Joe Alwyn Says It Was 'Impossible' to Get into the Mind of “Kinds of Kindness ”Director While Filming

The actor is promoting his latest film 'Kinds of Kindness,' directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival

Joe Alwyn is promoting his latest film.

During a press conference at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival on Saturday, May 18, the actor, 33, who is in the south of France for the premiere of Kinds of Kindness, opened up about working with director Yorgos Lanthimos.

When asked about getting into Lanthimos' state of mind, Alwyn candidly admitted, "It's impossible."

"I just trust him," he continued. "Reading the script, it's bizarre and strange and bonkers and special, of course, but to try and unpack it too much, I think you'd just get stuck in your head."

"One of the reasons I love his film is you feel it first, rather than try to intellectually unpack it," Alwyn added. "And so I just kind of trust the world that he's building and follow whatever direction he gives, and feel lucky to be there."

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Alwyn's comments and his appearance at the 77th annual film event, come a month after his ex Taylor Swift released The Tortured Poets Department, which the singer teased was a breakup album that sees her exploring the five stages of heartbreak: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.

Since its debut on April 19, listeners have spotted subtle references to the Harriet star and their largely private relationship on various tracks, including "So Long, London," "But Daddy I Love Him" and "I Can Do It with a Broken Heart."

Related: Emma Stone, Joe Alwyn and Kinds of Kindness Cast Pose Together on Cannes Film Festival Red Carpet

While Swift, 34, has since gone on to have a high-profile relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and headline the ongoing Eras Tour, Alwyn has largely remained absent from the public eye over the past year.

A source recently told PEOPLE that "he's not comfortable in the spotlight," adding that Alwyn has been "focused on work" (with his IMDb profile listing two additional upcoming projects, The Brutalist and Hamlet, currently in post-production) and is "dating and happy."

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Alwyn has "moved on" from Swift and "certainly doesn’t talk poorly about her," the source told PEOPLE. "He was in love with her, and it just didn’t work out."

But with the upcoming release of Kinds of Kindness, which is set for a theatrical release in the U.S. on June 21, Alwyn is back in the spotlight and he garnered attention while walking the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday, May 16.

Related: Joe Alwyn Arrives in France for Cannes Film Festival a Month After Ex Taylor Swift's TTPD Album Drop

The film, co-written and directed by Lanthimos, is described by studio Searchlight Pictures, as "a triptych fable."

The movie follows "a man without choice who tries to take control of his own life; a policeman who is alarmed that his wife who was missing-at-sea has returned and seems a different person; and a woman determined to find a specific someone with a special ability, who is destined to become a prodigious spiritual leader."

"It's three different stories and there's a core of seven actors," Lanthimos previously told PEOPLE about the project, adding that the cast "all play three different characters."

Alwyn, whose multiple roles are credited as "collectibles appraise man 1, Jerry and Joseph," appears opposite an A-List ensemble, including Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Jesse Plemons, Hong Chau, Mamoudou Athie and Hunter Schafer.

Kinds of Kindness also reunites him with star (and friend of Swift's) Emma Stone, who leads the movie as "Rita, Liz and Emily." The two previously appeared onscreen together in Lanthimos' 2018 period comedy, The Favourite.

In a press release for the film, Stone, 35, praised her costar and expressed her gratitude for getting to work with him, noting Kinds of Kindness' challenging subject matter. "I love Joe," Stone, 35, said. "We had to do some pretty dark stuff on this one, so it was extremely comforting to be with him because he’s one of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet."

Kinds of Kindness will be released on June 21.

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