Ralph Ineson Talks ‘Two Neighbors’ After ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’

You’d forgive Ralph Ineson for suffering from a touch of whiplash.

The actor — beloved in his native England for his performance as Chris “Finchy” Fincher in the U.K. version of The Office — is arriving in Edinburgh off the back of a wild press run. He’s just starred as the vast, insatiable villain Galactus opposite Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby in Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, currently sitting atop $230 million at the global box office.

Not even a month after the release of the MCU’s biggest film of the year, the 55-year-old is attending the world premiere of his next project, Ondine Viñao’s Two Neighbors, which also boasts an ensemble cast of Euphoria breakout Chloe Cherry and The Witcher‘s Anya Chalotra.

“I don’t think anybody will have had a budget drop from film-to-film as I’ve had with The Fantastic Four to Two Neighbors,” Ineson laughs to The Hollywood Reporter. “To me, the job’s pretty much the same.”

Audiences might also recognize the actor (and his distinctive, gravelly voice) for his team-ups with Nosferatu and The Witch helmer Robert Eggers, or even his brief appearances in Warner Bros.’ Harry Potter films. Yet, as Ineson’s star rises higher and higher, he tells THR he’s still picking his projects according to style, vision and the chance to work with brilliant filmmakers.

In Two Neighbors, Viñao is inspired by one of Aesop’s Fables, “Avaricious and Envious.” The dark comedy follows a wealthy socialite, Stacy (Cherry), and a struggling writer, Becky (Chalotra), who are brought together at a lavish, debauched New York party. The satirical take on their greed and divergence into excess finds itself leaning into the supernatural, with Ineson starring as a mysterious and devilish character known as the Genie, who can wield real, irreversible magic.

“He’s from hell, he’s a dark entity of sorts,” Ineson continues. “But he’s also kind of bored in the film. I don’t think the concept of any mortal gratification is of real interest to him — it’s more the fun or the curiosity he has in manipulating and puppeting these ridiculous people that he comes across.”

Below, Ineson talks about making the move from blockbuster to Viñao’s budget-friendly feature, premiering in competition at Edinburgh Film Festival. He discusses being fascinated by the “weird and dirty” script, nailing an American accent and why he finds himself preferring working on a film directed by a woman: “There’s less untamed aggression, as there sometimes can be with men directors.”

I watched the film this morning. Maybe not the kind of film that you want to watch early in the morning.

Certainly not.

How did the Genie come into your life?

It was a strange one. It was in the middle of the [SAG-AFTRA] strike… I was immediately intrigued by [the script]. I didn’t understand it fully, which is a good thing, in a sense — you don’t want to read something and it all be so obvious to you, semantically. And I’d seen some of Ondine’s work before and knew what a strong vision she has. I was fascinated by her style as an artist and when I got the script, it was fascinating, weird and dirty.

So you hadn’t worked with Ondine before?

No, no, no. She sent me the scripts and an offer of it, and we spoke over Zoom. And we grew the character from that.

What were those conversations like? I’d have loved to have been a fly on the wall while you two were discussing exactly how to depict your character.

I mean, it is the idea of trying to find out who he is, in a really basic actor characterization breakdown. I thought the easiest thing is [it’s] quite obvious what his powers are. He’s from hell, he’s a dark entity of sorts. But he’s also kind of bored in the film. I think that’s what I tried to lean into with Ondine — he’s got this vibe of being kind of tired of it. He’s very good at his job, but he’s working below his level. I feel like he’s a guy who was quite a big musician, perhaps, or a stand up comedian or something, but got kind of semi-canceled. Now he’s doing gigs at [British seaside resort chain] Butlin’s, holiday parks. Manipulating these obviously very greedy and avaricious [people] is still kind of beneath his skills.

He’s also got this greediness in himself, perhaps, like he’s doing it for the money too.

Well, I don’t think the concept of any mortal gratification is of real interest to him. It’s more the fun or the curiosity he has in manipulating and puppeting these ridiculous people that he comes across.

This is based on a Greek fable of Aesop’s. Did Ondine discuss any message she was trying to convey about wealth, envy or greed?

