Hello!
Hello, how are you mate?
We got a
bit rushed off my feet.
I'll tell you here because I've just literally come from the BAFTAs,
so I'm still in my the black tie.
Yeah, you look. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was.
Did your team win?
Did you. Did the people you wanted to win win?
I don't know, because I've been working
since then and sending files and all this nonsense.
I don't even know who's won yet, so I'll find out after I talk to you.
Sorry to pull you away from something so glamorous.
Oh, no.
I did the glamorous part.
I've done the glamorous reality now.
Yeah,
guys, congratulations on the film.
Thanks. Thank you.
Thank you.
Maybe start with you Brittany
I've seen the trailers and everything else.
How have you been describing this to friends and family?
Because from the trailer, it looks like one thing, but could be something else.
And there's a lot of secrets.
So how have you been describing it
to people that have been curious to see what this is about?
I've kind of been telling people that it is a group of people
with altruistic motives and entrepreneurial motives
going to rural Texas to film an elevated porno in 1979.
And there's themes of... Martin's laughing at me!
It sounded so highbrow until the P word
so you are in a porno
but then chaos ensues because we unfortunately are being hosted
by two elderly people who do not like how young and sexual we are.
And yeah, there's a lot of there's a lot of intricacies there
in terms of the theme and what ageing does to us and things like that.
But I think on a whole like it's just a wild ride
and I've been talking to people about how fun it is.
Yeah, so it's a typical, typical Saturday night at the movies then.
Yeah, I think I probably agree it's not like porn and you know, all
those things,
all the hits And Martin - what was your what was your kind of lure to the script
when you had the script for the first time?
What was it for you that kind of spoke to you
and you wanted to get you involved in this one?
I think it
was just the clever mixing of the genres.
You know, I sort of just
I always read a script and try to see it through the audience's eyes.
And I, I saw the appeal of something.
A set in the seventies has this kind of cool, aesthetic,
cool factor and I knew the music would be great.
You know, it's in some ways classic horror.
Yet there's, there's very
comedic element as well, which I actually find quite refreshing.
I'm not a big fan of super dark horrors.
I find that a bit much.
But when it's done tongue in cheek in the way that this film is,
I knew it would be fun.
And also I felt challenged.
There's also some real pathos that you start to feel for the
for the elderly couple in the movie.
And then that challenged me a lot.
I didn't quite expect to have those sorts of thoughts
or feelings about characters in a movie like this.
So I thought,
you know,
there was just a lot there that was going to be entertaining.
And then when I spoke to the director, Ti [West] his vision for it was so cinematic and
it was a bit of a no brainer.
I really wanted to be a part of it. And,
you know, I just tell people it's like a really fun
sexy wild romp and it's outrageous and you know, it's sex and violence,
but with comedy and pathos and it has a lot to offer Yeah.
And you mentioned you mentioned
Ti there and he's become such a formidable filmmaker
in such a short amount of time.
And people are really excited to see what he does.
And he hasn't made a huge amount of films every single time seems to be playing.
Like you said, with genre -
what horror means and all the bits in between.
So what was it like for you guys as actors?
To be in his in his world and to work under him
and see just how he kind of how he works and how he makes his movies?
Maybe Brittany,. I'll pass that to you first.
Yeah.
I mean, something that I found really interesting about Ti is how
specific he is about every single detail, and he really does
work it out in his head.
As he's writing and as he's prepping.
And I think he he knows what he wants to a
just the most intricate degree.
And I think that that's something that as an actor, you do feel
held in a world because you know that it's already been thought of
and taken care of and with in terms of being a woman in that way,
without someone being so specific and without someone being so
intricate when it comes to how they're going
to shoot it and plan it that could be
taken in a place that's maybe lackadaisical
about like shooting a porno and the sexuality of it.
But he was so clear about what he wanted and how to make us feel comfortable
that I felt like I was in good hands and I knew that
it was going to be elevated in that way.
Yeah. A mind for you.
I mean, you both have worked with amazing filmmakers.
What what distinguishes Ti to some of the other people that you've
you've worked under
he actually in some ways, I remember
times on the set where I felt
that there were similarities between his approach.
And it reminded me of working
with Gore Verbinski on The Ring was also a horror movie.
And I thought what was interesting, Gore is, was very technical.
And every every shot was so like Brittany mentioned, it was so specific.
And when you turned your head where your eyeline should be was
so thought out because he he had he knew visually exactly
what he wanted to create in order to have the right effect on the audience.
And I felt Ti had a similar
sort of pre thought out specific idea.
And at first it felt challenging because it was like, oh, I have to do it.
Ti's way.
And that takes a lot of trust, right?
Because you're like, Oh, but maybe I want to do it my way.
But ultimately, you know,
having faith and turning it over to Ti and realising like,
this guy really knows what movie he's making, it actually gives you some
relief and
confidence that you like Brittany said you're in really good hands,
and when you see the movie, I'm like, Oh, that's why he wanted us to do it
that way.
