Washington, Malek, Leto - three icons shine in The Little Things

For director John Lee Hancock, it was a 30-year wait to get The Little Things made. But it seems the stars aligned at the precisely the right time because he was able to get on board three of the finest actors of today to star in the film - Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, and Jared Leto - all Oscar winners, all with magnetic energy on screen.

Hancock recollects how his script was considered too dark in the early 90s for some of the biggest names in the industry.

“I had a deal with Steven Spielberg for a blind picture. And I came up with this one. And Steven said, ‘Man, this is way too dark to me.’ I was like, 'well, you just did Schindler's List!' But I got where he was coming from. It's a dark place to live. It went through a lot of different directors.

“At some point after a decade of it not being made, it went into a drawer. But thanks to Mark Johnson, our producer, he kept bugging me about it. And finally, I picked it up again and was afraid to read it, because, you know, is it gonna be any good? And I read it, and I still really enjoyed it. So I thought it was probably worthwhile.”

When the script came into the hands of of Washington, his mind was made up in an instant.

When asked what attracted him to the film, the 66-year-old said: “Just the script itself? It was that simple. It was a page turner, it was not what you thought it was going to be. The clincher was just sitting down with John and his take on things and the era, the decade that it takes place, all of those things.”

Set in the early 90s, Washington plays Joe "Deke" Deacon, a weary cop who gets dragged into a murder of a woman in a case that is eerily similar to series of unsolved murders that Deacon worked on years earlier that tortured him so much that it led to him getting divorced an suffering a heart attack.

He is, however, unbale to let go of his obsession and teams up with young hotshot detective Jim Baxter (Malek). The duo have only one suspect in Albert Sparma (Leto), with everything pointing towards his guilt - including the fact he had previously, falsely, confessed to a murder which the police determined there was no way he could have done.

The Little Things is not your run-of-the-mill crime thriller. It’s a psychological analysis of not just the mind of a potential serial killer but also the mental impact these type of cases has on law enforcement.

Watching Deacon trying to save his partner Baxter from mentally unravelling, the same way he had done. and the lengths he will go to protect him (sometimes extreme lengths) is a fascinating exploration of police work.

Rami Malek (left) and Jared Leto in The Little Things

For Malek, working so closely with Washington was a lifelong dream.

“Denzel Washington is a hero of mine,” he says. “Malcolm X was and still is one of my favourite all time movies. And that performance is pretty indelible for me. I went and saw the film at the BFI in London on a big screen.

“And of course, to get to work with Jared, who brought such unpredictability to every moment - these two guys are always in the moment and delivering the finest calibre performances. So, for me, that's a dream.

“And then to play a character that I've never been approached to play before. It was really a nuanced psychological experience for me. And as someone who starts out being so altruistic, but gets almost confiscated by this obsession.”

The Little Things has been compared the 90s classic, Seven. Both the films have an antagonists that stays long in the memory. With Albert Sparma - the brilliant Leto has created such a multi-dimensional character who at first seems an out-an-out creep but somehow you start to feel for him and the throughout the film you end-up doubting both his guilt and innocence in equal measure.

“John Lee wrote a really compelling script and character,” says Leto. “And after talking with him, he was really game to kind of see how far we could push things like kind of transformative sense.”

Jared Leto as Albert Sparma

And Leto’s transformation into Sparma is astonishing.

“I think that's a testament to how talented the team was. I had a different nose and some other prosthetics on my face, a different colour eyes, I actually had different teeth, full set of teeth. A popped belly and different walk. I looked at the opportunity here to just go on an adventure to experiment a little bit, take some risks.”

On his take on Sparma, Leto says: “I think of him as kind of a charmer. I guess I wasn't on the receiving end of whatever might seem scary or terrifying. But I never really felt that, I thought he was kind of a lovable guy!”

The 49-year-old has played some dark characters in the past, such as John Lennon's killer Mark David Chapman in Chapter 27 and Paul Allen in American Psycho. He admits he was reluctant at first to take on another role that would push him to his limits, physically and mentally - but getting the chance to work with Washington was one he couldn’t turn down.

“He is the GOAT!,” says Leto. “I was very much looking forward to get to be in the same frame with someone we all admire across the world. It's intimidating, of course. But at the same time, he puts you at ease. I felt very comfortable. The opportunity work with him is is a gift. He's a icon for all of us.”

Jared Leto and Denzel Washington in The Little Things

For Washington, watching his two younger co-stars brought an interesting realisation to himself.

“I sat there watching the two of them in that interrogation room (scene). And a lot of time I was off camera. So I'm just, you know, watching TV. And I it dawned on me, I'm like, man, I used to be the young guy with Morgan Freeman and with Gene Hackman. And now I’m Gene - the young guys are over there behind the glass.

“Life is something else. If you live long enough, you get to be the old guy. And, and there's nothing wrong with that. It was inspiring to watch the two of them, invigorating and it woke me up.”

Denzel Washington in The Little Things

The Little Things will definitely keep you awake throughout the film and long after the end credits because of the much-talked about final act. Who is the killer? Is Albert Sparma guilty? Where Deacon and Baxter’s actions justified? The beauty of The Little Things is the answers to these questions lie with one person - you, the audience.

You can rent the movie premiere of The Little Things at home now.