“Godzilla” hits theaters this Friday, May 16.
Can you speak about your character’s emotional journey?
I guess where we started was the experience of being a wife and mother with a usually absent father and partner, and what that relationship means when they’re together and whatever their struggle could be. Basically, I think the story we wanted to tell is that Elle is patient with Ford trying to get over his own demons about his own relationship with his father – the role that his father played in his life – and at the same time she is angry that [Ford] has to go again. She needs him to be a better husband and father by going and being there for his own dad and spending that time. Then the struggle, and worry and fear that something happens to someone and you can’t reach them. I think everyone’s experienced it at one time or another when their mom calls 12 times and they call back and they’re not answering and you’re like: “Why did you call me 12 times if nothing was wrong?” at least that’s how I feel.
And then you start to realize that that is the relationship that has to happen, that is the family that has to continue once you have that fear of being apart and loosing someone. And also her struggle between dealing with her child and getting him to safety, but also dealing with the fact that her job that she has sworn to do is to take care of these people at a hospital, just like women and men had to do with Hurricane Katrina is how I think about it.
Was that one of the reasons you signed on?
Yeah, when I first was like: “Godzilla?” I’m not from a generation, I don’t think, that had a Godzilla experience and certainly I don’t think there is an American one that was such a classic that your parents show you – at least not my parents – and so I didn’t really have any history with it. And so what I learned about really from Gareth’s interpretation – which is honoring the original story of human neglect, or it was really more about Hiroshima – but translating that to something modern today, with nature, controlling it and not being able to and almost feeding the monster the way we have been. That made the story interesting and then for him to say: “It’s not a fully fleshed out story yet, but basically we need this family to be the core, we need them to separate and we need them to get back together and we need that relationship to be rooted and strong in order for anyone to care.” Because you can always watch a story about aliens and monsters and still enjoy it, but you want there to be some sort of rooted, grounded connection as well.
What does Gareth do really well?
He does a lot of things really well, I think his two greatest strengths are the fact that he comes from a special effects background so he is confident in that and he doesn’t have to worry about that when he’s on set. That’s something he knows that’s already been planned out, that he has in the bank and so all his focus on set is the actor, and the story, and helping you out and making sure that you’re telling the story. And that’s what you always want to see when you’re seeing these films that seem so far away from our own everyday reality, you want to be able to have the fun and you want to be able to have the rooted story as well.
How did you play against Godzilla in the film, did you have any sort of visual or was it just Gareth saying to you: “Look afraid”?
Well he showed me previews for any time I was working with special effects and so I basically just watched these cartoons that are reacting poorly or awkwardly to these monsters, so I would understand why the camera movement has to go here and then they would call my name for it to go down, and it’s all very technical. And then at first I was like thinking: “Oh look, there’s a monster,” and it was kind of fascinating, and then I was like: “Oh no, it’s scary,” so you’re like: “Sniper.” And basically you’re just having the same eye-line as like 300 people and you just try and focus when you’re being drenched with cold, heavy movie rain.
You’ve done a lot of smaller, character driven independent films, and now with “Godzilla” and “Avengers” it’s two big studio-blockbuster-action pieces in a row, how does that change your acting process from film to film? Does it change? Do you have to adjust what you’re doing?
I mean, it’s starting to change more so with “Avengers,” for “Godzilla” I had so much like rooted family scene work that I only had a few times where things were … reacting to, but even in “Godzilla” when I was reacting to something, you have all these extras who are doing the same thing also, so you’re all kind of like feeding of each other’s energy, or they are blasting you with smoke – which is kind of an uncomfortable situation – and so it’s not too far fetched from other things I’ve had to do. But “Avengers” has been totally different, a totally different experience with special effects because you’re not just reacting to them, to you’re imagination, you’re interacting with your imagination, or the objects you’re pretending to look at, you’re not running away from them, you’re engaging them and so that’s different and you know, it’s just like being a kid. I played made believe probably until it was an inappropriate age, and I still am so it’s just going back to that person, that child.
