The stars of Predator: Badlands tell us what sets this latest installment apart, plus what drew them to the franchise in the first place... Report by Nelsonj. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
00:04Someone told me that I do the Predator click in my sleep.
00:07Sentimental Value, watch it when it comes out.
00:09Are you?
00:10It is a great movie.
00:11They come out on the same day.
00:12Really?
00:13Yeah, Sentimental Predator, I'm calling it.
00:15That's great.
00:16This is your Barbenheimer, it'll just be you.
00:19With, I guess, like three different faces on the poster.
00:22Right, yeah.
00:23Yeah, good stuff.
00:25Well, congratulations on the movie.
00:26Another banger.
00:28The 8th or 9th Predator or Predator adjacent movie, I think.
00:32If you include the Alien and Predator ones.
00:34Yeah.
00:35And you'd be concerned with that figure of diminishing returns
00:37if it wasn't for the last movie to come out
00:39being possibly the best one of all of them.
00:42So I wondered, what was it about Dan's vision for this world,
00:46this franchise that interested you guys?
00:48Or would you have been interested in doing a movie like this regardless?
00:52I think I found it quite interesting that it was like
00:56kind of the first of its kind in the franchise, you know?
01:00Like it's the first time we see a Yautja as the protagonist.
01:03We're so used to just seeing Yautja as like the evil bad guys
01:06that just appear like for 10 minutes on screen.
01:09They're invisible most of it and then come and just wreak havoc.
01:12But, yeah, I think it was cool kind of giving them space to, yeah,
01:17understand them a little bit better, you know,
01:19and understand why they go on these hunts, where they're from,
01:22what their culture's like, just give like little nuggets to fans.
01:26Because I feel like fans have been wanting something like this for so long,
01:29you know, fans of the franchise.
01:32And Dan's the perfect guy to do it.
01:35Yeah.
01:36I think for me, I really, I loved Prey.
01:38I watched it kind of when everyone did.
01:40And I was really, I just struck by what he did with the franchise
01:45and how he added this kind of humanity and this heart.
01:48And when I met with Dan and they presented me with this script,
01:54I was really like blown away by the vision of like the imagination.
01:58It felt very fresh.
01:59Like I was like, I've never seen anything like this before.
02:02And he's really, he's genius.
02:06He's such a great director and cares just as much about the action
02:09as much as the emotional scenes or the dialogue scenes.
02:14The story in general.
02:15Yeah.
02:16He really cares about the story and he's created such a great story with this one.
02:18So that's what really drew me.
02:20And I think the challenge of like the physical challenge
02:22and the challenge of playing two roles in something,
02:26I've never done that before.
02:27So, um, yeah, Dan, Dan sold me for sure.
02:31It's really, it's really interesting how I think,
02:33I think this franchise and the alien franchise,
02:35there was for me personally,
02:37there was like a tiredness to it over recent years.
02:39There were so many of these movies or TV shows that come out.
02:42They're like, okay, another one.
02:43And then I saw Prey and I was like, I'm, I'm, I'm interested in this again.
02:47And then like, what was like alien earth came out and I was like,
02:49well, I'm interested in this again.
02:50And it shows how much stuff there is still to like mine from those stories.
02:53We'll talk about the physical aspect in a minute,
02:55but let's talk about kind of the origins of this franchise.
02:58When did it first come into your orbit?
03:00Cause I remember as a kid, my mate Nick in a VHS shows how old I am
03:04from his dad of predator.
03:06And then as trying to find someone's house where we could watch it
03:08without getting into trouble.
03:09Um, so when did it come into your orbit?
03:12What were your first memories of like watching, uh, Arnie and that lot in the jungle?
03:15Yeah, I'm trying to think.
03:17I, well, I, it was after someone told me that I do the predator click in my sleep.
03:21And so I was like, what is the predator click?
03:25And so it was kind of from that.
03:27Then I watched the Arnold film.