As far as the message goes, there’s only a certain amount that I want to know. In that situation, it’s Ondine’s film. She’s the filmmaker, and I’m doing a specific part in the making of the film… So my way of going around it is not to be thinking what the messaging [of] the film is. It’s to play the character in the way that she wants it, to tell that story she wants to tell. It was just about trying to find motives which, in a sense, had nothing to do with normal human motives. So trying to make [the Genie] real, in that way. For Ondine to then use that performance to tell the story and give the story whatever meaning she wants.

As an actor, if you’re thinking anything beyond existing authentically and immediately be in the moment when the camera is rolling, you’re starting to get into elements above your pay grade. Your job is to provide the editor, the director, the sound designers, everybody who goes on to post-production to make the movie, with a very specific part of the process. That’s always what I concentrate on. So what Ondine’s message is in the film is not my job. Obviously, she will gear my performance to make it fit what she wants from the character but it’s the trying to make that character a real and authentic presence in the story — that’s my job.

Watching this, I immediately knew the film was directed and written by a woman. The discussion around beauty standards and the double standard was very authentic. Did Ondine speak about that at all?

Yeah, obviously it comes through incredibly strongly in the film and, in a sense, without just going against what I just said, I did try and pull back from the the macho side of the character in a way. I really enjoy working with women directors… I often find the sets are calmer, a nicer place to be, but also full of reflection. There’s less untamed aggression, as there sometimes can be with men directors.

This was fiery in a creative way, not in a shouty way. She’s a constant [source] of creative energy, so that energy created a really good set. It was a creatively vibrant set rather than a, sometimes on a male-directed set, [where] the creative energy can be a little manic.

You nailed the American accent, once again.

I’ve done it a few times over the years. I think my strongest is obviously Southern [American], but I tried to just make him general American. But also, I occasionally tried to slightly parody the individual characters he’s talking to, as if, because you don’t really know what he talks like — he’s from hell. That’s exactly what he talks like. He’s quite similar to another character I’ve just played in that he appears to whoever he’s appearing to in a way they will understand… This isn’t to hide any holes in my accent performance. [Laughs.] But I did try to move it around slightly, depending on who I was talking to.

It totally works — he’s a manipulator, right?

Yeah.

Two Neighbors is premiering in Edinburgh. Will you be there on the ground?

I’m going to be there on Friday night for the premiere, which I’m really excited about. My son’s in the film as well, in the final sequences. He plays a New York prep boy. So that’ll be fun, we’re both going up to see that Friday night.

I’ve never been to see a film of mine [at EIFF], but I was a juror on the documentaries panel a few years ago, which was one of the loveliest experiences ever. Taken out for lunch and dinner in fabulous restaurants and three days of watching great films.

I’m sure. In the context of your wider career, Two Neighbors arrives just after the big summer blockbuster, Marvel’s Fantastic Four: First Steps. You’ve gone from being an established, beloved TV actor to Hollywood stardom. But then you’re drawn back to something like this, a low-budget indie. Is it just about range?

I think it’s about working on interesting projects with interesting filmmakers. The budget of the project should only come into play when it’s so low that it’s not worth you doing financially because it’s costing you money, or it’s so low that they don’t have the budget to keep you safe while filming the action film. But I try to make [the budget] the last thing I think about. I’m quite proud [of that].

I don’t think anybody will have had a budget drop from film-to-film as I’ve had [with] The Fantastic Four to Two Neighbors. [Laughs.] To me, the job’s pretty much the same. The film may be huge or it may be much smaller but my job is very similar. It may have involved trailers with Marvel but I hope to always have the privilege to pick the jobs I do because I want to work with the filmmaker, rather than the budget. But obviously, doing a Marvel film keeps you free to do that.

The financial freedom, you mean?

The financial freedom to not have to work to pay the mortgage like I’ve been paying for 30 years. Working on bigger, quote unquote “Hollywood” productions does give you the freedom to go, “Right, I can do that because I don’t have to go out to make a certain amount of money to feed my family and pay my mortgage and car insurance and all this kind of stuff. It gives an actor like me — who’s always been a jobbing actor — the space to be able to choose my jobs because I want to work with the filmmaker.

Edinburgh International Film Festival 2025 runs Aug. 14-20.