Snow White And The Huntsman: The Press Conference
Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth and Sam Claflin open up on their roles in Snow White And The Huntsman, which is released in the UK on 30 May 2012.
Q: Kristen, what was it about the role of Snow White – such an iconic role – that attracted you to the project in the first place?
Kristen Stewart: I always wanted to find something where I could really challenge myself physically, I really like that... Charlize is really like me, we really will hurt ourselves for the job. I like that opportunity. But what I really dug about this was you’ve got someone who has the gusto, and as an audience member you take a lot of satisfaction in watching her kick ass. But she’s not a dude, she remains so sort of steady, we’re not built to be physically strong – it’s all about the fact you have to be smarter than someone, you have to be quicker...
Charlize Theron: I’m a man in heels, basically...
KS: I hate girl power movies where the people you’re rooting for are not girls, and that was why this movie really attracted me.
Q: Now Chris, you are known for your action and you’ve swapped Thor’s hammer for an axe this time round – let’s talk about some of the action sequences. Did you get your teeth stuck in?
Chris Hemsworth: Er, no – I got my nose busted, by Kristen, actually. This is the first time we’ve met since that and I prefer her sitting at that end of the table.
Initially I thought the movie was a little too similar to what I’d done before – the fighting and fantasy-based world – but I pretty soon realised that with Rupert’s vision and this cast, the script was a completely different take of the fairytale – much darker, edgier, Gothic, almost. And it kept me guessing, and I think that’s what it does with an audience, too.
Q: In terms of the punch in the face, was that in a scene, or was it a fight in the canteen...?
CH: We were reaching for the same muffin...
Q: Charlize, you shot the movie here in the UK. What is it about working with us Brits that attracted you to the project?
CT: It was probably the only negative thing about the movie. No, I actually lived here last year – I did two films back-to-back and I really liked it, it was nice, except for the part that you don’t really get to shoot in the city and driving an hour to Pinewood Studios everyday...
GLAMOUR.com: Kristen, you already touched upon the fact that Snow White’s a warrior, that’s she really tough but she has this kind of vulnerable side. Which side did you prefer playing and which side do you relate to more?
KS: It’s a tough one because... Nothing’s that simple. Every time Snow White needs to get up and do something active, and not be crippled by fear and turn into this really forward thing – I mean, I’m in to that. Like I said, one of the things I wanted to do was see how far I could push this. The reason they hire these big, huge hurly dudes [for action roles] is because it’s hard...
CT: Stop talking about me Kristen!
Sam Claflin: Was that the reason I got the job? The first thing he said was, ‘Sam, go to the gym’.
Q: Charlize, first of all, how did you approach the character to get the tone right when this could have easily gone way over the top? And how do you feel about your director describing you as ‘Margaret Thatcher meets Kate Moss’?
CT: I’ll work backwards – I love that and I’d like you to refer to me from now ‘til forever as that. You know, I think that – well, you had to trust your director because, at the end of the day, that tone is really up to what the film maker wants to do and how he wants to form that character. In the initial meetings for me, it’s usually just trying to understand what film the director is trying to make and if I can service that. I don’t know how to work not having a foundation of something that’s based in reality.
I need that as an anchor and I think that if you have that as an anchor, you can go big and you can go loud, because you’ll always have that, the foundation’s always there, and I think it sets those things up. I think it’s when you don’t have – if you haven’t set up circumstances, if someone hasn’t explained to you why your character is the way they are, then you’re going to run into trouble, where it can almost feel a bit mechanical.
Q: There’s a lot of sexual tension in the film, but there are actually only two kisses – one of them dead and one of them fake. Was the idea to leave the audience, kind of, on the edge of their seat wanting more?
CT: Actually, we all made-out with each other... So when Chris kissed her, I was making out with Kristen through your mouth!
MC: yes, that was the best day of my life.
CT: How was I Kristen?
KS: Uhh...
Q: Chris – you’ve got a Scottish accent throughout the film – was that hard for you, given you’re Australian?
CH: Er, yeah, it was. We sort of talked about a few different sounds and things and the biggest thing being I didn’t want to do an English mid-Atlantic thing as it was too close to Thor and with the advantage of it being a fictional world that was where it landed. It’s just the warmth and feeling of the accent. I find it’s a bit like the costume – you’d put it on and you’d find ‘ah, this is something I can grab on to’ then kind of it took on a life of its own and I loved the music of it, it’s very earthly, and the sound and the accent, and he was a man of the woods so it was fitting.
KS: He’s so not like us – if he sounded just like us – it made us more aware...
CH: Yeah, he was an outsider and different.
Q: Rupert – why was Kristen the perfect choice to play Snow White?
Rupert Sanders: I looked at a lot of actors, unknown and known, and when we met Kristen we saw someone who was spirited, she’s a bit like a wild horse, hard to hold down, and I like that, you know? I think that the Snow White character couldn’t be demure – she needed to be someone tough. She’s an unusual person and that’s what’s so great about her playing this character, she’s got a craziness to her that I think is right to the character.
Q: What was the scariest thing about making this film?
KS: Riding a horse. The dynamic between horse and rider is so NOT for me. Don’t put a saddle on him, put him in a pasture, I want to watch him run around – I’ll run with him! But it’s cool to watch people genuinely uncomfortable on-screen.
CH: I reckon the most uncomfortable with the horse-riding scenes – there was one shot where we needed the cameras to have a close-up of Kristen on the horse and it was like the first day of shooting, so in order to do that, they had a mechanical horse and we all arrived on set and all these Spanish horse riders and horsemen had been brought in, so it was all very professional, and here are the actors, let’s see what you’ve got, and I married a Spanish woman, and you know, why do you deserve her, and so I walked in and said ‘where’s the horse?’ And that’s it, the half a mechanical horse, and then we’re on this thing, doing this [mimics rocking back and forth] and you couldn’t have felt more ridiculous. That was one of the scary parts. It hurt my pride!
Q: Charlize, does being a mum affect how you work and the roles you’ll take? And are you throwing a baby shower for Chris anytime soon?
CT: Why’s that my job?! Yes, I’ll send you all my little boy’s hand-me-downs...
CH: ... And I’ll send you all my little girl’s clothes...
CT: I don’t know. I thought to myself, ‘Oh, I’m probably not going to want to make this movie’ when I heard my son was going to come into my life, you know, like all I would want to do is mope around in my pyjamas and roll with him on the carpet. And we did that for a couple of months and it was great. Then the crazy thing that happened that I wasn’t expecting was that it made me feel really creative , really really creative, and I started developing like crazy and selling movies and working more with my production company. I feel that this little innocent baby is making me more curious about the human condition.
[b]Q: Chris – apart from the nose – were there any other injuries?
CH: This was more exhausting than anything I’ve ever done before because we know what’s on the green screen, temperature control and sound stage... Sam and I both, at one point – it was just one scene riding on horseback. And when you fly on in there with a couple of hundred behind you and jump off the horse at the last second and charge in. We didn’t rehearse this and then ACTION! And then we take off and Sam’s a little bit in front of me and I just remember seeing his foot getting caught in the stirrup as he tried to jump off and he went...
S: I was in full armour, okay? ... I just remember, after smacking my face on the floor, hearing Rupert go CARRY ON! And I was like ‘mate, I can’t get up!’ and Chris is trying to help and honestly it was a comedy sketch.
KS: And if he lifted his arm up, even above shoulder height, he would knock the side of his head.
S: Honestly, comedy gold.
