Hi, and welcome to the Team Deakin's podcast. This podcast is a dialogue between Roger and James Deakin's, often joined in the conversation by a guest.

It's very informal, and we never know where it will go. We're connecting through Zoom, so bear that in mind when you hear the audio.

If you'd like to submit a question or topic, please do so by emailing podpod.cod at rogerdeakin's.com

Today we're speaking with a collaborative team of director and cinematographer. They've brought us the witch and the lighthouse, and we're looking forward to their next upcoming project, The Northman.

We're happy to welcome Robert Eggers and Jaren Blaschke with us today.

Hi, guys. Thank you for doing this, guys. Thanks so much for having us.

We'd like to start with our regular question, which is how did you get to where you are today? What was your path? Was this originally your path or did you find it later? What's the story?

Robert, you first.

I've, like, because I've only had, you know, we've only had two features. I feel like silly answering this question.

But then I realized that I moved to New York like 20 years ago, and I've like done a lot of stuff since then, so I guess maybe it's okay.

Hey, two features. There's a lot more than a lot of people.

They're both highly acclaimed, so we don't worry about that.

Thanks. So, yeah, so basically I grew up in New England. My mom had a kid's theater company. My dad was a Shakespeare professor, and so I was always acting and doing theater.

I was also really into music, and I was very into Nosferatu, and when I was in high school, I did a high school directed, like a high school play of Nosferatu.

And a local theater in Prasario named Ed Lang-Wah saw my, like, crappy cardboard high school play, and asked me if I wanted to do a more professional version of it in his theater.

And I, of course, said, yes, and then I, that's when I was like totally certain that this was what I wanted to do.

I had bad grades, and I got into like an acting conservatory in New York, and I thought that's great.

I'm here, and I have no idea how one would become a director, but like at least I'm in New York.

And so then I was a working actor in on off off off off off Broadway, and I kind of realized that the directors who were directing these plays were not like I couldn't be worse than they were.

So then I, me and my friends, we started our own theater company, and we, you know, were doing street theater and experimental kind of weird stuff.

But I was always doing the sets and costumes for those plays.

I mean, we, you know, made it from felts and whatever, but.

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