‘Cloud Atlas’ gang ponders hopes for next lives

Hanks: Because I’ve seen old lions! I’ve been to the zoo!

Berry: But they’re in the zoo. I don’t want to be in the zoo. I want to be out in the wild.

Hanks: Oh, man. You’ve seen “The Lion King” way too many times.

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Whishaw: I don’t want to be human. I’d like to be an animal, and maybe some kind of big cat. A predatory cat.

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Sturgess: You always want to say some sort of incredible artist of some sort, but actually, maybe not human at all. To experience life as a different animal would be kind of interesting. I mean, a bird. Having the opportunity to fly. That would be pretty awesome. Something as far away as what your experience this time around could possibly be.

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Weaving: I love working on the land, actually. My dad’s family came from a long line of illiterate farm laborers in the west country of England. Generations and generations of them. There’s something of that in me, I think. I plant a lot of trees. I have a property about three hours north of Sydney and head up there with family and friends. So maybe something to do with the earth and the land, or trees or nature.

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Sarandon: I like being a woman. I really do, and I guess it would depend on how the world is. But I would certainly like to be a very healthy woman, girl, young girl, that lives in a time of empowerment. Not necessarily wealthy, but empowered somehow. And I’d like to be able to sing like a black woman. That must be so joyful to be able to open your mouth in the shower and have Alicia Keys come out of you. I don’t care what I look like so much, but if I could open my mouth _ it doesn’t have to be professional. It could be privately, but instead of talking like this, to be able to express yourself that way would be great. Anything musical, because I don’t think I’m particularly musical.

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Mitchell: We’ve really lucked out in this life. We’re sort of reasonably middle-class-ish people in a lucky, privileged country where existence isn’t a grim scramble for survival in brutal conditions. I’d be delighted to be here again pretty much in this form, thank you very much. If there’s space for me.

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