Joel Edgerton and William H. Macy stop to chat with THR on the 2026 Critics Choice Awards red carpet and share their experience watching 'Train Dreams' for the first time. Plus, Edgerton reacts to any Oscars buzz he's heard about himself and if he reads critics reviews.
00:00This movie, honestly, after I watched it, during the credits, I was just still crying.
00:05Because it really is a movie that affects you so deeply, it's so emotional.
00:09Now that the movie's been out for a while, what do people most often come up and tell you about their experience watching it?
00:15I've got a few people, like three people, say that they wanted to go home and hug the people that they cared about the most.
00:26And go home and hug their kids.
00:30And I thought that was kind of special.
00:32Because it said to me that the movie taught them that maybe at the end of your life, you look back and think about the people more than anything else.
00:39And your experiences with those people and who you cherish.
00:44When I saw it, I saw it in Toronto, remember?
00:48I was a mess.
00:49We had to go up on stage and I was still like that.
00:51But it makes me happy.
00:53It makes me happy about humanity and it makes me proud to be human.
00:58And it must be bewildering at an award show like this.
01:03Because where do you put Train Dreams?
01:05It's so unusual.
01:08It's a one of a kind.
01:11It's so special.
01:12It really is.
01:13Gorgeous script.
01:14He was okay.
01:17And I was...
01:18You really did.
01:19I have some notes, but it's...
01:21His review at the Critics' Choice Awards, okay.
01:24For you, when you see all this awards buzz around your performance, awards pundits like our executive editor of awards, Scott Feinberg,
01:33has you listed on his short list of people to be nominated for the Oscar.
01:36What goes through your mind when you see all that?
01:38I try not to buy a ticket to my own parade, first of all.
01:41But to me, and this is...
01:45I think I've set the ceiling quite low in my life.
01:48I've always felt like just being recognized for a performance or anything in general, whatever the thing, a sport,
01:54being recognized or being nominated is already a win.
01:57So then I can just go in there and relax and, yeah.
02:03I'm not having any expectations about it.
02:06And finally, since this is the Critics' Choice Awards, do you read reviews of your projects or do you avoid them?
02:11I read them.
02:12It's kind of fallen out.
02:16Now you've got to go far and wide to find the reviews.
02:20Back in my day, there were four newspapers and there they were.
02:23And I would read them.
02:24And a wonderful actor from Chicago, Mike Nussbaum, rest in peace.
02:31He said, a good critic gives you a good review.
02:33A bad critic gives you a bad review.
02:35That's as far as it goes.
02:38I like that the world of critics has opened up a little bit, too.
02:42I like a bit of letterboxed sifting through.
02:47I'm a big fan of the kind of pithy, four-word letterboxed reviews.
02:50And I think you've got to enjoy the criticism as well as the compliments, right?
02:59Yeah.
03:00And then find out where those people live.
03:04Did I say that?
03:06You said it out loud.
03:07I didn't say I was going to go inside or do anything.
03:09He doesn't mean he's going to go to their houses and throw eggs at them.
03:13Because, you know, he's sworn he'll never do that again.
03:20He wants to go inside.
03:25He doesn't mean he doesn't mean they're anything.
03:27Pause.
03:29He doesn't mean he can.
03:30He's not like that or they don't go up rails.
03:35He's going to open up my eye for his personal control.
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