it made its world premiere at Sundance on January 26, showcasing a mix of profound narrative and moving performances.

For additional coverage of the Sundance 2025 interviews, explore insights with:

John Lithgow & the Jimpa Cast & Director
Paradise Man Director Jordan Michael Blake
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Brides Director & Stars
Bubble & Squeak Director & Stars
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You Director & Stars
The Wedding Banquet Director & Stars
Logan Lerman, Molly Gordon & the Oh, Hi! Cast

Source: ScreenRant Plus

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