Lee Pace has had quite a grandiose career across film, television, and the stage. From his breakout Piemaker in the cult classic series Pushing Daisies to the menacing Ronan the Accuser who’s made his presence felt across multiple blockbusters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there’s never telling what Lee Pace will do next. He’s keeping audiences, and his dedicated fanbase, on their toes with his first A24 outing in Bodies Bodies Bodies, where he plays a lovable plus one at a “hurricane party” gone wrong. Oh, not to mention that he’s also the oldest party-goer in a mansion full of zoomers.
Bodies Bodies Bodies has it all, a group of Gen Z 20-somethings looking to have a good time, lots of libations, and a killer party game in the midst of a literal hurricane. When the mostly female group decides to air out their grievances by playing the real-life game Bodies Bodies Bodies, in which a designated killer is meant to tag everyone out without being noticed, people start dropping like flies. And, as it turns out, identifying an actual bloodthirsty murderer is much harder when in a house full of snakes.
Directed by Halina Reijn, this dark comedy is meant for Gen Z audiences and those who can’t help but make fun of their assumed behavior. With loud references to gaslighting, privilege, and TikTok, the film operates as more of a time capsule that holds a mirror to the hysterical habits of today’s Gen Z mindset. Not too dissimilar from how Ready or Not used a game-like structure to prove a point, Bodies Bodies Bodies is “a fascinating use of horror as a framework that delivers more than enough thrills and kills.”
Lee Pace’s Greg character notably stands out as the older boyfriend of Alice (the hilarious Rachel Sennott). The small group of women describes Greg as being old “like 40” but we never get confirmation if he is or isn’t. Pace is a scene-stealer as the older wild card, going from levels 0 to 100 as he’s just there to have a damn good time. Coming off Apple TV’s Foundation, in which he plays a galactic clone emperor, Bodies Bodies Bodies provides yet another refreshing role for the fan-favorite actor. In getting the chance to sit down with Lee Pace to discuss playing Greg, the star was quick to defend his character’s “himbo” honor and dive into what it was like being the only other male character in the film next to Pete Davidson. As a bonus, Pace gave us a tease of what to expect in Foundation Season 2.
Let’s talk about your character Greg. I would say he’s a “himbo” and it’s quite a different role for you…
Lee Pace: Okay, please define “himbo” for me. Please break it down for me, what do you mean by this?
A himbo by definition is combining him and bimbo, so like a hot bimbo.
Lee Pace: Okay, so you would feel comfortable calling a hot girl a bimbo?
Yes, I would.
Lee Pace: … you would?
Absolutely, but like in a nonhostile way towards people I have that kind of relationship with. Do you feel like that’s a double standard?
Lee Pace: I feel like maybe it is a little bit. I don’t think it’s a mean-spirited one. I don’t think anyone’s trying to degrade Greg by calling him a himbo, I think they’re just trying to have fun with him. He probably wouldn’t fight it! But I guess I want to question the concept on his behalf. I don’t think Greg takes easy offense at much.
It definitely seems like Greg is in his own world. What drew you to this mindset?
Lee Pace: I found his outsider’s perspective really interesting, and I wanted to decode what that was. As I rehearsed with everyone, I realized there was a really interesting point of view that he is different from them, he doesn’t necessarily understand all of their codes and customs – which are extremely specific in a Gen Z world. He kind of wanted to meet them where they are, and have a good time with that plain and simple.
He’s got this really sexy relationship with Alice [Rachel Sennott]. He is loving this experience he’s having with her, and he’s loving this experience he’s having with all of them, he feels totally comfortable with the group. I found that to be a really fun way into this character. It also puts him in an interesting situation when things start going sour, like when they start hitting each other [during the Bodies Bodies Bodies game].
Greg goes along with it, but we can see his hesitancy. Like, “Ah, I didn’t sign up for this.”
Lee Pace: Yeah, he really starts to see it when Bee is being encouraged to be someone she’s not. Especially when she’s being pressured to hit someone and is obviously not comfortable with it. The whole group gets into this hive mind like, “do it, do it, you have to do it, you have to!” For Greg, this is when he pulls away because he doesn’t like this. He certainly doesn’t like being sucker punched by David. So I think, again, when things start getting sour, it’s a waste of his time to engage with it.
Speaking of Pete Davidson’s character David, you two are the only men in the film. What was that dynamic like within such a female power-heavy cast?
Lee Pace: I found that dynamic really interesting and super specific. I loved working with Pete on that. What he brought to the character was so raw and interesting and really gave me something to play off of – including his anxiety about the situation which really gave Greg a sense of like, “It’s okay. don’t worry. There’s no competition. I’m not interested in fighting with you and that’s okay.” I also loved working with Pete, I found him on camera so professional and creative. Off camera, he just had the best stories and the greatest take on that. I would always pull up a seat next to him because he had really extraordinary stories.
Lastly, you have quite the diverse portfolio of films, what do you hope to do next in your career?
Lee Pace: We just finished filming the second season of Foundation for Apple TV, and I’m so proud of it. I think it is kick-ass. It was so exhausting and one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. This upcoming season of television is so ambitious. Now, I’m kind of just enjoying being home right now.
I’ve come to realize that it’s the time between jobs, that a lot of the work is done for actors. You can’t just spend all of your time in the makeup chair and on set saying lines. You’ve got to go live your life, observe life, and engage. If you don’t do that, you really don’t have much to bring to the work. So next for me is just a little bit of that. Eventually, I’m sure a role will come along that I connect to and want to pursue. But I haven’t seen one in a little while, hopefully, we get another season of Foundation. I would really love to keep working on it. I’m really enjoying the character [of Brother Day].
