‘East of Eden’ Star Mike Faist on Male Ego, Love Triangles and Still Learning from Steven Spielberg

Mike Faist is keenly aware that we are the sum of our choices.

When The Hollywood Reporter last caught up with Faist, he explained why he’s been so selective about his acting commitments since his breakout big-screen role in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story (2021). For the Ohio native, life in show business is too hectic to spend time on projects that don’t offer fertile creative ground. So the fact that Zoe Kazan’s East of Eden is his first job since a notable 2024 that included Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers and Jeff Nichols’ The Bikeriders suggests the epic family drama holds particular meaning for him.

For starters, when Faist first took the leap and moved to New York at 17 to pursue acting, he immersed himself in James Dean’s work, particularly the 1955 film East of Eden. Like generations of actors before him — Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicolas Cage among them — Faist was struck by Dean’s raw emotion as the wayward teenager Cal Trask in his star-making performance. Dean would also serve as an inspiration for Faist’s portrayal of Jack Twist in the 2023 West End production of Brokeback Mountain.

When Kazan called with an offer to play Cal Trask’s “uncle,” Charles Trask, in her miniseries adaptation starring Florence Pugh, Faist didn’t need much of a sales pitch. That didn’t mean he wasn’t intimidated by the prospect of putting a new spin on John Steinbeck’s classic novel, particularly one that had already been adapted by Kazan’s grandfather, Elia Kazan, to great fanfare in ‘55.

“The two things that go through your mind when you get that call about something as exciting as [East of Eden] are, Hell yes — and also, Oh God, I can’t believe I have to go do this thing now,” Faist tells The Hollywood Reporter of the East of Eden adaptation that released on Netflix Oct. 1.

For a story steeped in inheritance and legacy, Faist couldn’t resist pointing out the metaness of Zoe following in her grandfather’s footsteps. But her connection to East of Eden began more organically than one might expect.

“She came across the book separately when she was very young, and she hadn’t seen [Elia Kazan’s] movie yet, which I find amazing,” Faist says. “The story stayed with her from a young age, and she has been sitting on it ever since.”

East of Eden retells the biblical story of Cain and Abel across two generations at the turn of the 20th century. Zoe’s take begins in 1899, with Adam (Christopher Abbott) and Charles Trask discovering Cathy Ames (Pugh) on their doorstep after she has been nearly beaten to death. Elia’s film only focuses on the fourth and final section of Steinbeck’s novel, which centers on Adam and Cathy’s fraternal twin sons, Aron and Cal.

Like Cain, Charles and Cal wrestle with anger and jealousy over their fathers’ preference for their brothers. Charles’ resentment reached a boiling point in 1884, when his and Adam’s father, Cyrus Trask (Tracy Letts), enlisted Adam in the Army despite Charles being the far superior soldier. Charles was left behind to run the family farm, which he did with considerable success.

Until this conversation with THR, Faist had assumed Cyrus’ Army-related decision was rooted in the Cain and Abel allegory. After all, Cain was a farmer. But two later scenes complicate that reading.

The first takes place in 1889, when Adam is discharged after five years of service. Cyrus, known for his decorated military record and the loss of his leg toward the end of the Civil War, proudly tells someone in his Washington, D.C. office that his son will leave the Army as a private soldier, just as he did. Adam then chimes in to say that he’s actually a corporal, one rank above a private. Cyrus ignores the correction and later bristles when Adam decides to extend his military service for another five years.

That moment is recontextualized in 1899, when the newly reunited brothers discover that their father was a liar and a thief. His reputation as a war hero was entirely fabricated, and he stole more than $100K from veterans’ funds during his tenure as a secretary for the GAR.

In light of that revelation, Faist now sees another possible motive for Cyrus’ treatment of his sons, one driven by hubris and a desire to protect his own fictional legacy. Perhaps Cyrus chose Adam because he assumed his lack of soldierly instincts would never allow him to surpass his own made-up accomplishments. Charles, on the other hand, had the talent and ability to create a military legacy that could eclipse the one Cyrus had invented for himself. This would also explain why Cyrus refuses to acknowledge Adam’s higher rank or support his decision to reenlist en route to another promotion.

“I had never really thought of it in that kind of way, but the truth of the matter is, it makes a lot of sense. I think you’re absolutely right,” Faist says in response to THR’s interpretation. “You were able to answer why the lie existed, which was to protect the male ego.”

Below, Faist also discusses Charles’ strong aversion to Cathy and the appeal of the triangular character dynamics he’s explored in Challengers and now East of Eden.

When we spoke for The Bikeriders in June 2024, you explained how important it is for you to live and work only when inspiration strikes. East of Eden probably came your way shortly thereafter, so what factors compelled you to leave home for New Zealand?

