Tarsem Singh talks fantasy fare, trailer spoilers and his cemetery wedding

TORONTO – Film director Tarsem Singh’s new sci-fi feature “Self/less” is packed with twists.

If you’re curious about where a lot of them lead, all you have to do is watch the movie’s trailer, Singh grumbles.

“They obviously think it’s better to have (audiences) come in and be angry than not come in at all,” Singh says in a recent phone interview from Montreal.

“I didn’t mind some of it being given away but yes, if you asked me, I think it went overboard.”

The Indian-born filmmaker says his complaints about the action-packed teaser fell on deaf ears.

He’d rather people stay away from it altogether if they plan on seeing the movie.

“When we play the movie cold to people it played so well because when people didn’t know what’s happening they were so intrigued by it,” says Singh, who gained a reputation for stunning visuals with his 2000 horror hit “The Cell.”

“Right now, right into the second act, it’s kind of given away. There’s still some twists left but if you’ve seen the trailer you kind of go, ‘OK, get to the part (I know) quickly.’”

Singh says the tale’s plot-twisting elements were what drew him in the first place, and he calls the thriller a welcome departure from the fantasy fare he’s best known for.

Ben Kingsley stars as Damian, a cancer-riddled tycoon who undergoes a secret procedure that lets him take over the body of a younger, stronger, healthier man, played by Vancouver-bred Ryan Reynolds. Fellow Canuck actor Victor Garber co-stars as Damian’s good friend.

“I was trying to do something that wasn’t so fantasy (based),” says Singh, whose other features include the Snow White film “Mirror Mirror” and the mythological feature “The Immortals.”

“I just thought if I don’t try to mix it up right now I don’t think I’ll get the chance. So I’m thinking, ‘Let’s do thrillers that aren’t fantastical.’ So I was specifically looking for material like this when I found it.”

Still, Singh admits he’s considering taking on another fantasy project in the near future — this time a TV series for an unnamed U.S. network. He says it would shoot all over Europe and he would have a strong hand in the entire rollout.

“I’d want to do all of (the episodes) and that’s kind of unheard of. So let’s see,” he says.

Thankfully, he says his new Canadian wife, Jessica Chang, and their 10-month-old son travel easily with him.

He and Chang wed last year a little over a week before their baby was due. They had met on “Mirror Mirror” and now split their time between Los Angeles, Montreal and London.

Singh says their engagement and wedding were quick and took place at a cemetery.

It was all a surprise, explains Singh, who popped the question while Chang was visiting her mother’s grave. Anticipating a yes, he had an officiant ready to seal the union right there and then.

“Unfortunately, all our wedding photos are all (with) tombstones, except one which is against a tree,” he chuckles.

Since settling into a home in Montreal (actually two, if you count the neighbour’s house that they also bought and took over), Singh says he’s been exploring Quebec cinema and musing on shooting in his new hometown.

He’s a fan of Oscar-nominated Denis Villeneuve, and the Quebec point of view, in general.

“Somehow, there’s a sensibility that you can work like the North Americans but the aesthetics and thinking can also have a French push, which I think makes really great cinema right now.”

“Self/less” opens Friday.