SoCal gets cerebral. Director Terrence Malick’s films are known for being offbeat and introspective (think: 2011’s Oscar-nominated Tree of Life), and his latest work is no exception. In Knight of Cups (in theaters nationwide March 11), Christian Bale stars as a listless screenwriter who tells his tale through a series of stream-of-consciousness encounters with various women in Los Angeles — including heavy hitters Cate Blanchett, Natalie Portman, Freida Pinto, Imogen Poots and Teresa Palmer.
“I was excited to go into this job knowing it was not going to be conventional and that the process itself was notoriously abstract,” says 26-year-old Poots.
And that meant receiving minimal guidance from Malick.
“Terry said, ‘[your character is] from everywhere and nowhere,’” the British actress says. “’She’s like smoke.’”
In Us Weekly’s exclusive first-look scene, Bale, 42, and Poots flirt and philosophize their way around The Standard, Hollywood hotel. Click the video above to watch the debut clip!
