In the Lost Lands is an action fantasy adapted from short stories by the one and only George R.R. Martin. With the author having garnered a mᴀssive following thanks to Game of Thrones, this puts enormous pressure on the filmmakers to get things right. Paul WS Anderson directs, and his wife, Milla Jovovich, stars. The two revealed the pressure they felt adapting the story, and Martin’s reaction after watching it, in an interview with ScreenRant.
In The Lost Lands follows the sorceress Gray Alys (Jovovich) on her venture into the perilous Lost Lands to help a queen get the power to shape-shift. She enlists the help of a guide named Boyce (Dave Bautista), and the two face ᴅᴇᴀᴅly creatures and treacherous landscapes along the way. In The Lost Lands comes to theaters on March 7.
ScreenRant spoke with Paul WS Anderson and Milla Jovovich about their film In The Lost Lands. They discussed what it was like collaborating with George R.R. Martin and the pressures that came along with it. The two revealed their on-set routine when working with one another, and how they set apart being a married couple while filming. Jovovich also detailed what it is about Gray Alys that sets her apart from the other incredibly strong females she has played on screen.
Paul WS Anderson & Milla Jovovich Discuss The Pressures Of Collaborating With George R.R. Martin
“The Most Stressful Part Of The Whole Process Was Going And Screening The Finished Movie For Him”
George R.R. Martin is obviously very well known because of Game of Thrones, but he also wrote the story that In The Lost Lands adapts. When asked what it was like collaborating with him, Paul immediately admits “It was a lot of pressure.” He goes on to admit that both he and Jovovich are huge fans of Martin’s work, so this was a big deal for them: “This is really one of his first big movies that he’s done. Obviously, he’s had mᴀssive success in television. So there was a lot of pressure on us. And to adapt George R.R. Martin, it’s a big deal.”
The two wanted to make sure that Martin was involved throughout the entire process, “So we kept him very close. He saw all of the screenplays. He had input. He gave notes. We took those notes.” Anderson admits, however, that making the movie itself was not even the most stressful part, “then the most stressful part of the whole process was going and screening the finished movie for him.”
Thankfully, it all worked out, as he adds,“It was stressful, but it had an amazing end because he turned around and said he loved it. We had really captured his voice in the adaptation better than anyone had done before. So we were very happy, stressed but happy.”
Milla Jovovich Reveals What Sets Gray Alys Apart From Other Characters She Has Played
“I’ve Been Created In Laboratories. I’ve Been Injected With Viruses”
Jovovich has graced our screens as many powerful female characters, and we are all waiting for the next Resident Evil, but Gray Alys captures something she has never done before. “Gray Alys is the first real magical creature I’ve ever played,” she explains. “I’ve done a lot of sci-fi. I’ve been created in laboratories. I’ve been injected with viruses. It’s always been kind of corporate.“
Jovovich says that Gray Alys “is the first really organic magical being that I’ve been able to play.” She says this is really exciting for her because fantasy is one of her favorite genres of books, “I read fantasy books all the time.“
It was beautiful to be able to delve so deeply into a character.
Jovovich admits that portraying this character is “definitely a dream come true” and she loved being able to “go into that world, that mythological world where you have these deities and the archetypes and the curses and the blessings and all of these things, and you’re trying to understand the root of where they come from and what their purpose is and what that archetype is.“
She adds, “It was beautiful to be able to delve so deeply into a character.“
Paul WS Anderson & Milla Jovovich Discuss Their On Set Routine Whenever They Work Together On A Film
“It’s One Of My Favorite Things About Working With Paul”
A lot of people in the entertainment industry end up in relationships together, but they do not all end up working together as often as Anderson and Jovovich do. When asked about their process and routine when they are on set, it becomes clear how much they love each other, and their work. “The day starts really early for us. We’re the first people to turn up on set before the crew arrives, so the set is completely empty,” Anderson explains.
“We have a cup of coffee, and we walk around, and we talk about the day.” He adds, “It’s a really important part of our creative process to get like 45 minutes just alone to talk about creative things.” After that, the director of pH๏τography comes in and the camera operators come in, and they start to fold the crew into their discussions for the day.
Jovovich chimes in, saying “I think it’s so important, and it’s such a luxury when you’re able to do that, to be able to come in early and get a sense, especially of a new set, what is your environment like? What can you interact with? Where can you walk? What’s there? Because obviously, humans interact with their environment. That’s all we do.“
She says to start taking up space in the quiet “without a million people watching” and without the pressure of having that countdown going is “one of my favorite things about working with Paul.“
Check back soon for our other In The Lost Lands interview:
- Dave Bautista
In The Lost Lands releases March 7 in theaters.
Source: Screen Rant Plus