You know,
he knows exactly when the music's going to come,
and he knows exactly when he's going to cut to the next thing.
And it was very meticulously planned out.
Yeah.
And you got this wonderful ensemble as well.
You've got the obviously Mia [Goth] and
and you've got Jenna [Ortega] who's like becoming an absolute superstar at the minute.
So it must be great for you guys. And you worked for ensembles before.
To work with a company of actors like this, you're doing your own
kind of the quote unquote, the trenches together.
You're bringing his vision to the screen.
How much does that kind of help you with your performance to work with
with young up-and-comers, but also kind of seasoned actors that
maybe it'll come to you.
I mean, it's great because they're so talented.
I think when it's like playing
tennis, we play against someone who's good or better than you.
Your game rises, you know?
You know, it's sort of challenging when you're here.
Like the old veteran
but, you know, specifically talking to Jenna,
you know, it's such a force, it's such an intellectual,
focused young woman.
And it was quite inspiring to be around
someone so young, yet so fascinated by the film process.
And it's quite exciting to see the way she approaches her work
and what makes you realise she's going to be around
and be a part of this industry for a long time and different facets, you know?
So but definitely it's just makes your job so much easier.
The whole cast was great, you know, we were blessed to have
everyone was so good for their roles and so much fun
and I think you really felt that ensemble feeling on screen.
Was that same for you Brittany as well.
I mean, it's I guess it's impossible
to not be affected by working with great ensembles like this.
Oh yeah.
And I think that there was there was ways where all of our characters
kind of inherently were facets of us already.
And then we sort of morphed into them as the film went on.
I felt like I was a person.
That's not true.
Well, like
group leader in a way.
And we look to you for a lot of things.
And I think for me,
I sort of got everyone together and tested everyone and made sure
everyone was okay, you know, like, I think that we all sort of
inherently felt a kinship to each other and knew what our characters were.
And it kind of was embedded in how the film went on, of which
which is sometimes useful to to creating a well-rounded character.
But also, I mean, we, we did form such a bond because we were a part
of this little bubble in the middle of New Zealand and,
and we just had so much fun.
You have to have fun when it's this type of a movie.
And we really got to, to just let loose and,
and also challenge each other, which was really nice.
Yeah.
Before you go, I'm going to make you both feel old.
I don't mean to this in a discriminatory way, but in a fun way.
So this, this year Martin for you.
20 years is the ring which I watched last Halloween
and it still holds up.
So I just wanted to see you again.
Do you still get asked about making the ring?
Because it's become such as that and obviously the original as well,
it becomes such a big kind of staple of modern horror films.
Yeah, it's funny, I haven't done a lot of horror movies,
but obviously that one sort of broke the mould, at least in Hollywood.
Right?
In Japan, clearly. But
yeah, I get asked about it a lot.
It's a lot of people's favourite horror movie,
so I feel really proud of that.
And being a part of something that was so new to Hollywood at the time,
and the question I get the most people
might ask the same thing about this movie is like, was it scary making it?
Because the effect on the audience is is so chilling
Yeah, but the same is true for this movie.
It wasn't scary at all. It was fun.
And like I said, you know, I think Ti, like Gore Verbinski would
very technically minded.
And so it was almost like dance moves and there was nothing scary about it all.
So it's
quite thrilling to be a part of something that has nothing scary really going on.
And then you sit back and watch the final product and you know,
and you get to see all the scares and see how effective the director was.
Yeah, and for you Brittany
ten years of the Bellas, ten years since the Bellas began three movies.
A TV show is coming now. Apparently
that when you made the first movie, could you foresee it
becoming kind of the force that the film and the Bellas themselves
have kind of become in in that decade since?
No, I mean, I think we all had no idea.
I knew I was going to be something special because of how intelligent
the comedy was, and I thought it was going to be a really good movie, but
I don't think anybody knows when they're doing something like that
that it's going to be a franchise and live on in this way.
You hope so, but it's been really
I don't know.
It's been really great
and I'm honoured to be a part of it because it's it's actually also formed
some of my most strong and lasting friendships.
Do Do you know much about the TV show
or is this something completely different to what you guys done?
I've, I've heard rumours of a TV show that might be coming down the pipe,
but we don't really know.
I mean, we don't know.
We know that,
like Elizabeth Banks and things like that are involved with the Bellas.
We don't live in Germany.
We I think that's where it's taking place.
Well, I I'm sure she would love to.
I feel like you should come back like 20 years down the line
when you're a little bit older, a little bit more seasoned,
and we see you perform again.
That would have to be quite
long. You said that. We'll all get on it. Yeah.
And all the women tell them all that.
Guys, thank you so much for your time.
Absolute pleasure talking to you. Thanks, Scott.