On March 21, Summit will release "Divergent." The film is being headlined by Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winselt and Miles but also has a number of new upcoming actors. Among these actors include Ben Lloyd-Huges, a young British actor who has been seen in "Great Expectations," and a number of TV shows. Christian Madsen is also getting a big break after having done a number of smaller independent films. In the new film Lloyd-Hughes portrays the character of Will and Madeson plays Al.
Latinos Post had a chance to speak with them about the challenges and the excitement of being a part of a brand new franchise.
Latinos Post: How did you guys first get involved with "Divergent?"
Ben Lloyd-Hughs: I first got sent the script about a year before we actually made the film and I went on tape with it and I just loved the world that was created with the story; choosing your future and choosing your faction. I got completely hooked and I really liked it. Then I kind of forgot about it for a bit and then I turned up in LA just doing some meetings and they happened to be meeting with people for the character of Will and luckily I met with Neil Burger again over Skype and met the producers and they gave me the part which literally blew my mind.
Christian Madsen: It was quick process. I was kind of in between other auditions and trying to find a regular job. Then I came across this audition and then I got the call back, which was unexpected. I had not looked up who was directing or what was the big hype coming in. I think it helped me in the long to not be nervous before the second audition and I met with Neil on Skype. Then I got a call that told me don't cut your hair and then the next call was pack your bags, you're going to Chicago. It was nice.
LP: What kind of Physical Training did you have to prepare for the roles?
CM: We did a few weeks of stunt training with J.J Perry who did "Warrior" and Garret who was on "Avatar." So it was the real deal guys. I think their process helped us bond with each other because we had not really hung out and we went straight into the training. But it also prepared us mentally for the state of mind and also physical way of life for "Dauntless."
LP: What was it like working with J.J Perry and then going on to work with director Neil Burger?
CM: J.J was more for the style of fighting and making sure our form was there and making sure we were staying relatively close to the Muay Thai style that they created for the "Dauntless" initiates. Transitioning to Neil was more of the mental aspects and he obviously was the director so it was his film at the end of the day. But Neil could have not been better. He was on and off set so prepared, ready to tackle this great project that Veronica Roth wrote for everybody.
LP: Who were the colleagues that you worked with for the first time that you learned most from and enjoyed working with?
BHL: I though working with Kate Winslet was amazing. Not only have I admired her for a long time now but she was everything that you would her to be, she was down to earth with a great sense of humor and an amazing work ethic considering she was three months pregnant at the time. And she is a brilliant actress. That was the real highlight for me, working with an actress of her reputation and prestige and finding out that she was a lovely person.
CM: Same goes for me. I was honestly just happy to be working because at the time I was going through a year process of rejection. To do something I'd never thought I'd do, which is fly to another state and live my dream, which is acting in a movie. And then to hear that an actress with the magnitude of Kate Winslet, who you look up to so much, was in the film was exciting. To be next to her and to actually see how cool and approachable she was and then to see during filming how natural she is and then see how excited she was to be filming, made everyone a little bit less nervous to approach a scene with her.
LP: What were the biggest challenges of the film and the roles you guys played?
BHL: For me it was the American accent. I worked with a great dialect coach in Chicago and I had to repeat the American noises and sounds. Other than it was the physical limits to the stunts and fight sequences that we had to do. And sometimes that ended up with a few cuts and bruises. And then there were the scenes that you had to think about intellectually and emotionally that try to reach more depth.
CM: I think we got along all of us so well and we would go out as a group and have a great time. It was tough for me because on set I have to get into Al mode. He has to separate himself from the group. He is very shy; he is sort of going through a lot of turmoil. He likes Tris and wants her to be something but he hides it. And I think to be surrounded by people who became such good friends and then close everyone out while filming was really difficult at times.
LP: How helpful was Veronica Roth's novel to the development of the characters?
CM: It was 100 percent helpful. It was the foundation for all of our work. If they were changing something in the script the night before you could always harken back to the book. That was really the meat of the whole thing.
LP: What are you guys most excited for audiences to see?
CM: The whole I thing. We were out there for three and a half months and put a lot of hard work into it. It was so incredible to see what they had done with the futuristic look. I'm excited for the people that have read the book to see how close we got it to the book because we had Veronica on set.
BHL: I think for those people who have read the book then hopefully they'll be able to go on that journey and that adventure that they went on when they first read the story. And that makes me excited because that's important that we can tell the story truthfully and the way Veronica intended it to be told. And then for people who haven't read the book, they'll hopefully have a lot to look forward to in this film and going on that adventure for the first time.
LP: What are you looking forward to for the rest of the year?
BHL: I've got a few things coming up but unfortunately they haven't been announced yet.
CM: I think I'll sort of come to a close with the promotion of this film and hopefully the success will possibly open more doors for me to go after the roles that I would like. I did a film right after in New York called "Prism" that will hopefully be done after May. I shot it right after "Divergent" and it was sort of a quick turn around to have really great sets and all professionals to a film with a full day of improvisation and without permits. It was a big leap.
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