In the new film that Sebastian Stan and British actor Adam Pearson are working on together, Stan is speaking up about his role as a guy who has neurofibromatosis. Pearson is also a person who lives with the exceptional genetic disorder.
Stan, 42, says that Pearson’s life experience proved “incredible” in developing his character Edward, an aspiring actor who undergoes facial reconstruction surgery and then becomes obsessed with Oswald, another man with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). This statement was made in an interview with PEOPLE, which was conducted in conjunction with the production of their A24 drama A Different Man.
To put it another way, I was kind of collecting various parts from various locations. “And a lot of Adam’s experience that he shared with me was really helpful in that regard,” Stan recalls of Pearson, who was diagnosed with the neurogenetic condition that causes his skin to be covered in hundreds of thick, painful tumors when he was only five years old. Adam is a really easy person to deal with, and I get the impression that we got along quite well very soon. I believe that when it came to [filmmaker Aaron Schimberg], it was all about trust and making sure that we were all on the same page. You are aware that once you get something, it is instantaneous and you may start using it.
Prior to the beginning of filming in 2022, Pearson, who had previously acted in the films Chained for Life (2019) and Under the Skin (2013), both directed by Schimberg, said with PEOPLE that he and Stan “had really frank, honest conversations” via Zoom about their upbringings and the experiences they had in their lives.
A disfigurement or impairment is a one-of-a-kind condition in that you don’t fully understand it unless you experience it. “Therefore, I need to find parallels to assist me in order to get [someone’s] hooks into this and sort of process it in a different manner,” he adds. “And I always say that the two ways to lose your social anonymity in a society in 2024 are to either have some kind of disagreement or disability or to become a celebrity.”
“And so while [Stan] might not know the level of invasiveness, I feel with kind of pointing, stares and camera phones, he absolutely gets it from the other angle,” Pearson continues to explain.
Though Pearson has a handful of acting credits to his name, A Different Man makes for a larger role — and a higher-profile release — than his past films. In an interview with PEOPLE, the actor said that he had “been putting off [the movie’s release] in my mind for quite a while” before the press tour for the film.
“On Sunday, when I sat down on the airplane, all I could think was, ‘Oh no, this is coming to pass. As he puts it, “It is happening right now.” “And my family as a whole are a bit not fussed about it, which is good ’cause it kind of keeps me humble and keeps me in check at home.”
“I’m going to take pleasure in this while it’s taking place. After being questioned about the next step that his acting career may take, he responds by saying, “If this is the end, I’ve gone out on a high.” I’ve amassed a wonderful group of buddies. It is my intention to be friends with [Stan] for the rest of my life, provided that he is willing to do so.
Pearson continues by saying, “We’ll see what happens, but yeah — Kevin Feige, call me,” in a sarcastic reference to the senior vice president of Marvel Studios and Stan’s position in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier.
A Different Man is now playing in cinemas.
