Eva Green in 300: Rise of an Empire
Eva Green has had a very busy 2014, and 300: Rise of an Empire is just one of the projects that we have seen her star in.
She was one of the new faces on the cast list as she took on the role of Artemisia for the first time.
- Coming into a project like this, knowing the impact that the first film had, did you have any expectations? Anything you were looking forward to, or maybe, nervous about?
I knew that they were going to have the same kind of visual thing - I knew it was going to look striking. They have amazing special effects people.
I was a bit worried at the beginning to not be believable as a 'woman commander'. The fact that I had to train for two months in advance gave me some confidence to build this crazy commander that was a very ballsy woman.
- You have a theatrical background. A lot of times people think 'Oh, green screen is so challenging', but it can’t be more that different from performing on a stage...
You’re absolutely right. You just have to use your imagination. We didn’t have any water -- it was all digital.
I think I would have died if it had been real water because I get seasick. I was, like, 'Oh, my god is it going to move?'
No, thank God. We just had some fans to look like it was wind and all that. It was all an illusion but I had real actors with me and that’s what matters.
- You mentioned two months of training -- tell me about your experience working with Mark [Twight] and with Damon [Caro]. Have you kept any of that with you - any of Mark’s philosophies or any of Damon’s little tips and hints that maybe can be applied to regular everyday life?
To me it was the best thing -- the training and the physical stuff. It was why I did this film. It’s my first action film and it was a big challenge because I have a tendency to think too much in my head and this was like 'just go for it, just do it'.
Mark, the personal trainer, was very demanding but I think he adapted to me. I'm a girl so he was not as hard, I think.
We did lots of lunges and squats. At the beginning it was really hard and then week after week you become stronger.
To lift those swords you need to do that training --also, it helped me to look really cool for the fight scenes. You have to go quite low, so all this hard work with Mark paid off. I could go in a low stance thanks to the training.
- Your wardrobe is spectacular, and Alexandra Byrne is one of the best in the business. Tell me a little bit about working with her and the costumes you had to embody this role with.
Alexandra Byrne is so talented and very humble. She’s very open because actors have to feel comfortable with their costumes. It helps you to act.
I had to wear those kinds of costumes, lots of leather and armor -- black, gold. I had this amazing outfit with spikes down my back.
I looked like a dinosaur and it was really cool and brave. It’s a brave choice that she’s made.It’s great.
- Your character, like all these characters, exists in history - it’s over 2000 years old, and yet it feels so contemporary. To you, why is it that these types of stories still resonate with us today, and we relate to them in a contemporary way?
I see it really as pure entertainment. My character is really loosely based on the real character, Artemisia. I think we should do a different film on the real Artemisia.
I think people also want to escape from reality. It’s like an opera, this film. It’s very ambitious. It’s...'Wow'.
300: Rise of an Empire is released on DVD & Blu-Ray 29th September.
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