Taylor Russell Explains What She And Timothée Chalamet Actually Ate While Filming Cannibalism Scenes In Bones And All

Taylor Russell and Timothee Chalamet in Bones And All
(Image credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures)

For actors, filming eating scenes can be a gross experience. If you're actually swallowing food, multiple takes and angles can end up leaving you full and sick... and the alternative is to make use of a spit bucket, which also isn't particularly pleasant. It's really a no-win situation – but apparently it was an issue that was at least partially alleviated on the set of director Luca Guadagnino's cannibal-centric film Bones And All, which had stars Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet feasting on a surprisingly sweet concoction simulating human flesh.

Russell recently spoke with Slash Film about the making of the new horror romance movie, and she explained what it was that she and her co-star were eating in the scenes where their characters dine on long pig. Apparently, Luca Guadagnino didn't spill all of the details to her directly, and she had to do a bit of behind-the-scenes investigating to learn the truth. Said Russell,

On a very practical note, Luca said that we were eating corn syrup. But I know that I wasn't, because I remember the incredible effects team and the team who were handling all of that sort of stuff told me that it was maraschino cherries, dark chocolate, and Fruit Roll-Ups.

Given the amount of corn syrup that is used in the manufacturing of candies and sweets, it's actually kind of hard to say to what degree Luca Guadagnino was fibbing to his Bones And All star here.

If you're not into eating sweets, that recipe probably sounds a bit gross to you, but apparently Taylor Russell isn't in that camp. She evidently didn't tell the interviewer how Timothée Chalamet felt while chowing down on the chunky goo, but she seems to be a fan:

If that sounds good to you, cool. If it doesn't, fair enough. But it was very sweet and [tastier] than anything else maybe you could imagine.

One imagines that actually liking the sweet mess helped with Taylor Russell's performance. While I can't say that I have personally seen Bones and All yet, cinematic cannibals typically get a thrill out of enjoying their choice of meal, and Russell wouldn't have to fake that if she actually liked the goop that was coming out of the props department.

Based on the novel of the same name by Camille DeAngelis, Bones And All is a romantic/horrific coming-of-age movie that sees Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet play Maren and Lee – a young couple with particular eating habits on a road trip across America. The trailer for the film debuted in late September, and you can watch it below: 

 

The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival a couple months ago, but it's on its way to theaters soon, as its set to premiere in limited release starting November 18. Tickets are on sale on Fandango, so check your local theaters to see if it's playing near you.

Check out our 2022 Movie Release Calendar to learn about all of the other movies that are scheduled to be released between now and the end of the year, and if your tastes lean hard towards scary films, check out our Upcoming Horror Movies guide.

Eric Eisenberg
Assistant Managing Editor

Eric Eisenberg is the Assistant Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. After graduating Boston University and earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, he took a part-time job as a staff writer for CinemaBlend, and after six months was offered the opportunity to move to Los Angeles and take on a newly created West Coast Editor position. Over a decade later, he's continuing to advance his interests and expertise. In addition to conducting filmmaker interviews and contributing to the news and feature content of the site, Eric also oversees the Movie Reviews section, writes the the weekend box office report (published Sundays), and is the site's resident Stephen King expert. He has two King-related columns.