Once completing the screenplay with Filippou and during the production process, Lanthimos had the idea that the same actors should play a different character in each story, to build a sense of familiarity for the audience.

Initially, he wanted each character to be very visually different from one another. However, he decided against that, noting, “The more we thought about it, the more we didn’t want it to become a gimmick. We decided to have these subtle differences – with hair and makeup, and in their behaviour and mannerisms – from one character to the next. They’re very different stories and characters, so that in itself makes them stand out. Having the same actor go from one story to the next adds a sense of continuation on a subconscious level. It was more about the actors changing speed and energy than anything else.”

Guiney notes that, despite the stories involving different characters, there is a sense that they take place in the same world: “Each story has a distinct narrative, but they all kind of live in the same universe. It’s familiar in some ways, most notably the strange and unfamiliar behaviour of the characters.”

Upon discovering the three-story narrative, Jesse Plemons, who plays the roles of Robert, Daniel, and Andrew, admits he tried to look to other forms of media for reference, but fell short. Plemons shares, “I was trying to watch some films for inspiration, but I had the most difficult time finding any sort of reference, anything that felt like it was anywhere close to this world. It feels like a new territory, not only for a film, but for Yorgos. It’s really bizarre, with really interesting writing and character dynamics.”

Joe Alwyn, who plays Collectibles Appraise Man 1, Jerry, and Joseph, recalls his initial conversations with Lanthimos regarding the structure of the film: “Reading the script, it almost felt like a return to some of his earlier films – a more contemporary world where he plays around with reality. It’s both reality and it’s not.”

Lanthimos preferred the actors to come up with their own ideas, as Hong Chau, who plays Sarah, Sharon, and Aka, confirms. She adds, “Yorgos explained that the stories were loosely connected and that the small company of actors would play different characters in each one. He wasn’t looking for us to make any sort of dramatic, impressive changes. It was certainly intriguing. ”The themes of KINDS OF KINDNESS are prevalent throughout, specifically those of power, control, free will, and the dynamics of human relationships. Explains Lowe, “A lot of Yorgos’ work interest. Yorgos and Efthimis’ films always deal with the power dynamics in human relationships, using the behaviour of the characters to force us to think about our own lives and relationships, and what we believe to be true.”

“It’s about faith and the lack of it. Love and the lack of it. Our beloved ones and the lack of them,” continues Filippou. A specific theme that Lanthimos was keen to examine throughout the three stories was that of authority and how free will fluctuates, along with one’s struggle between the freedom of choice and the freedom from choice.

“I think it’s interesting to observe how one might think they have control over things or that they’re free to decide things,” Lanthimos states. “Then, when they are given the absolute freedom, it’s hard for them to deal with it and navigate it. It’s a microcosm of real life, and how people who seem to have no power at all are in control of people that might seem much stronger. ”For Margaret Qualley, who plays the roles of Vivian, Martha, and twins Ruth and Rebecca, the theme of control was extremely prevalent, and the film questions how far people will go to feel a sense of belonging.

“One of the things we’re exploring is that of people wanting to be in control – how far will people go to fit in?”, she observes. “There are various facets, including controlling your own life, controlling other people’s lives, feeling controlled by someone else, and trying to find control. ”Stone, who plays Rita, Liz, and Emily, agrees with this, noting the motif through all three of her characters and the stories they appear in: “The characters are totally different in many ways, but the throughline I found is this balance between wanting to be loved, accepted, and controlled, and also wanting to be free and in charge of yourself, but then losing love because of that.”

Plemons noted that, upon developing his characters, there were themes of safety and security, and the usual dynamics where that takes place. “The stories illuminate the constructs that we put ourselves in to make us feel safe and secure, even though it’s not always true,” he elaborates.

“The first story is this odd, almost father and son relationship. The second one is safety in marriage and in home. Then, the third has to do with the security that faith provides. Some of Yorgos’ characters feel like their own islands, desperately trying to reach each other. It’s awkward and uncomfortable and tragic and funny. ”As Robert, in the first story, Plemons notes how the power dynamics shift and develop: “Once Robert is set free from Raymond, there is this weird, almost teenage like freedom that he has where he can do whatever he wants. Then, like most teenagers, you come crawling back to your parents, realising that the world is much bigger and scarier than you thought.”

Mamoudou Athie, who plays Will, Neil, and the morgue nurse, agrees with this, stating that the elements of control are purposely undermined and challenged: “The characters of Raymond and Robert have this strange, dominant-submissive relationship, which is taken to the extreme. Ultimately, this is the same with the second story between Daniel and Liz. Then, with the cult, there is the same atmosphere.”

Willem Dafoe, who plays Raymond, George and Omi, summarizes how Lanthimos subverts classic themes and transposes them onto a different dynamic. “Yorgos takes the dynamics of a sentimental relationship, like a marriage, and puts them onto a business relationship with two men. It lets us see the social conventions that we have grown to accept in a different context,” he explains. “It gives an objectivity and a distance that really makes you see things in a different light.

You can see the ironies and the blindness. Sometimes we accept certain conventions because they are handed down to us from society.”explores how people live their lives according to their own rules and those of society or a higher authority. These themes are often taken to absurd (but darkly funny) heights and that is certainly the case in KINDS OF KINDNESS.”

KINDS OF KINDNESS was a unique opportunity to work with an ensemble cast in an unusual anthology, where its overarching throughline allowed each actor to weave their characters together across its three stories.

Being able to watch Lanthimos and his cast was a great joy, specifically for Guiney and Lowe who witnessed another collaboration between Stone and Lanthimos. When describing their relationship, Guiney notes that they are very keen to push each other, wanting to create the best output: “There’s a huge trust there and they’re both adventurers. They want to push the boundaries of what they are doing, but together. There’s a great security for them in knowing that they’re doing it together.”

Lanthimos finds it difficult to explain why he loves working with Stone, acknowledging that it largely boils down to the fact that they enjoy each other’s company. “We just get along and working together is not a chore. There are so many things that we can just get on with, without having to analyse, discuss or argue about it,” Lanthimos shares. “We also have this experience now and we can keep building on it, trying to go further each time we make something. We just love working together. It’s as simple as that.” The film also reunites Lanthimos, Stone, and Guiney with Dafoe – someone who, as Lanthimos states, simply loves the art of filmmaking. Dafoe has always been admired for his balance of professionalism and sense of humour. Lanthimos adds, “Willem loves being on set. He’s the first one that comes in and the last one that goes. He just loves being involved and engaged." “Something Yorgos seems to factor in his cast is wanting to bring together not only talented people who are right for the part, but nice people,” explains Plemons, who was appreciative of the ensemble’s talent as a whole. “It really is a great group.”