The Electric State brings Simon Stålenhag’s beloved graphic novel to life with the help of a truly blockbuster cast. The movie tells the story of a teenage girl who crosses a post-apocalyptic United States in search of her brother, but as the world is populated by robots, she comes in contact with truly unique characters. This is where a number of the movie’s most impressive voices may be found, as robots are voiced by stars including Anthony Mackie, Brian Cox, Jenny Slate, and Alan Tudyk.
The actual people at the heart of The Electric State’s story are Michelle, played by Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown, and Keats, played by Jurᴀssic World and Guardians of the Galaxy lead Chris Pratt. The Mandalorian’s Giancarlo Esposito will be seen in the flesh as well, playing Colonel Bradbury. While mysterious, that character is generally known to be one of the movie’s antagonists, and will surely make things more difficult for Michelle and Keats.
ScreenRant’s Joe Deckelmeier spoke with Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt, and Giancarlo Esposito about their work on The Electric State. The actors discussed what drew them to the backstory-rich world of the movie and what they most resonated with in terms of the film’s themes. Plus, Brown shared her excitement about finally getting to work with The Electric State directors Anthony and Joe Russo.
Millie Bobby Brown Shares Her Excitement To Work With The Russo Brothers In The Electric State
“I Was So Flabbergasted”
Millie Bobby Brown has been in plenty of projects that have entered the zeitgeist in one way or another, but even she was thrilled to work with the Russo brothers. Her desire to work with them stretches back years, the actor said, to a time when she visited the set of an Avengers movie: “visiting the set with my dad and seeing the way they would direct and the family dynamic on set… it’s like a well-oiled machine. I’d never seen anything like it … I was like, ‘I’d love to be in one of their movies.’”
She continued, saying that “we’d always stayed connected over the years, but to think they actually even thought of me … asking me to be a part of this… I couldn’t even really believe they remembered me, slash wanted me to be in a movie of theirs. It was a huge honor to be working with them. The reason I chose the film, honestly, was because of them.”
Brown was even surprised she was asked to star: “I would have been an extra in the film if it meant I got to work with them. When they brought the script in and I was Michelle, I was so flabbergasted–I couldn’t believe I got to be a part of it in such a beautiful way, too.”
Source: Screen Rant Plus
Keats Was Inspired By Chris Pratt’s Late Neighbor, Kenny Gundacker
“I Thought I Lived Next To David Lee Roth … It Was His Swagger”
In playing Star Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy, Chris Pratt is known to have mined experiences and references from his own childhood. The same can be said about his character Keats in The Electric State, as Pratt shared how he drew inspiration from an old neighbor of his: “Kenny Gundacker, may he rest in peace…” Pratt began, “What I remember of him as a seven-year-old is [that] he was just an icon.”
Pratt went on: “I thought I lived next to David Lee Roth. I saw [Roth] on MTV, and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s my neighbor. I see him every day.’ He used to jump around on a little mini trampoline in the backyard in tiger-striped stretch pants with a tiny little electric guitar he would just rip on … it was his swagger and his confidence that just made him so attractive to anyone around him, as I remember it now.”
The actor elaborated, saying, “So, when I was building this character out, I was like, ‘Who would that guy be in the ‘80s?’ and then [gave] it a post-apocalyptic world and let him be kind of past his prime–where would he end up, and what would he look like? I kind of was mining for that with some of this swagger and all of his rings, the things hanging around his neck, and the bleached hair and stuff.”
Giancarlo Esposito Questions Everything As Colonel Bradbury… And Wants You To Question Everything Too
He Wants The Audience To Ask Of Technology, “Is This Empowering Me, Or Does This Have Power Over Me?”
Giancarlo Esposito is known for making the most of his performance opportunities, especially in villainous or antagonistic roles. In the case of The Electric State, part of the actor’s ability to do that was thanks to his connection to the film. “The movie itself, on paper, had a resonance for me immediately,” the actor said, “it had hope, it had loss, it had courage, it had commitment, [and] it had follow-through.”
“He’s done it all,” Esposito said when talking about his specific character, “He’s been in battle. He has the most notches on his belt. He’s retired, and he comes out of retirement to do what he’s asked to do, in what he may think is a heroic way, because he can [find] these runaways and capture them.” Ultimately, things may not be so black-and-white for Bradbury, as Esposito hinted he could find out “everything he’s been told is a lie.”
But questioning shouldn’t only be for the movie characters, Esposito hinted when sharing his hopes for what people will take away from the film, especially in terms of their relationship with technology. He stated that he hoped people would, “have courage to say, ‘Enough’,” and to “have courage to say ‘is this empowering me, or does this have power over me?’” Ultimately, in the actor’s eyes, “the personal interaction we have with each other … is worth so much more than what technology can provide.”
Source: Screen Rant Plus
The Electric State comes to Netflix on March 7.
Check back soon for our other The Electric State interview with:
- Anthony & Joe Russo
