The world premiere of “Tetris” gave the audience at South by Southwest a whole new look at Taron Egerton.
From his first appearance on screen, Austin audiences couldn’t shut up, cheering and clapping for his impassioned speeches, dad jokes and 1970s porn.
The film, which reveals a political thriller hidden within the story of its titular video game, stars Egerton as designer and entrepreneur Henk Rogers. After a simple deal at an electronics convention in Las Vegas goes awry, Rogers finds himself embroiled in overlapping conflicts between every game company worth its salt, an English billionaire and the Soviet Union itself, with his life threatened several times along the way.
The story behind “Tetris” is true – at least in part. The real Henk Rogers appeared for a post-screening Q&A with Alexey Pajitnov, the Russian designer behind the game, played by Nikita Yefremov in the film. If SXSW was excited to see Egerton, they were in complete awe of Rogers and Pajitnov, who received a standing ovation when they were introduced on stage.
As moderator, SXSW film and television director Claudette Godfrey asked the “Tetris” team which of the film’s erratic events were accurate and which required more creative license. They were mum on divulging the details.
“It’s all emotionally true,” screenwriter Noah Pink said with a laugh.
Pajitnov agreed: “It was emotionally and intellectually and spiritually a very truthful film.”
Godfrey pressed, asking about the reality of a scene in which Rogers signs a nondisclosure document to two Nintendo employees, who then show him a prototype Game Boy—the company’s first-ever foray into handheld devices.
“I’m still under NDA,” Rogers joked.
Egerton found that working on “Tetris” reunited him with his favorite things about his job.
“I think what I especially connected with about the script is quite universal, because despite the fact that it’s an extraordinary story – a global phenomenon, well known – it’s really the story of a friendship between two guys from two very different geographical locations and ideologies, but they bond over something quite childlike,” he said. “It’s the love of play. And I’m an actor, and that’s what I do.”