By James Mottram
Did you change your attitude to aliens after your experiences on Arrival? “I changed my attitude to aliens after I saw E.T! I believe that aliens are here for helping us! I loved Starman too – I had a crush on an alien, because he was cute, and of course, I loved Superman. It seems like there’s a theme. I heart aliens.”
This movie asks so many big, important questions…what sort of questions did you find yourself asking as you were working on this film? “I actually didn’t quite tune in to some of the bigger questions, because I was shooting and I was so into playing Louise. Primarily with Louise, I was definitely concerned about communication, and I was concerned about making a move before you truly understand what you’re asking. You have to understand the other person before you can judge their statement, or judge an action. The thing that I really keyed into was the idea of choice, and about time, and about love. That’s what grounded me, and tied me to this film. Even more so than when we filmed it last year, and it’s crazy to think about everything that’s happened in the year since, the film depicts this utopia, and it shows the unity that we all fantasise about, but it’s hard to imagine that happening.”
Did you enjoy working with director, Denis Villeneuve? “Yes! He’s French Canadian, and I love doing Denis’ voice. It’s not insulting to anyone, because it’s really my favourite voice to do. Speaking of communication, one of my favourite things that Denis did was when I tended to ramble. Like, if I’m stuck on something, I’ll start talking, and I talk myself through it, without asking an actual question, and Denis would be like, ‘Aha, aha’, and I was like, ‘Is that what you think?’ and he was like, ‘I have stopped listening to you, about a minute ago, because I cannot understand you.’ We would have lapses in communication on set, but Denis is really special. He’s great.”
You do seem to like working with alternative-type filmmakers, like Spike Jonze or David O. Russell, or Denis Villeneuve here… “Yeah, I do.”
Is that your thing? Is that your taste? Has it always been that way? “I like working with all sorts of directors, and they’re not afraid to tell the difficult stories, or the stories that might be tricky, or the stories that might make people ask questions. It seems like, as audiences get further and further away, they want everything answered in a film, and so I love it when people aren’t afraid to leave some things up in the air, or to make people think, or to just challenge their perceptions. I really enjoy working with those directors.”
How do you pick your roles? “With Arrival, it was because the script was fantastic. It was so complicated and complex, and I thought, ‘I have got to see what Denis intends on doing with this, because this is unbelievable.’ It was so emotional, and so moving. When I met with Denis, he zeroed in on the fact that this was a very emotional story, and he wanted it to feel real. He wanted it to feel like all of this stuff would be happening, but at the end of the day, it’s a story about a woman, and her child, and the choices that she makes. And I thought, ‘Well, that’s going to be interesting to play in a sci-fi movie about communication and global war!’ So, I thought, “Yes! I’m on board!’ That sounds really fun, and challenging.”
Have you got anything in common with Louise? “Yeah, I do. I definitely sometimes feel like I struggle to be heard. Or struggle to communicate with people…I’m wrapped up in my way of wanting to do things, and seeing the bigger picture. There are things like that, absolutely! I take things on whole-heartedly as well.”
Was there something that you learned or took away from your character? “Like the end of the movie says, really, it just comes down to love, and it comes down to choice, and it comes down to the moments in between. Yes, there are themes of working together, and the global stuff, but what really stuck with me, is that it’s just all about appreciating the moments in between, and choosing to experience life and love.”
Arrival is released in cinemas on November 10. Click through for our interviews with Arrival co-star, Jeremy Renner, and director, Denis Villeneuve.