It felt like a no-brainer. When I moved to New York to become an actor, I studied the 1955 movie. I studied James Dean’s films and Elia Kazan’s films. I love those movies, and they had a real, deep impact on my taste as an artist and an actor.

One day, I got a call from Zoe Kazan saying, “Do you want to do East of Eden?” The two things that go through your mind when you get that call about something as exciting as this are, Hell yes — and also, Oh God, I can’t believe I have to go do this thing now. (Laughs.) There’s always dread that comes along with it, and that’s usually the indicator as to when you know that you’re going to dive into the deep end to tackle this thing.

Then the cast Zoe Kazan assembled — Chris Abbott, Hoon Lee and Florence Pugh — I was like, Man, I get to go to work and wrestle with the best of them. Everybody brought out the best in one another and pushed each other. So it was a thrill, and I genuinely feel very honored to just be a part of it.

Did you revisit the novel and the movie? Or did you opt to stick with the script in front of you, as some actors prefer?

I actually was unfamiliar with the book. I had read other John Steinbeck novels — Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath — but I had not read East of Eden yet. So I said, “Well, I’ll go get a copy right now and get to work.” On page one, he starts describing the Salinas Valley and the two mountains that split up the valley. On one side, all the wildflowers grow, and when the sun hits it, it’s full of life. On the other side, when the shade hits it, it’s rocky terrain that feels cold. You can tell immediately that it is going to be this Cain and Abel story. All of the richness that existed within the novel, Zoe was able to translate very clearly within the lines and in between the lines.

The argument I’ve heard some actors make against consuming previous iterations is that you potentially create a conflict between the source material and the newest adaptation’s own liberties. You weren’t worried about that?

No. The reason these classics remain that way is because, as we go forward from generation to generation, we can learn from a classic while still reinterpreting it for today. Each generation gains a new perspective by looking at it in a different way, and we ultimately hold a mirror up to society and ourselves in that particular moment. That’s why we do these adaptations.

Zoe’s grandfather took extreme liberties in terms of what part of the story he told, and in Zoe’s version, Hoon’s character wasn’t in the original film. So each generation has taken liberties with this material.

As you alluded to, her grandfather’s movie only covers the final part of the book. Do you know if her primary reason for taking this on was for the sake of doing the whole piece?

That was absolutely a part of it. When she asked me if I’d be interested in doing this, I joked, “Well, you wanting to do this is kind of meta.” But after we joked about it for a minute, it became very apparent that she had a very clear point of view.

What’s funny is that the story of how this came about was not connected through her grandfather. She came across the book separately when she was very young, and she hadn’t seen the movie yet, which I find amazing. (Laughs) But the story stayed with her from a young age, and she has been sitting on it ever since. So you want someone like Zoe who is deeply connected to this.

I imagine a large part of your prep involved developing Charles’ voice. It’s unrecognizable from your everyday speaking voice. Who did you listen to as a reference?

I can’t say that I listened to anyone. It’s funny, you’re the first person to actually ask me about it.

Ultimately, Charles is made to stay behind on the farm and tend to the land. And in a way, that’s his sense of abandonment. You are banished into the abyss to think about your sins. So I thought about this man who carries this shame in isolation, and he’s consumed by it for years and years.

To be consumed by shame while growing up from a boy to a man, but not really being able to grow up — there’s a stuntedness. So I thought about the manifestation of, Well, what does it feel like if you’re actually carrying around shame for that long? What does that do to you? How do you walk? How do you talk? How do you actually view yourself if you never interact with people and you don’t like yourself? So the voice just came out of that.

Charles and Adam’s father, Cyrus Task (Tracy Letts), has always favored Adam, a la Cain and Abel. As you said, he puts them further at odds when he enlists Adam in the Army and leaves Charles, the better soldier of the two, to tend to the family farm. The father’s military career then turns out to be fraudulent, so you’d think he would’ve enlisted Charles in order to reinforce the lie and make people think that valor runs in the family.

That’s interesting.

But when Adam is discharged the first time, the father proudly tells someone else that Adam is a private soldier just like he was. Adam then corrects him, saying that he’s actually a corporal, which ranks higher than a private, and Cyrus blows right past it. That moment suggests he didn’t want either of his sons to outperform him, and he chose Adam because he assumed he would be the least likely of the two to do so.

That’s a very valid argument that you’re bringing. I had never really thought of it in that kind of way, but the truth of the matter is, it makes a lot of sense. Charles put his father on this pedestal for what he had accomplished, and you see it when Young Charles works so hard to win his affection by being the best soldier and doing everything correctly. But it’s never enough. That impression totally disintegrates when the lie is shown for what it is. But I think you’re absolutely right. You were able to answer why the lie existed, which was to protect the male ego.

