The
“Rampage” Interview
with
Kam Williams
A
Charming Chat with Oscar-Nominee Naomie!
Naomie
Harris was recently seen in the Academy Award-winning Best Picture,
MOONLIGHT. Naomie was nominated for an Oscar, Golden Globe, Screen
Actors Guild and BAFTA Award for her tour de force performance as the
protagonist's mother, Paula.
She is set to appear
next in director Andy Serkis’ feature adventure, MOWGLI, as a
member of a stellar cast that includes Benedict Cumberbatch,
Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett. The film is slated to be released
in the fall of this year.
Naomie reprised her
role as Moneypenny in the latest installment of the James Bond
franchise, SPECTRE, opposite Daniel Craig. She was first seen as the
iconic character in SKYFALL, directed by Sam Mendes, which won the
2013 BAFTA Film Award for Outstanding British Film and went on to be
Sony Pictures’ highest-grossing film ever, with a worldwide box
office of over $918 million.
In 2013, she played
Winnie Mandela in MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM, opposite Idris Elba.
Her other screen credits include: COLLATERAL BEAUTY, opposite Will
Smith; OUR KIND OF TRAITOR, opposite Ewan McGregor; Antoine Fuqua’s
SOUTHPAW, opposite Jake Gyllenhaal; THE FIRST GRADER; SEX & DRUGS
& ROCK & ROLL; PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END;
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST; MIAMI VICE; AFTER THE
SUNSET; and 28 DAYS LATER.
Here,
she talks about co-starring with Dwayne Johnson in RAMPAGE, an
action-oriented monster flick set in Chicago.
Kam
Williams: Hi
Naomie. I'm honored to have another opportunity to speak with you.
Naomie
Harris:
Oh,
it's an honor to speak with you, too, Kam.
KW:
This is
my first interview with you since your Oscar nomination for
Moonlight. Congratulations!
NH:
Thank you so much. That's really sweet!
KW:
You
really did a phenomenal job of disappearing into that role. And
because of the picture's modest budget, you had to cram all your
scenes into three days of shooting.
NH:
Yes, we
only had three days, which actually turned out to be wonderful
because instead of waiting around in a trailer, I got to spend all my
time working.
KW:
All the
buzz after the premiere the other night was about your gold dress.
NH:
Really?
KW:
Yes! It
was stunning! Who's the designer?
NH:
Miu
Miu.
KW:
Who
designed your accoutrements?
NH:
I wore
David Webb jewelry and shoes by Jimmy Choo.
KW:
Well,
it all blended beautifully.
NH:
Thanks,
Kam. I'll tell my stylist.
KW:
What interested you in Rampage?
NH:
In
Moonlight, I had such a dark, harrowing role. Coming off of that
film, I wanted to do something relatively lighthearted that would
offer me the opportunity to have fun. I also wanted to work with Beau
[Flynn] again. He produced my first Hollywood movie [After the
Sunset]. I've always loved Beau and admired his work. And Brad
[Peyton] is a very passionate director who got me so excited by his
enthusiasm that i couldn't wait to start working on the project. It
was almost contagious. I knew that working with him was going to be a
lot of fun. That turned out to be true, since every day was quite an
adventure on the set. He's an amazing human being and a fantastic
director. and then there was The Rock! I wanted to work with Dwayne
[Johnson]. He's a rarity in how he exudes such charisma and appeals
to the entire family: men, women and children alike. So, I was very
eager to work with him as well.
KW:
He and
Brad have a successful track record together, having collaborated on
San Andreas and Journey 2.
NH:
Yes, I
observed a wonderful bond and a great shorthand between them which
was very helpful and great to see on set.
KW:
I loved
those light moments, like when Dwayne's character moans,
"Of course, the wolf flies."
NH:
I know.
They're fantastic!
KW:
I
enjoyed this monster movie more than The Shape of Water. Rampage went
in the direction I was hoping Shape was headed.
NH:
That's
funny. That would've made it a completely different kind of film.
KW:
Did you play the Rampage video game growing up?
NH:
No, I
didn't play it as a child. I wasn't really a gamer. But I love the
nods to the game sprinkled throughout the movie. A lot of the
computer game's fans are going to appreciate that.
KW:
What
was it like acting opposite Jason Liles, the motion capture performer
who played George, the giant albino gorilla?
NH:
It was
great, because I thought we'd just have a tennis ball or a gorilla
head, if we were lucky, to act off of, because that's what you
normally get in this kind of movie. But Brad felt that we needed
something more substantial to react to, so he brought on Jason who
gave a fantastic performance. He was so emotive and really gave us a
lot to react to.
KW:
Despite
being classically-trained at the Old Vic [in Bristol], you're no
stranger to the action genre. I first interviewed you for Ninja
Assassin and later for the Bond flick Skyfall.
NH:
[Giggles]
Ninja Assassin! That's really going back a ways. The stunt work for
that film was much more demanding and involved a lot more training.
And I also ended up with a lot more bruises. Rampage was much kinder
on my body, since most of the acting was against a green screen.
KW:
I
recently read the announcement that they're doing Bond 25. You must
be excited about that.
NH:
Yes,
I'm really, really excited! Kam, you know that most of the time spent
as an actor you're sort of a gypsy, traveling around the world. You
don't really belong anywhere, in a sense. You uproot your life and,
in this case, go off to Atlanta, where we shot Rampage. After three
or four months there, you come back home for a while before heading
somewhere else. there's very little continuity. What I like about
Bond is how it offers me a kind of family that I get to return to. I
really love that feeling and everybody involved.
KW:
Do the
007 movies involve much travel?
NH:
Not for
me. The guys flew all over the world for Spectre, but I shot all of
my scenes in London.
KW:
The Viola Davis question: What’s the biggest difference between who
you are at home as opposed to the person we see on the red carpet?
NH:
[LOL] There's a huge difference because the person on the red
carpet has had a whole village of people help her get ready, and done
her hair and makeup, and put wonderful clothes on her. The person I
am at home is much, much simpler. I'm a jeans, t-shirt and trainers
girl. Yeah, that's how I roll most days. I'm very, very casual.
KW:
Who is your favorite clothes designer?
NH:
You're
really into fashion, Kam, aren't you? I don't have one particular
favorite. I love mixing up designers like Calvin Klein, Peter Pilotto
and Mary Katrantzou.
KW:
Harriet Pakula-Teweles asks: With so many classic films being redone,
is there a remake you'd like to star in?
NH:
I love
musicals. My favorite film of all time is The Sound of Music. I'd
love to take part in a remake of West Side Story or what have you.
But I can't sing, and I can't dance, so I don't think there's much
hope for me, really.
KW:
Finally,
Samuel L. Jackson asks: What’s in your wallet?
NH:
What’s
in my wallet? Omigosh! And my driver's license, obviously. My credit
cards and a bit of cash. I even have an old library card in there as
well.
KW:
Thanks
again for the time, Naomie, and best of luck with the film.
NH:
It's
been lovely hearing your voice again, Kam.