When we were talking with Gareth earlier I asked a question – because I was curious to know the conception of the monsters that are battling Godzilla in the movie – from an actor’s perspective, when did you see any like illustrations or story boards of that and also can you compare and contrast any level of secrecy that you had for “Godzilla” to maybe the “Avengers”?
Actually, I remember, I was there like a week for rehearsals with Garreth and he took me through the entire art room and all the diagrams, and so I actually got to see virtually everything that hopefully it was all going to look like, obviously not in 3-D or on screen. But I got to see everything and so that was fun, that was like being a little kid in a workshop basically.
And with the secrecy stuff, it’s just that no one really pays attention when you’re in Vancouver making “Godzilla.” The actors in our film, people love them and respect them, but people aren’t like media crazy about paparazzi or whatever so there’s none of that feeling. And then with something like “Avengers” you have like this huge franchise, or all of these huge franchises coming together to make one franchise and then the other one, people love taking pictures of these people’s private lives all the time so it’s just different. But the secrecy part, I mean it’s hard to keep it secret when you’re shooting on location because you’re filming around people’s apartments, you can’t kick people out of their apartments. But you’re not allowed to talk about anything, which is very funny and scary at the same time.
Did working with Aaron on this film, make it easier to work with him on “Avengers”?
Totally, I mean it was such a funny coincidence, we just finished “Godzilla” and then we’re the two people approached for “Avengers” and it was pretty random, but we were like: “That sounds awesome, like let’s do it again.” And it’s easier … we have a much closer connection in “Avengers” actually, because we’re these twin brothers and sisters who never leave each other’s side, and in “Godzilla” the whole point is that we’re apart. So it’s totally different and nice to have known him, his family and him as a person as well as an actor before doing that.
Do you wonder if these roles will define who you are as an actress for the rest of you career?
I don’t know, I don’t think that way just because they’re both ensemble, like I don’t feel as much pressure when it’s an ensemble piece I guess , and I feel like I’m in great company so maybe I’m ignorant, but I don’t know.
Have you wrapped shooting all you scenes for “Avengers” or do you know how much longer you have?
We’re shooting through summer.
What was the main thing in terms of feedback you heard because everyone that saw “Captain America: Winter Soldier” saw the end credit scenes with you and Aaron, and a lot of people we’re excited about that. What were some of the things that personally stood out for you in terms of the feedback?
I didn’t really read any of the feedback, I just have one friend who works at Bad Robot so she’s on all these blogs all the time so she’ll send me her favorite ones, but she only sends me the good stuff. I just like that people were stoked about our characters and everyone’s like: “What are they? Who are they? What’s their excuse going to be because they can’t talk about X-Men.” It’s just funny how much people care, you know, and it’s awesome to try to create a role because she has not been human embodied yet – it’s been cartoons and comics and voice recordings or something –and it’s fun to take what we are doing, and the comics, and the cartoons, and the fans and try and figure out where you’re going to play.
We asked Gareth, there might be a possibility of a sequel just based on the ending, how do you feel about doing a sequel. Obviously you signed up for “Avengers” and that’s a certain number of years in your life, but what about “Godzilla,” if there is room for you and Aaron to come back is that something you thought about?
Yeah, it’s something I’d love to do. I don’t really know what the story would be, but I know what the world of the next Godzilla … like I feel like you understand where the world is left when Godzilla walks back into the water and so I think whatever that world is left with, it’s a fun world to play in.
What’s it like experiencing reactions from audiences for large films like “Avengers” and “Godzilla” and smaller films like “Martha Marcy May Marlene”?
I don’t know because no one’s seen it yet, so I just think it’s so crazy that I see a poster for Godzilla all the time and I’m in a trailer all the time, which is really cool! It’s still funny how people have like seen “Martha Marcy May Marlene” like two months ago or something, like it has come up a lot recently for some reason, I don’t know why, but I feel like I’ve been probably approached like three more times than usual in the last couple of weeks because of “Martha.” So I don’t know if they have some kind of good deal or something.