Robert Eggers talks Robert Pattinson and #TheLighthouse

Below is an extract from an interview with Robert Eggers from Le Film Francais

Where did the idea of ​​these two characters come from?
My brother, Max, had the idea of ​​a ghost story in a lighthouse. 
Then I read an article about a real incident involving two lighthouse keepers of the same name, one older, the other younger, who find themselves stuck in their lighthouse during a storm. 

I thought this concept might be a good starting point for an ambiguous double-identity story that could evolve into something more mythological.  It would not be a ghost story, but it would be dark and mysterious.

How did you develop the scenario?
Max had the initial idea and I brought the basic structure, the great arches of the story, some key moments and the atmosphere.  From there, we worked closely together, circulating drafts between us.  There was a lot of research to do, especially to write the dialogues of the time. 

We consulted 19th century slang dictionaries, nautical dictionaries and a lot of period literature from Melville to Sarah Orne-Jewett, a writer from Maine.  Jewett was particularly helpful in her dialect writings as she had interviewed former ship captains and farmers to build her stories.

How did you convince Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe to play in your movie?
Dafoe and Pattinson were both fans of The Witch .  In fact, Dafoe and I were looking for a movie to collaborate on.  That was all there was to do. 
I had approached Rob about a role in one of my films (which never worked).  He had kindly refused because he was only interested in “weird” roles.  When I gave him this script, I knew he would find it quite weird.  It has been the case.  Both perfectly match the characters. I do not see anyone else in these roles.

…

Special difficulties during filming?
We built all the buildings you see in the movie, including the 21,336-meter (70-foot) tall lighthouse tower.  It was built on Cape Forchu, a desolate outcrop of volcanic rocks located at the southern tip of Nova Scotia. The weather on Forchu was incredibly difficult. We faced several Nor’easter (Winter Storms Editor’s note), the winds were unforgiving. 
It was freezing cold. It was a very physically demanding shoot for Willem and especially for Rob.  Jarin Blaschke, the director of photography, and I worked closely together to prepare all the cutting before and during the rehearsals. My method of work was very strict. We built all the sets from scratch for two reasons. We had not found a visually appropriate place, and this allowed me and my team to have better control. But when you ride in bad weather with boats and animals it is better to be ready to adapt.

Click on the link above to read the full interview.