At the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, the debut of Wes Anderson’s twelfth feature, The Phoenician Scheme, marked a significant collaboration: Michael Cera’s first appearance in a Wes Anderson ensemble. Michael Cera’s performance in The Phoenician Scheme generated immediate buzz, with Benedict Cumberbatch commenting during the press conference,
“Watching [Wes Anderson] discover and use Michael [Cera] was like watching God discovering water.”
—Benedict Cumberbatch, Actor. The remark captured the sentiment of the event: many see Cera as a natural addition to Anderson’s signature style, filling a gap that long seemed overdue. As Cumberbatch added,
“It seems like a pretty obvious, natural element to have in his arsenal as a filmmaker.”
—Benedict Cumberbatch, Actor.
In The Phoenician Scheme, Anderson brings together Cera, Benicio del Toro, and Mia Threapleton for a journey across Europe that centers on business dealings, family ties, and an undercurrent of spiritual intrigue. Cera plays Bjorn Lund, a Norwegian tutor obsessed with entomology, who becomes an indispensable—though often overlooked—companion to del Toro’s Zsa-za Korda and Threapleton’s Liesl as they pursue ambitious infrastructure deals across the continent. This partnership between actor and director results in a uniquely memorable character within Anderson’s acclaimed catalogue.
Building the Character of Bjorn Lund
Bjorn Lund is a figure who at first appears outwardly eccentric—his love of bugs and his distinctive wardrobe set him apart. But as the film unfolds, Cera’s portrayal reveals deeper layers, with the character shifting personas, maintaining a steady undercurrent of humor and sincerity amid the film’s unpredictable narrative. Anderson and Cera collaborated closely to nail down Bjorn’s essential qualities, blending elements of Cera’s subtle comedic timing with Anderson’s meticulous aesthetic sensibilities.
Anderson spoke about the careful construction of Bjorn’s look and psychology, noting the collaborative approach between director, actor, and costume designer Milena Canonero. Cera recounted that the process began in rehearsal, when the details of Bjorn’s wardrobe and physical appearance—most notably, his glasses—were gradually assembled:
“We had a rehearsal period, and it was really invaluable. When I showed up, Wes and Milena Canonero had a good idea of the look of the character already, at least from the costumes. You and I started talking about the hair and the glasses. The glasses were a big part, and they came together slowly. We even shot a few scenes where the lenses weren’t in them yet.”
—Michael Cera, Actor.
The technical requirements were so specific that Cera wore contact lenses under the distinctive glasses, which had an extreme prescription. According to Anderson,
“Because he has lenses that you can’t even see [through]. He had to wear contact lenses underneath the glasses in order to be able to see with these distorting [lenses].”
The layers of Bjorn’s costume evolved throughout, with elements reconfigured to reflect the character’s subtle transformations, hinting at his multiple identities.
Collaborative Process and Creative Approach
Central to Cera’s performance was Anderson’s commitment to an organic, actor-driven approach. Rejecting the familiar “deadpan” label often attached to his films, Anderson described an environment designed to foster naturalism and nuanced performances within precise creative boundaries.
“I do think there’s a thing where, somehow, I feel like somebody watches a movie and they see a different movie from the one I feel I’m showing them. Somebody feels like I’ve done something where I’ve told everybody where to look or when their eyeballs are meant to move, and that’s not my approach in any way. People say my deadpan blah, blah, blah, and I don’t ever remember wanting deadpan. I understand why people say it…”
—Wes Anderson, Director.
Cera, too, resisted the deadpan label, emphasizing instead the richness and intricacy of Anderson’s process:
“I take umbrage with that too. That’s not deadpan, I don’t think.”
—Michael Cera, Actor. With Anderson’s guidance and detailed animatics—a kind of storyboard in motion—the cast precisely blocked each scene, saving time and leaving more room for spontaneous discoveries during rehearsals. Cera described the sense of delicate balance required to maintain Anderson’s atmosphere:
“You know where your blocking is as an actor. You don’t have to get there and fumble through that. You know where you belong in the frame, and there’s sort of a delicacy to what we’re doing, where there’s a spell being cast that could easily burst if I’m doing this [leans hard to his right]. It’s really gonna kill the effect.”
—Michael Cera, Actor.
Rehearsal, Improvisation, and Finding the Character
The film’s creative process placed immense value on rehearsal and adaptation. For Cera, the opportunity to try different things within Anderson’s carefully constructed environment allowed for meaningful surprises.
“I do think we also found things that were surprising in the rehearsals.”
—Michael Cera, Actor.
Anderson affirmed the necessity of ongoing refinement, crediting Cera’s experience for helping spot and resolve challenges.
“When you’ve done it before and made this your life, then when you come into a thing, you say, ‘Okay, there’s a bunch of things here I think need working out.’”
