Idris Elba explains why he couldn’t speak after watching his new nuclear thriller ‘A House of Dynamite’

Catherine BigelowIt is A house of dynamite is a masterclass in controlled chaos on the big screen. The filmmaker behind Zero Dark Thirty And The injury record returns with a new thriller that strips away easy answers and forces audiences to confront what happens when the systems meant to protect us begin to fracture and fail. There are no heroes or villains in this story, just humans reacting to the unimaginable in real time.

Set against the backdrop of a sudden missile strike on American soil, the film explores the procedural nightmare that ensues. As chains of command unravel and protocol collides with panic, House of Dynamite captures the terrifying realism of a world on the brink of collapse. Led by the iconic Idris Elbe And Rebecca Fergusonthe story unfolds like a documentary, which grounds it in realism, with a cast also including Jason Clarke, Anthony Ramos, Tracy Letts, Jared Harrisand more.

Ahead of House of Dynamitethe October 10 releaseCollider Steve Weintraub interviewed Elba and Ferguson to discuss their work with Bigelow, the film’s raw authenticity, and what makes its ambiguity so frightening. The two men reflect on Bigelow’s method, the film’s unique multi-camera setup, and why sometimes the scariest part of a story is that no one knows who’s in control.

“A House of Dynamite” has no heroes or villains

“Ambiguity is the essence of the film.”

COLLIDER: Congratulations on this film. It’s just a fantastic film. It was the most stressful time I’ve had in a movie theater in a long time.

IDRIS ELBA: When I first watched the movie, it was a good seven minutes in, and I didn’t say a word. I was sitting in this cinema, super quiet. I couldn’t speak. I just thought, “Wow, what on earth is happening?

One of the reasons I think the film is so strong is that it has no heroes or villains. It’s just gambling, and there are no politics involved. This is exactly what would actually happen, and it’s really scary.

REBECCA FERGUSON: And I love it. Ambiguity is the essence of the film, and I think it highlights the theme Kathryn is going for. She made this film because she herself sat there and wondered, “What would happen if America was attacked by an unknown missile?” » What is the formality? What is the actual protocol leading to what this turns out to be? An entity can simply press a button and destroy the world. How is it going? And if you make it a threat, you’re simplifying the story for the audience, and that’s not what it’s about. It is about the structure within a system. Is it broken? Should we fix it? Are we satisfied with it?

ELBA: That reminds me of the saying: What you don’t know can’t kill you. Well, that’s bullshit. [Laughs]

Working with Kathryn Bigelow and wanting more of her films

And how House of Dynamite’s camera style makes the film look so real.

Image via Netflix

Look, I’m a huge fan of Kathryn Bigelow and I’m so grateful she made another movie. What should we do as viewers to get him to make more films?

FERGUSON: I mean, I keep saying it. I sit there and I say, “What’s next? What’s next?” Pushing her probably isn’t the way to go. Kathryn makes films when she’s ready. You just have to be ready when they arrive because they will punch you in the gut.

ELBA: Yes, I think the public should encourage other Maybe the filmmakers should dig deeper rather than pushing Kathryn to do more because she’s going to do what she wants to do at her own pace.

One of the things I find striking about the film is the camerawork. Talking to the other actors, I feel like there were a lot of cameras on set. What was it like for you when there were so many cameras?

FERGUSON: For us, it was like The Brady Bunch when we were filming because everyone was on their different sets, in different locations, but in the same studio. So I call him The Brady Bunchbecause we had the grid with all the images of everyone. So, we had cameras placed on the computers, we had four cameras in the rooms, but to be honest, we mastered all the complicated phrases and linguistic formalities so well to not get it wrong that it was almost like being on stage, I guess. She expects you to know what you’re doing, and Barry [Ackroyd] will capture everything you post. That’s why it’s grainy, because there are no marks. You just have to move and she gets what she can get.

ELBA: The sequence of my character, it was really just me, Jonah [Hauer-King]who plays the young soldier who carries the box of doom, and Barry, and we were all together most of the time. Sometimes, because ultra-realism is very difficult, just being real, Barry was in that scene with me, and if he moved the camera, he would just say, “I’m moving it here,” right above the dialogue. “Do it, and I will continue.” In the end, you feel like you’re making a documentary. at this stage. The camera was so, like, they’re here, I’m here. This world is real, his world is real, and we create it. It’s interesting.

I think that’s why it’s so scary, because it feels more like a documentary than a staged film. I’m already out of time. I really wanted to ask about Silo.

FERGUSON: Next time. But it’s going well.

A house of dynamite opens in select theaters on October 10 and begins streaming on Netflix on October 24.

Release date

October 3, 2025

Runtime

113 minutes

Director

Catherine Bigelow

Writers

Noah Oppenheim

Producers

Brian Bell, Greg Shapiro