NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Adam Pearson is an ardent believer in the old adage: Nothing wagered, nothing gained.
Before Pearson was an actor, he worked at the BBC out of college. He was hired for six months, but, like much in Pearson鈥檚 life, he was determined to make the most of it.
鈥淚 decided I鈥檓 going to meet every person on this floor and ask them for coffee,鈥� Pearson says. 鈥淚f they say yes, great. If they, 鈥楴o, you鈥檙e an idiot,鈥� I already know that. I鈥檝e lost nothing in that transaction.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all about taking risk and rolling dice,鈥� says Pearson.
For Pearson, that means something a little different than most. Since he was a young boy, Pearson has had neurofibromatosis, a condition that covers much of his face with benign skin tumors. But far from allowing that to define him, Pearson has become an acclaimed actor, a TV host and an activist for disabled people. He is braver than me. He is braver than you. He has acted, naked, across from Scarlett Johansson. In Aaron Schimberg鈥檚 new film, he stars opposite Sebastian Stan. Most would say he steals the show.
鈥淭his past year has been wild,鈥� Pearson said in a recent interview on a terrace at the New York offices of A24. 鈥淚f you had told me that I鈥檇 work with Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan and I鈥檇 be here talking to you right now, I鈥檇 be like, 鈥楴ope. Not going to happen.鈥欌��
鈥淎 Different Man,鈥� which expands in theaters this week, has been causing a stir since it first in January. It follows Edward (Stan, with prosthetics and makeup), a disfigured man whose apartment neighbor is a young playwright named Ingrid (Renate Reinsve). After undergoing experimental surgery, Edward is shed of his neurofibromatosis, making him look like, well, Sebastian Stan. Ingrid, not knowing it鈥檚 Edward, casts him in her play inspired by her friendship with Edward. But when a charismatic man with neurofibromatosis, Oswald (Pearson), shows up, he quickly upstages Edward.
At 鈥渢he end of this movie, everyone is going to see that Sebastian Stan is jealous of Adam Pearson, and they鈥檙e going to believe and understand that,鈥� says Schimberg. 鈥淚n a way, it鈥檚 me trying to take ownership of this idea that being different has value. People are coming away from it feeling like Adam is a star.鈥�
Pearson, 39, grew up in the London district of Croydon. He has an identical twin brother named Neil who shares his condition though it manifests as short-term memory loss for Neil. After college, Pearson gravitated toward television. He parlayed his initial experience at the BBC into work on a number of series and documentaries, including several on himself.
鈥淚 found out who I was by trying loads of things that I wasn鈥檛 and by realizing the facade of trying to please people is equally as miserable as the loneliness,鈥� says Pearson. 鈥淥nce you鈥檙e comfortable in your own skin and figure that out, and get to the point where you鈥檙e like, 鈥業t is who I am, like it or lump it,鈥� and the people that matter don鈥檛 mind and the people that mind don鈥檛 matter, that鈥檚 when you can really find your way.鈥�
Pearson's first acting job was in Jonathan Glazer鈥檚 in which he played one of the men picked up and slaughtered by Johansson鈥檚 extraterrestrial. It was a unique baptism into the vulnerability required for acting. Pearson found that, in getting lost in the moment, acting could be freeing.
Pearson co-starred in Schimberg鈥檚 2019 film 鈥淐hained for Life,鈥� playing an actor acting opposite a beautiful woman (Jess Weixler). The experience was rewarding for Schimberg but some of the discussion around it led to 鈥淎 Different Man.鈥� Some alleged Pearson鈥檚 casting was exploitative, an argument that struck Schimberg as illustrative. Schimberg, who has a cleft palate, had written the role partially based on himself. He considers disability a core subject for himself as a filmmaker.
More than that, though, Schimberg felt the criticism represented a telling dilemma. He had spent much of his life seeing deformity portrayed inauthentically in movies like 1985鈥檚 鈥淢ask鈥� or 2017鈥檚 鈥淲onder鈥� by able bodied actors. If some took issue with Pearson appearing in a movie at all, what did that say about people鈥檚 willingness to watch and empathize for people living for deformity?
Schimberg resolved to structure 鈥淎 Different Man鈥� as a movie that begins with one kind of portrayal and morphs into a more authentic one. He also wanted Pearson鈥檚 role to be more reflective of his personality.
鈥淧artially because he was shy in 鈥楿nder the Skin鈥� and partially because characters with disfigurements are often portrayed as shy, everyone assumed he was shy,鈥� says Schimberg. 鈥淯ntil I met him, I wouldn鈥檛 have known, either, how extraverted and gregarious he is.鈥�
鈥淎nd on a deeper level, I was personally inspired by him," Schimberg adds. "It almost threw me into an identity crisis. I have a cleft pallet. I鈥檓 socially awkward, I鈥檓 shy. I鈥檝e always sort of blamed this on having a cleft pallet and the way I鈥檝e been treated because of it. When I meet Adam, I questioned: Why can he be this way and I can鈥檛 be this way?鈥�
Oswald isn鈥檛 quite Pearson, though he鈥檚 close. 鈥淥swald is me but with the volume turned way up, turned up 鈥� to reference my favorite film 鈥� to 11,鈥� says Pearson. 鈥淗e鈥檚 really charming so there鈥檚 a little bit of Ryan Gosling, 鈥楽tupid Crazy Love.鈥欌��
Before shooting began, Pearson worked with Stan to synchronize and compare parts of their movements and performances. He was also learning. 鈥淚鈥檝e always said, if you want to learn how to do something, find someone who does it better than you and just get in their way.鈥�
Pearson has spent two years working on a documentary about storytelling. On his recent trip to New York, he was shooting around the city for it. But 鈥淎 Different Man鈥� is, he says, 鈥渢he biggest thing I鈥檝e done. It鈥檚 the breakout.鈥�
鈥淩eading all the reviews and the press and stuff has been somewhat overwhelming,鈥� Pearson says. 鈥淚鈥檓 trying to play it cool. I鈥檓 like a duck. On the surface, I look cool and sleek and elegant. And underneath I鈥檓 kicking like mad. We鈥檒l see what happens. If this is where the acting journey ends, I鈥檓 going out on a high. I鈥檓 not taking anything for granted. I鈥檓 remembering to take a breath and enjoy it all and not get too caught up in it."
Asked to recall a moment from this year that he'll cherish, Pearson describes attending the Berlin Film Festival with his mother and brother.
鈥淔or years, my mum has been like 鈥榊ou鈥檙e not famous in this house,'鈥� Pearson says. "And then she saw me on the red carpet and she thought, 'Maybe he is a little bit famous.鈥欌��
And he's getting used to it. Schimberg thinks Pearson might be more comfortable promoting 鈥淎 Different Man鈥� than Stan, the veteran actor of Marvel movies.
鈥淚n the trailer it鈥檚 like, 鈥楢dam Pearson steals the show.' And I go, 鈥極h man, stealing鈥檚 illegal'" Pearson says, laughing. "But I鈥檓 also like: Yeah. Yeah. Adam Pearson, turn up, steal the show, go home, repeat. That鈥檚 the plan now.鈥�
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
