Hollywood loves a good story, to the point where the entire promo trail for a movie can be built around one and not the movie itself. It makes sense, if you think about it: a good anecdote brings increased media attention, which, in turn, puts more butts in the seats. But writer/director is hoping The Bikeriders will do that by itself, to a certain extent.
The Bikeriders is now running in theaters, earning rave reviews from audiences and critics alike. That alone is somewhat of a feat, but the film apparently is worthy of all the attention it's getting because of solid storytelling, excellent filmmaking, a solid cast, and the inclusion of pure eye candy for bike enthusiasts by using at least 40 vintage bikes as props.
The Bikeriders tells the story of a motorcycle club, the fictional Vandals from Chicago, but it's actually based on the real story documented in Danny Lyon's 1968 photo book of the same name. That means certain characters aren't as fictional as others, and Zipco, an outlaw played by Michael Shannon, is one of them.
Now, where most actors will take excessive pride in going all method for their roles, Shannon is the opposite of that, even if the intensity with which he brings every one of his characters to life on the screen might make you think differently. Take as an example Christian Bale's shape-shifting for any one of his movie roles, Jared Leto's never breaking character as The Joker between takes for Suicide Squad, or Jake Gyllenhaal trying to live like his stalker-like character while filming Nightcrawler.
Photo: Focus Features
To paraphrase the youth today, Michael Shannon would never! Shannon has been pretty outspoken about his distaste of the method approach, and his latest turn as Zipco is proof of that. While his co-stars are already talking to the media about how they had to learn to ride the vintage machines that were brought in specifically for the production, Shannon was all "thanks, I'll pass" at a first reading of the script.
Jeff Nichols, who wrote and directed the film, marks this his sixth collaboration with Shannon, so we assume his being considered for a role was no coincidence. Neither was the fact that Shannon could set his own terms for doing the part and that, somewhat strangely, they included not having to learn to ride a bike.
"To be honest, all of them had to go through training. Now, some guys took to it better than others," Nichols revealed for a recent ReelBlend podcast. "Sadly, for everyone, Michael Shannon wasn’t allowed to get near a motorcycle. We barely let him lean on a motorcycle."
Photo: Focus Features
Nichols goes on to describe Shannon as a "genius" and "super talented," adding that he would have probably been a great rider, had he wanted to be. "But that was one of the first questions he asked, he was like, 'I don’t have to learn how to ride, do I?'"
The Bikeriders also stars Austin Butler, who inherited his love of riding from his father but still struggled with the vintage Harleys his character got, Tom Hardy, who is a known bike enthusiast, and Norman Reedus, whom you'll find in any top ten list of celebrity bike riders. Shannon was obviously the odd one out, though he didn't let that stop him.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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