Simmons, it ought to be famous, gained an Academy Award for his efficiency.
In a 2014 interview with Interview Journal, Chazelle talked a bit of bit extra about his beliefs on the matter, notably pertaining to Fletcher’s motivations. Like several form of abuse, the director appears to really feel that Fletcher’s propensity to abuse others was an inherited trait. Not a lot of the professor’s backstory is explored in “Whiplash,” however Chazelle did have one thing of a biography in thoughts, particularly when he started to see how Andrew’s habits altered to match Fletcher’s. It was, to place it in additional up to date parlance, his Joker origin story. Chazelle mentioned:
“J.Ok. and I talked a bit of a bit about how that sort of habits will get handed down. And I believe in some ways the film is sort of a bizarre origin story for a brand new Fletcher, or an instrumentalist model of Fletcher. Within the sense that Andrew’s mainly develop into Fletcher by the top. He is simply the flipside; he is the Fletcher who really performs an instrument. Andrew begins to exhibit the identical kind of cruelty, and that was very a lot a part of the design of the character. I did not wish to give any particular backstory parts to Fletcher himself however I believe he was definitely pushed very onerous.”
It wasn’t till after the pair had talked over the characters, and that Chazelle had organized musical coaching for his actor that he realized that Simmons already possessed a level in composition and conducting and was a talented singer.
Whether or not or not Simmons himself additionally had a Fletcher-type professor in his life — one who was keen to show by toughness — should stay within the realm of hypothesis. Regardless, Simmons’ efficiency was glorious. And terrifying.
