Kodi Smit-McPhee spoke with Solzy at the Movies about getting an Oscar nomination for The Power of the Dog and working with Matt Reeves again.

The Oscar nominated actor also discussed what keeps him grounded and how things are with fellow Supporting Actor nominee Jesse Plemons. He also discusses what it’s like to see the real Benedict Cumberbatch during awards season. Finally, Smit-McPhee talks about Matt Reeves and The Batman. Would he be open to joining The Batman universe and work with Matt Reeves again?

Both the Critics Choice Awards and the BAFTA Awards will take place on March 13. The Oscars will be broadcast live on March 27.

Kodi, it’s good to see you again.

Kodi Smit-McPhee: Lovely to see you. How are you?

I am doing well. I am looking forward to a nice weekend in LA for the Critics Choice Awards.

Kodi Smit-McPhee: Yes, absolutely. It’s coming up.

How honored are you to be nominated for an Oscar?

Kodi Smit-McPhee: I don’t even think honor can really explain the way that I feel. But, I mean, I’m over the moon. It’s nothing that I ever expected to achieve so young. I really have just done this from the get go for passion, for fun, for collaboration, and to stay creative. It runs in the family. It’s something that my father got me into. So to be recognized in such a way by the rest of the world, I mean, it’s not just recognizing my craft or my career but it’s recognizing the whole journey I’ve gone through all my life. So yeah, it’s very special.

How have you managed to stay grounded throughout this entire process?

Kodi Smit-McPhee: I would have to give thanks to my parents for that because, I mean, yeah, that’s up to the people that brought you up. It’s up to your environment. It’s up to the people that you remain to be around. So I mean, my team, my girlfriend, and my parents. I think being an Aussie has a bit of bit of something at play there as well because I never really forget where I come from.

Have you and Jesse Plemons discussed what happens if one of you wins and the other doesn’t?

Kodi Smit-McPhee: We haven’t. We’ve never been the same ever since we both have been nominated. Clashing heads. No, no, no. Honestly, we all are sharing this elated feeling for us all being up there. I mean, that’s the win for us to see that night that—yeah, we all made it up there. We’re all recognized—everyone, even behind the camera. That’s all you can really ask for so whatever happens now is just a bonus.

I remember during the press conference in November that Benedict was saying that he was in method during the entire shoot. Has it been nice over these last few months to see the real Benedict Cumberbatch and not Phil Burbank?

Kodi Smit-McPhee: Yes, yes, it definitely has been. I will say on set—because of where our characters eventually went and we had a bit more of a relationship with each other than him and other characters—we already had that kind of camaraderie and those little moments to laugh and kind of go off script and stuff like that. But it’s fantastic to just have us all outside of that hostile nature. I mean, it was hostile on purpose. We needed that for his method acting, but yeah, it’s nice to be out of that.

I have to ask—you’ve acted in a few previous films for Matt Reeves. Have you talked with him or reached out to him about potentially joining the Batman universe?

Kodi Smit-McPhee: I talk to him a lot but nothing to do with the work. If anything, I just congratulate him on what he’s doing. I couldn’t be happier for him and I really can’t wait to see Batman. It’s just been a bit crazy with my schedule but I talk to him quite a bit and I have equal if not more love for him than the day we work together and I would love to work with him again.

Alright, thank you so much and best of luck.

Kodi Smit-McPhee: Thank you so much. Thank you

The Power of the Dog is currently streaming on Netflix.

Please subscribe to Solzy at the Movies on Substack.