Charlize Theron questions the merits of immortality in 'The Old Guard'

Record ID: 1561887

  • Title: Charlize Theron questions the merits of immortality in 'The Old Guard'
  • Date: 7th July 2020
  • Summary: UNIDENTIFIED FILMING LOCATIONS (JUNE 23, 2020) (REUTERS VIA ZOOM) (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR GINA PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD, SAYING: "For many of us, including myself, at some point in your life, you said the words 'I wish I could live forever', not really understanding what that really means so I love that aspect of the story and I love that there were two females at the head of this which just felt different and most notably, there's a young, Black female hero in this which is absolutely a rarity in the genre so there were so many elements I loved about it and then going back then and reading the graphic novel and falling in love with it even more and then when with working with Greg, for me, his graphic novel was my bible."
  • Embargoed: 21st July 2020 23:15
  • Keywords: Charlize Theron Chiwetel Ejiofor Kiki Layne Netflix The Old Guard comic adaptation film
  • Location: UNIDENTIFIED FILMING LOCATIONS
  • City: UNIDENTIFIED FILMING LOCATIONS
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Film
  • Reuters ID: LVA008CLT8KST
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Audiences are used to seeing superheroes come to live on screen in comic adaptations, but in 'The Old Guard' the heroes only have one power - to be immortal.
    Charlize Theron stars in the film as the ancient leader of a small unit of immortals who are trying to help humanity however they can.
    She told Reuters via Zoom "I just saw a lot of potential to explore something on a sci-fi level scale but somehow stay true to the very insular human emotions that I felt an audience could really appreciate in the sci-fi world and so I think the fact that everything about this is so grounded really, really got me excited."
    The film doesn't stray far from the comic book, which is written by Greg Rucka and illustrated by Leonardo Fernandez. All the questions about humanity and immortality are posed throughout the story.
    "Little did we know that we would be releasing this film at this time right now with everything going on socially. You know, I think a lot of the questions we ask in the film are questions that we've, in our humanity, we have asked but I think we're asking them at a level now with everything that's going on that's just so amplified and I think the humanity of it is really what kind of made me lean into it emotionally," said Theron.
    Theron's fellow lead is KiKi Layne from 'If Beale Street Could Talk'. Layne plays Nile, the first immortal to have been 'born' in a few centuries.
    She said the relationship that she and Theron had on screen wasn't much different from off screen. She said "As we were building that relationship and I mean, this being my first time doing an action film, there was just so much I could learn from Charlize about, you know, being part of an action film and just being an actor, period."
    The film is directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, best known for her films "Love & Basketball" and "The Secret Life of Bees".
    She immediately fell for the screenplay which was also written by Rucka. She said "I love that there were two females at the head of this which just felt different and most notably, there's a young, Black female hero in this which is absolutely a rarity in the genre so there were so many elements I loved about it and then going back then and reading the graphic novel and falling in love with it even more and then when with working with Greg, for me, his graphic novel was my bible."
    The film also stars Tunisian-Dutch actor Marwan Kenzari, Italian actor Luca Marinelli, Belgian actor Matthias Schoenaerts and British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor.
    "This film is all about in the casting, both in front of the camera, behind the camera, it's all about inclusion," Ejiofor told Reuters. He added "It's about inclusion and diversity and everybody is welcome to this experience and everybody is celebrated in this experience and that is, I think, part of what film and television should be aspiring to. That shouldn't be something radical, that should be a natural evolution of our medium, you know. It's important to include everyone in this medium and also it's what will allow the medium to survive."
    'The Old Guard' begins streaming on Netflix on July 10.
    (Production: Rollo Ross)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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