I really feel for Charles. He finally gets his estranged brother back without their father driving a wedge between them, and then a new wedge named Cathy immediately presents itself. In your mind, what is the ratio of, “I don’t trust her,” versus, “I just want my brother to myself” for a change?

When she shows up on the doorstep, that is the exact thought Charles has. Because of the goodness that exists in Adam, he is innately going to give everything to this damaged person, as he did with Charles’ mother. He left gifts around the house for her because he was trying to win her affection. So he’s going to repeat his pattern and his cycle in order to do the exact same thing with Cathy.

There’s also this amazing line where Charles says, “Maybe kind recognizes kind.” So once Cathy shows up, Charles has this innate knowledge of, I see who you are because that same thing exists within me.

She’s so used to men throwing themselves at her feet, but her routine doesn’t work on Charles because they’re birds of a feather.

Let’s face it, the book is pretty good. (Laughs.) It’s pretty well-written.

She eventually gets her way, creating a character triangle, which you’re no stranger to in your past work. I hesitate to call it a love triangle because it’s more complicated than that. But why do you think we’re so drawn to this triangular dynamic?

If I could answer that question, I’d probably be a psychologist instead of an actor.

Lucky for you, I’ve got a theory.

(Laughs.) I’d love to hear it.

Weirdly, love triangle stories remind me of time-travel stories. Time travel is ultimately about resolving one’s regrets, and I think love triangles are appealing because many people have wondered at one point or another whether they chose the right person or not. So love triangles in fiction allow the characters and the audience to determine the right choice in real time, which isn’t that practical in real life.

I think you’re absolutely right. This is a very good triangle, and the series, like the book, very much shows that. Cathy talks to “Charles” as she’s heading towards the end of her existence. She wonders what could have been had she taken a different path. So you tapped into a real truth there, because we only get one shot on this planet to do any of the things. There are choices. Every day is a choice. What are we going to do today? How do we react when a person pisses us off? Do we let it go and be an adult? Or do we tap into a more primal aspect of ourselves and snap back? Every moment of our days and our lives is just a series of these built-up choices. And ultimately, what makes this story so successful is that it’s just deeply rooted in humanity and the choices that make up a life.

When Charles breaks down inside the brothel, how much of it was about Adam versus Cathy?

What do you think?

All of the above. He’s tortured because he knows she’s inevitably going to tear Adam apart, and he’s tortured because he’s also drawn to her.

I think you’re right.

Speaking of male ego, you’ve done a lot for mine today.

(Laughs.) Listen, we can have the same session next week.

When we last spoke, you were diving deep into photography. Did you capture a lot of shots throughout the East of Eden experience?

Unfortunately, I didn’t capture as many as I wanted to on this set. Honestly, it was the time period. That stuff just wasn’t around back then, and to be playing with a camera felt like it’d be distracting. The truth is that I felt so nervous about trying to do a good job that I wanted to stay as focused as possible. I kept my head down and did the work. I wanted to be thoughtful and present, and I made sure that I was there for those reasons.

You also told me one of the best stories I’ve ever been told involving Steven Spielberg’s cigar. At the time, I remember thinking that I’d never seen a picture of him with a cigar, and yet, when Disclosure Day came out, I finally saw numerous set photos of him with said cigar. That aside, because so many of us were introduced to you by him, do you mind sharing your thoughts on his latest film?

I really loved it. Anytime Steven wants to tap into sci-fi and alien drama, I’m always going to show up. I’m always going to show up for any Steven Spielberg movie, but with Close Encounters being one of my favorite movies of all time, it was exciting to see him continue that through-line a little bit.

I’ve also done a lot of reflecting since we talked last, and I continue to reflect about my time working with Spielberg on West Side Story. I continue to learn more and more from that man in hindsight. Even when watching new and old films, I continue to learn from Steven over and over again. There’s just no one better.

I don’t know if you feel similarly to this, but there is a very large population of people that feel as if those guys raised us in a way. If you were a young and impressionable movie lover, then you grew up watching the films of Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola. These men raised us in a way. They really did. They have very deep impacts as to our upbringing and how we view the world, and this is no different.

So Steven continues to shock and awe and amaze me, and I’m always going to be excited for what comes out of him next.

Disclosure Day is an appeal to the better angels in all of us, and how can you not appreciate that message right now?

Exactly.

I understand you’re heading into production on something. [This chat took place Sept. 4.] Are you allowed to say what that something is yet?

Can’t say! (Laughs.) But I’m having fun.

Is it true that you were going to reunite with Luca Guadagnino on Sgt. Rock until the rug got pulled out from underneath it?