Inside Mickey 17: South Korean Oscar winner Bong Joon Ho on directing Hollywood heartthrob Robert Pattinson

Just from the summary of the original novel, I was instantly captivated. As I read page by page, I found myself even more engrossed. The concept of human printing really stood out to me—it’s different from cloning. You’re printing out humans like they’re just paper or documents, and even the expression “human printing” holds such an inherent tragedy. I started imagining what it would actually be like to be that person—someone being printed over and over again. That tragic, repetitive condition really stayed with me. And then, the character of Mickey Barnes really drew me in. Even in the original novel, he’s a pretty average person, and I decided to make him even more average, more low-class, even more of a loser. I found that so appealing—to take this everyman and put him in such an extraordinary, absurd situation.

When I first met Rob, he was already showing this goofy, playful side of himself. And I already knew how incredible he is as an actor—from The Lighthouse, The Batman, and especially Good Time by the Safdie brothers. I knew he had a wide range. But I was wondering, “Can this actor play both Mickey 17 and Mickey 18?” Because while they are technically the same person, they’re very different characters. One actor needed to pull off that whole spectrum. And Robert Pattinson was the actor that came to mind immediately. I didn’t have to think long. I made the offer quickly, and Rob also responded very quickly with a “yes.” It was a really smooth and happy casting process

As I adapted the story into my script, I put in a lot of detailed character descriptions. But no matter how much detail you write on a page, it’s really up to the actor to bring those words to life. Rob brought so much of his own creativity—little nuances, surprising choices. With Mickey 17, he did a beautiful job capturing the ideas I had in mind. But with Mickey 18, Rob really took it to another level. He went beyond what I had imagined. He improvised a lot of quirky dialogue and added new energy on set. Some of it was hilarious, some of it just strange—but it worked. Watching him bring both versions of Mickey to life was one of the highlights of this project for me.

Naomi Ackie has such explosive energy. Her character, Nasha, is someone Mickey really depends on. But this relationship is not what we’re used to seeing in films. It flips the typical male-female dynamic. Nasha is the powerful one, the charismatic and valiant one. Mickey is kind of this whiny boy who clings to her, and that reversal was something I loved exploring. In her scenes with Mark Ruffalo, especially during confrontations, Naomi had this warrior-like intensity. She surprised me with the sheer physicality of her performance—there are moments where she screams or shouts, and it feels like her whole body is resonating. Her voice could shatter glass. That raw energy really carries through the film and makes the character unforgettable.

Ylfa, the character played by Toni Collette, didn’t exist in the original novel. I created her to complement Mark Ruffalo’s character, Marshall, and together they form this sort of dictator couple. I wanted to exaggerate the absurdity of power, and having them as a couple helped amplify that satire.

Mark has had a phenomenal career, but surprisingly he hadn’t really played a villain before. When I sent him the script, he was like, “Why are you giving this to me?” But when we got into production, he had so much fun with it. He really enjoyed embracing that villainous side.

With Toni, I’ve been a fan since Muriel’s Wedding and The Sixth Sense. She’s fearless. She plays this eccentric, almost deranged character obsessed with sauce—she talks about sauce being the litmus test of civilization. And Toni brought that weird, off-kilter energy to life in a way only she could.

Ylfa, the character played by Toni Collette, didn’t exist in the original novel. I created her to complement Mark Ruffalo’s character, Marshall, and together they form this sort of dictator couple. I wanted to exaggerate the absurdity of power, and having them as a couple helped amplify that satire. Mark has had a phenomenal career, but surprisingly he hadn’t really played a villain before. When I sent him the script, he was like, “Why are you giving this to me?” But when we got into production, he had so much fun with it. He really enjoyed embracing that villainous side. With Toni, I’ve been a fan since Muriel’s Wedding and The Sixth Sense. She’s fearless. She plays this eccentric, almost deranged character obsessed with sauce—she talks about sauce being the litmus test of civilization. And Toni brought that weird, off-kilter energy to life in a way only she could.

The core sci-fi idea—“human printing”—already raises ethical and philosophical questions. The phrase itself shouldn’t exist. “Human” and “printing” just don’t belong together. That contradiction immediately strips away any notion of dignity. In the story, you see how different characters treat Mickey. Some see him as a person, others treat him like a disposable tool. They say things like, “It’s his job to die,” or “He’s just a print job.” That division reveals the deeper themes of the film—how society assigns worth based on function, and how easily we lose sight of individual humanity.

Even Mickey himself is fractured. Mickey 17 doesn’t respect himself. He calls himself a loser and believes it. But then Mickey 18 comes along—a version of himself that is chaotic, bold, even dangerous. And through that version, 17 finds his sense of self again. So in a way, it’s a coming-of-age story, just told through a very strange and sci-fi lens. One version of Mickey helps redeem the other.

I went to an IMAX screening in Seoul to check the final version. I sat in the best seat and watched it from start to finish. And I thought, “This is cinema.” The anticipation, the tension, the laughs—these things hit differently when you’re with other people in a dark theater. I know this is the streaming era, but I believe in the lasting power of the big screen. Mickey 17 has so much visual detail, such immersive sound, and such a weird, emotional energy—it’s meant to be experienced that way. As a cinephile, not just a director, I still get emotional watching movies on the big screen. I hope people gather their friends and watch this together. That’s what cinema is about.