Herzog talks new film 'Bucking Fastard' and festival prospects at Venice

Werner Herzog, who turned 84 while promoting his new film "Bucking Fastard" at the Venice Film Festival, said the movie has generated a strong response from audiences, particularly for the performances of Kate and Rooney Mara and co-star Orlando Bloom. He noted that the sisters achieved their on-screen synchronicity by singing and humming a childhood song together, rather than through traditional breathing exercises used in theater.

Herzog explained that he declined an invitation for the film to screen out of competition at Cannes so the Mara sisters could be eligible for acting awards, and he subsequently entered the film in competition at Venice, where it was well received by the jury chaired by Maggie Gyllenhaal.

"It’s obvious that the audience loves the Maras. And they love Orlando Bloom and Domhnall Gleeson. Not a single one that is mediocre. So they’re all very, very good."

He also reflected on his long career, saying he continues to work on new projects, including a forthcoming film that is nearly finished and a book of photographs of his movies for Taschen. Herzog reiterated his willingness to keep making films despite his age.

"I’m only a few days away from finishing the next one. I have a film practically finished already."

When asked about the dedication of the film to the late director David Lynch, Herzog described their relationship as one of mutual respect but cautioned against reading too much into the gesture.

"I think there probably isn’t too much to read into that dedication, but of course people will, right?"

He also commented on an AI-generated documentary that attempted to emulate his style, dismissing it as a failure and expressing a broader skepticism toward AI-driven storytelling.

"It’s so standardized that AI can step in because there’s not real storytelling. I welcome AI to replace all the idiots who are into nothing but repeating, repeating, repeating until it’s ad nauseam."

The interview was conducted by IndieWire after the film’s world premiere and has been edited for brevity.