Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning Philip Roth novel, AMERICAN PASTORAL follows a family whose seemingly idyllic existence is shattered by the social and political turmoil of the 1960s. Ewan McGregor (Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Beginners) makes his directorial debut and stars as Seymour “Swede” Levov, a once legendary high school athlete who is now a successful businessman married to Dawn, a former beauty queen. But turmoil brews beneath the polished veneer of Swede’s life. When his beloved teenage daughter, Merry, disappears after being accused of committing a violent act, Swede dedicates himself to finding her and reuniting his family. What he discovers shakes him to the core, forcing him to look beneath the surface and confront the chaos that is shaping the world around him. AMERICAN PASTORAL also stars Academy Award® winner Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind) as Dawn, Dakota Fanning (The Runaways, The Twilight Saga) as Merry, Emmy® winner Uzo Aduba (Orange Is the New Black), and Academy Award® nominee David Strathairn (Lincoln, Good Night, and Good Luck).
‘I have dreamt of directing a feature for the last 15 years and never found the ‘right’ story. I wanted to direct, not for the sake of being a director, but because there was a story I HAD to tell. Well American Pastoral gave me everything I was looking for. I was incredibly lucky that I had Lakeshore’s trust and incredible talent in front of and behind the camera to make Roth’s story the film I thought it should be. The creative collaboration with the cast and the crew was as thrilling as I had hoped it would be. I was a very happy man making this film and it is the film I wanted it to be.’
– Ewan McGregor, Director & Actor, AMERICAN PASTORAL, as told to VanityFair.com
Directed by Ewan McGregor with screenplay by John Romano based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning Philip Roth novel, AMERICAN PASTORAL stars Ewan McGregor, Jennifer Connelly, Dakota Fanning, Uzo Aduba and David Strathairn.
In theatres October 21, 2016.
www.Facebook.com/AmericanPastoral
www.Instagram.com/AmericanPastoral
Twitter: @AmPastoralMovie
