John Malkovich is well aware of his current awards momentum, even if the relentless onslaught of attention doesn’t quite suit his native personality. The veteran U.S. star has hit the international festival circuit with Martin McDonagh’s tragicomedy Wild Horse Nine, and his central performance is already being hailed by critics as potentially the finest of his storied career and almost certainly an Oscar nomination lock.
It would not be the first Academy Award recognition for Malkovich, who was previously nominated in 1985 for Places in the Heart and again in 1994 for In the Line of Fire. However, during an extensive In Conversation talk at the BFI London Film Festival on Sunday afternoon, the seasoned actor conceded that navigating an awards campaign in 2026 is an entirely different beast compared to decades past.
Reflecting on the shifting landscape of cinematic prestige, Malkovich offered a candid assessment of how the industry has evolved. "[I feel] probably different [about awards consideration] than I did [when In the Line of Fire came out] because the movie business existed [and] it maintained, undeservedly in my opinion, a very high position in the culture. And when I say undeserved, [I] mean there weren’t that many Chinatowns or Godfathers or Godfather IIs," he began. "Now, [the awards trail] is the only way to get people to go to the theaters, the whole thing, and that’s months and months and months."
Recalling his early days on the circuit, he reminisced about being nominated for Places in the Heart and attending his first and only Academy Awards ceremony in 1985. Trapped in a car on his way to the venue, he turned to his slightly bossy manager, Phyllis, and innocently asked if he could bypass the main spectacle and enter through a side door.
"Honey, it’s the Oscars," she clicked right in his face. "There is no side door!"
The entire room of festival attendees burst into appreciative laughter at Malkovich’s dry delivery. "So that’s my native personality in the face of that onslaught," he said, speaking about embarking on yet another intense campaign for Wild Horse Nine. "But also, I’m a grown-up. It’s a part of the business now."
Malkovich noted that his early films routinely turned a profit long before the glitter and anticipation of Oscar night. Now, however, winning or being nominated for major awards seems to be the primary catalyst capable of driving modern audiences back into traditional brick-and-mortar cinemas. When asked if this stark reality breaks his heart—particularly after admitting he doubts his own daughter would consider going to a theater under normal circumstances today—Malkovich offered a pragmatic shrug.
"No, because I’m 72 years old. Things change. I don’t really like thinking, ‘Things aren’t what they used to be.’ They just change, and you either change with them or die. And I prefer to change with them," he said.
That philosophy of adaptation extends directly to his latest cinematic collaboration. Wild Horse Nine stars Malkovich alongside fellow acclaimed actor Sam Rockwell as Chris and Lee, two longtime CIA partners stationed in Santiago, Chile, who are suddenly dispatched to Easter Island by their bureau chief, played by Steve Buscemi. Set against the surreal, imposing backdrop of the island’s monumental Moai statues, the pair begin reckoning with their murky, complicated shared past. Simultaneously, Malkovich’s character Chris forms an unexpected and transformative bond with two rebellious Chilean students, portrayed by Mariana di Girolamo and Ailín Salas. This fateful encounter threatens to unravel both the agents’ lifelong friendship and the deeply buried political conspiracy in which they have become dangerously entangled.
The high-profile BFI London Film Festival premiere of the film took place on Friday night, drawing Malkovich, Rockwell, and director Martin McDonagh to the capital for a glitzy red carpet event that generated significant early buzz.
Naturally, during his festival appearance, Malkovich was asked about a recurring motif that seems to thread through several notable projects in his filmography: the John F. Kennedy assassination. Because his character in Wild Horse Nine is heavily implied to have played a major covert role in the death of the former U.S. President, an audience member pressed the actor for his personal opinion on historical events. Without missing a beat, Malkovich replied, "I know what didn’t happen is what they said happened."
Transitioning to his collaboration with the film’s writer and director, Malkovich heaped praise on McDonagh, describing him as a great writer and a direct, kind filmmaker who understands how to communicate with actors effectively. "He can give great notes," Malkovich continued, sharing an anecdote from the production. "He told me about one of the scenes with big heads… He just came over and said, ‘More David Attenborough,’ which I just thought was one of the greatest notes, and which I didn’t do very well."
He was equally effusive when discussing his co-star Sam Rockwell, comparing him with characteristic deadpan humor to "a trainer at SeaWorld feeding fish to a shark." As confused chuckles rippled through the audience, Malkovich clarified the compliment: "If you watch him 20 times, you get a good idea of how good he is at that… He’s such a great colleague, such a wonderful actor, and so fantastic in this, everything he does is perfect, and he can go any which way at any second."
While Malkovich confessed he is "not a political person," he emphasized that Wild Horse Nine is deeply existential and evocative when dealing with universal themes of grief, aging, and human mortality.
Throughout Sunday’s comprehensive discussion, the actor traced the major milestones of a vast and vibrant career. He touched upon his unforgettable work in Dangerous Liaisons, his experiences collaborating with legendary director Clint Eastwood, his extensive tenure on the London stage, and the winding path that led him to star in Spike Jonze’s surreal 1999 masterwork Being John Malkovich. Looking back at the latter production, Malkovich openly admitted to "having a moment" and "being an asshole" on the set while filming on a particularly scorching day. He even discussed his ancestry—revealing that he recently discovered through genealogical research that he is 43 percent Romanian—and lamented the absolute rarity of reading a genuinely brilliant script in modern Hollywood.
"It’s so rare to read a great screenplay and make a really excellent film. And you can work as hard as you like. You can give a really interesting performance, and if the film isn’t very good, it’s absolutely meaningless," Malkovich observed. "It doesn’t mean anything. It’s a totally waste of your time in the public."
To conclude the afternoon session, Malkovich was inevitably probed about one of the most unusual projects on his resume: the mysterious film 100 Years, directed by Robert Rodriguez, which is contractually slated for release in the next century. To his knowledge, the completed movie currently sits securely behind bulletproof glass inside a high-security vault in France and is scheduled to finally premiere to the public in the year 2115.
"I have tickets," the actor joked to uproarious laughter from the crowd. "I don’t think I’ll be at the opening night. You know, my grandchildren won’t even be here as well."
The 70th BFI London Film Festival runs from October 7 through October 18.