The Story Behind Bullet Train’s Heartbreaking Couple with Simmie Sangian
Bullet Train is a rare film these days; one which boasts movies stars like Brad Pitt (two-time Oscar Award-Winner), Michael Shannon (two-time Oscar Award-Nominee), and Sandra Bullock (Oscar Award–Winner), and yet doesn’t take itself too seriously. The amount of choreography required in the domino-effect of fight scenes is bewildering and bordering on superhuman. Even so, each of the characters in this film are unique and incredibly well defined. There is pure joy in this tale of over-the-top violence. Perhaps the most unexpected performance in Bullet Train is that of Bad Bunny who plays the assassin known as Mr. Wolfe. At the very core of Mr. Wolfe’s story is his Shakesperean journey with Mrs. Wolfe, played by Andrea Munoz and essential to her story is acting mentor (and actor) Simmie Sangian. To bring depth to her personification of Mrs. Wolfe, Andrea worked with Ms. Sangian who is known throughout the film industry as being a distinguished actor herself who is extraordinarily “in tune” with enabling the proper emotional channels to deliver authentic performances. While Bullet Train has received numerous nominations, including five from the People’s Choice Awards, it is undoubtably a character driven story which blends humor and action in the most pleasing of manners.
Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe have become fan favorites of viewers of Bullet Train, even as far as to inspire online chatter about a spin-off film focused upon their romance. The chemistry between Bad Bunny and Andrea Munoz is instantly palpable when they meet on screen and continues through to Mrs. Wolfe’s horrific demise which fuels her husband’s insatiable appetite for revenge. Ms. Munoz reached out to Simmie as a fan of her work as Serena in Honor (Simmie received the award for Best Actress from the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival and a Best Actress nomination at the New York Film Awards for her role in this film). Mrs. Wolfe is perhaps the most significant source of light and good in Bullet Train and as such, Andrea’s portrayal needed to communicate this luminous and benevolent quality with sincerity. Ms. Sangian notes, “A lot of this work came from Andrea’s physical acting, so we tried a lot of different ways to portray her character. We knew that she had to move with love and have a beautiful, almost hopeful glow to her. Andrea did a great job at putting everything positive into the character of Mrs Wolfe. We made sure that she had no worries as this character, and that it was almost as if all her dreams were coming true when marrying the Wolfe. Then for that to be tragically lost in a matter of seconds was absolutely heartbreaking for audiences.” As described, so much of the nature of Mrs. Wolfe is imparted with non-verbal gestures and actions, from her transfixing smile to her ability to gently place her hand on her husband’s chest to dissuade his violent actions when a wedding attendee causes him to spill wine on his jacket, she is the only one with the power to tame the beast which resides within him. This makes her particularly gruesome demise, along with all the wedding goers, even more devastating for the audience. This spectrum demands a commanding range as an actress. Ms. Sangian comments, “I wanted to make sure we learned to love Mrs Wolfe and root for her all the way up until her death and after that. From her physical movements which range from subtle to larger than life, to the way she interacts with The Wolfe – we left nothing untouched and Andrea gracefully portrayed her character in every scene.”
Anticipation is high for the premier of Bullet Train late this year on streaming services, an indication that the film’s popularity with the home viewing public may eclipse its international theatrical release of a near quarter billion-dollar gross. In addition to the previously mentioned accolades, this film was recognized with nominations for multiple awards such as Best Action Movie at the Critics Choice Super Awards, Best Action/Adventure Film at The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA and many more. From those in front of the camera like Mr. Pitt and Ms. Munoz to those off-camera empowering the performances like Simmie Sangian, Bullet Train hits the bully’s eye for nearly everyone.
Writer: Winston Scott