Leo Woodall has opened up about his initial fear of working alongside Dustin Hoffman in the upcoming thriller ‘Tuner’. The film, which premiered at Telluride and screens in Toronto on 8 September, follows Woodall’s character Niki, a piano tuner with hyperacusis who gets drawn into safecracking.
Woodall admitted to feeling crippling fear at the start of filming. “You don’t want to be s— for someone like Dustin Hoffman,” he said. “You’re so much more insecure and self-conscious. You can overthink shit.” However, after a few days, he grew comfortable and enjoyed lengthy improvisations with Hoffman, some lasting 15 to 20 minutes. “It was the most fun I’ve ever had acting,” Woodall added.
The actor, best known for ‘The White Lotus’, prepared for the role by speaking with someone who has hyperacusis, a condition that makes certain sounds painfully loud. He also spent two months learning piano alongside co-star Havana Rose Liu. “I couldn’t play the piano before the movie,” he said. “We did hours and hours every single day.”
Woodall praised the script by director Daniel Roher, saying it raised questions about identity beyond one’s career. “If I couldn’t be an actor, what on Earth would I be?” he reflected. He also noted that Niki’s appearance—more like a car mechanic than a typical pianist—was an intentional risk that made the character original.