—Wes Anderson, Director. Together, they tailored not just the costumes but the inner motivations and evolving identities of Bjorn, navigating the technical and psychological demands of delivering a character with such layered complexity.
Cera expressed the pressure and singularity of shooting key scenes:
“Oh my god, that’s gonna be great, but only if we get it right on our one day we get to shoot it.”
—Michael Cera, Actor. The need for readiness and improvisational flexibility defined his approach, as each moment came with just one opportunity to capture the intended effect.
Personal Connections and Performative Influences
Conversations with Anderson and Cera illuminated the ways their personal backgrounds and creative influences flowed into the making of The Phoenician Scheme. Anderson, a native Texan, acknowledged that regional and religious elements influenced the film’s spiritual themes:
“I like that: Buñuelian Catholic surrealism and our Texas background. You’ve probably just captured the entire thing. The Texan background would be that it’s a religious state, right?”
—Wes Anderson, Director. He noted his own experiences at schools with Episcopalian traditions, reflecting on the story’s inclusion of recurring death and resurrection—a nod to both religious upbringing and surrealist inspirations from Spanish director Buñuel.
Cera, in turn, drew on his prior work with veteran performers and directors such as Elaine May, crediting these experiences for deepening his craft and preparing him for the demands of Anderson’s world:
“When you step into a movie with Wes, you know as an actor that you’re working with a director who really cares about every inch of the movie and isn’t missing anything. It just relaxes you. You feel like, ‘Okay, I’m in good hands, I’m working with someone who’s obsessive,’”
—Michael Cera, Actor.
The ensemble nature of the film echoed lessons Anderson gleaned from the late Mike Nichols, whom he described as fostering collaboration through communal discussion and repeated readings—a process designed to create true cohesion among cast members. Nichols’ advice, passed on from Anderson, stressed that simply gathering the group, talking, and reading repeatedly is a foundation for ensemble harmony.
Tonal Complexity: Humor, Spirituality, and Style
Vital to Michael Cera’s performance in The Phoenician Scheme is his navigation of the tonal layers: oscillating between humor, vulnerability, and self-reinvention. The film’s thematic foundation of familial legacy, spiritual rumination, and social satire called for subtle emotional gradations. Anderson rejected simplified tonal categories, centering each actor’s contribution as essential to shaping the final mood.
“Essentially, what I hope is the actors take this thing and bring it to life. But I guess it’s within the limits of the script and what the dialogue is like.”
—Wes Anderson, Director.
That ambition is visible in Cera’s approach—to animate Bjorn within Anderson’s animatic “frames” while remaining responsive to the shifting emotional requirements of each scene. Anderson’s interplay between tightly constrained technical elements and free interpretation allowed Cera’s own style to find resonance within the director’s unmistakable cinematic rhythm.
Significance of Cera’s Role in Anderson’s Canon
Cera’s arrival into the fold is more than simply an overdue casting choice—it reflects Anderson’s ongoing evolution in crafting compelling ensembles, as well as a willingness to incorporate fresh voices and new shades of performance. Audiences and critics alike noted the chemistry between Anderson, Cera, Benicio del Toro, and Mia Threapleton as a defining strength of the film, particularly in illuminating Cera’s ability to balance wit, sincerity, and subtle unpredictability within the film’s ornate frame.
The director’s approach to ensemble direction—where each performer has room to interpret and develop their place within the group—produced a dynamic interplay that enriched the narrative. As Anderson described,
“You’re the audience, and you’ve got to be there. In a minute, somebody’s going to come to you and say, ‘What do you think of that thing?’ You need to be tuned in and joining them with it. Really, what you need to be is an audience member who’s part of the cast.”
—Wes Anderson, Director.
Looking Ahead: Impact and Legacy
With The Phoenician Scheme already garnering attention for both its inventive storytelling and playful spirit, Michael Cera’s performance will likely be remembered as a pivotal collaboration—both a testament to Cera’s evolving career and Anderson’s openness to new creative partnerships. Current and future projects will no doubt feel the effects of this experiment in layered, actor-centered storytelling, especially as other filmmakers and actors take notice of the rich possibilities emerging from such meticulously constructed collaborations.
As conversation continues about Anderson’s influences—from Texas schoolrooms and “Biblical Troupes” to conversations with filmmaking greats like Mike Nichols and Elaine May—the intersection of personal history, artistic discipline, and ensemble chemistry comes to define this moment. Michael Cera’s presence in The Phoenician Scheme signals not just a successful performance, but a deepening of the director’s ongoing exploration of family, identity, and performance itself. Anderson’s film may focus on legacy projects and continental journeys, but its real achievement is in the finely tuned contributions of actors like Cera—proving, as Cumberbatch quipped, that sometimes the obvious combinations deliver the greatest results.