03:30And I was like, yeah, okay.
03:31I guess I do that.
03:32I'm half Yalta.
03:33Yeah.
03:34Um, so the Arnold film.
03:37Yeah.
03:38He's the OG.
03:39So, I mean, it's pretty great movie.
03:41Fast forward to a few years then where this storyline kind of antagonist is turning protagonist.
03:44Just to make it clear is, is, is, is deck the predator a good guy or is this circumstantial?
03:53Like if you put in a room with Arnold Schwarzenegger, is he going to try and rip his head off?
03:57Uh, or is this guy just born with a big warm heart?
04:01Nah, I think, nah, he's going to try and kill that for sure.
04:05I think.
04:06He's still a baddie.
04:07Yeah, like, but I think in terms of like the Yalta, like culture, right?
04:12They don't hunt just to like be bad guys and just, they love violence.
04:15Like it's a part of who they are.
04:17You know, it's embedded in their culture.
04:18They try to, um, they go on these hunting sprees to prove themselves to their clan.
04:24It's something that's been passed down from generation to generation.
04:28Like something that is so ingrained in who they are, you know?
04:33And it's, it's something that they, they take with a lot of pride.
04:36So like, we see it as like, oh yeah, they're bad guys.
04:38But to Yalta, they're just fulfilling their duties as, as Yalta.
04:43Well, that comes as relief.
04:44Hear that Schwarzenegger.
04:45Watch your back, mate.
04:46Yeah, Arnie, he's come.
04:47And let's, let's touch on this physical side.
04:49I was watching this and I was like, oh, it's like watching Lord of the Rings at one point.
04:52And then I realized it was shot in, in New Zealand.
04:54And, uh, it's, it's like beautiful.
04:56A lot of kind of, um, there's a lot of CGI, but also a lot of kind of practical stuff in there, as I understand it.
05:01Uh, you being strapped to each other for long periods of time.
05:04Uh, so I just wondered how much of a benefit is that to you guys as actors?
05:09Having all that physical stuff there, uh, compared to kind of green screen, CGI studio based stuff.
05:14Uh, or is it just more exhausting and cold and uncomfortable than it would be?
05:19No, I love it.
05:20I mean, I think with a film like this, when you can have something that's tangible, it just helps with your imagination and helps you with the character.
05:29And we were fully strapped together.
05:31I mean, when I read the script the first time, I was like, how are we going to do this?
05:33And Dan, they figured out a way with these new wire rigs and we were, you know, the wires were strapped to real trees in the New Zealand landscapes.
05:41And we're flying through the air back to back together.
05:43And, um, that's what was exciting.
05:45And that's what's cool about the franchise is also, you know, the predator himself.
05:49It's always been a man like in a suit that you can touch and, you know, the braids are real.
05:55And, um, obviously Demetrius has added so much more to that character of you can really see him emoting this time when he doesn't fully have the mask on all the time.
06:05So that was another, um, great thing I could really see your face and we were connecting.
06:10Um, but yeah, the physical side, I mean, Hey, it was hard at times for sure.
06:15Our bodies hurt, but yeah, we make a good team.
06:20I think it was really cool.
06:21And yeah, like I said, it's, um, it just helps so much, not talking to a tennis ball, not talking to just like a blue screen or like even being on location, you know, it just adds that element of authenticity.
06:34It makes it feel real, you know, cause you're actually in it.
06:37We're actually getting with it.
06:38Crushing the grass.
06:39Yeah, we're action.
06:40Touched grass.
06:41Um, but yeah, nah, it was awesome.
06:43Well, Elle, you make a very charming backpack.
06:46But I hope you both got a massage afterwards.
06:48Yeah.
06:49Absolutely knackering.
06:50Uh, alright guys, really enjoyed it.
06:51Uh, looking forward to seeing what may or may not come next.
06:54Don't want to give away what happens at the end, but who, who knows?
Be the first to comment