Nathalie Emmanuel Interview: F9 | Screen Rant
The Fast and Furious family keeps growing with every new movie, but fans’ love for the returning members remains the same. F9 introduces some characters that are sure to be iconic, but it also adds layers to already existing ones that are sure to have audiences raving.
Nathalie Emmanuel, who plays Ramsey, gets to dip her toe in the action like never before and take control of certain unexpected situations this time around. The actress spoke to Screen Rant about working with Justin Lin and getting behind the wheel for the first time.
This franchise is nearly 20 years old. How were you were introduced to it?
Nathalie Emmanuel: I actually saw it at a friend's house. I was probably about 11 or 12, and I was at a friend's house. We were like, "Let's watch Fast and Furious," and I was like, "Okay!" And it literally blew my mind, really, because I was 12 and watching these really cool actors in this really cool subculture that I had no idea about. I just thought it was really epic.
You've been a part of this franchise for a while now, and I feel like the scale keeps getting bigger and bigger. Can you talk to me about how F9 compares in scale to the other Fast and Furious films?
Nathalie Emmanuel: I think that Fast 9, compared to the others, has just somehow jumped to a whole other level. The amount of action, the size of the action, has just somehow... These movies have an elite level of action, but this one seems to have grown in a way that I could not have foreseen. It's pretty huge.
You get behind the wheel this time around finally. Can you talk to me about that and the preparation that goes into these scenes? Because there's some great moments with you behind the wheel.
Nathalie Emmanuel: Wow. In terms of the driving, we have a really experienced stunt team and stunt performers. In terms of what preparation goes into that, I have no idea - you'd be better off asking those guys.
But for my involvement in the driving sequence, the driving's sort of done in the location, and then I am in a stationary truck. We're in a soundstage, doing the close-ups, because that's the safest way to do it. Also I don't drive, so the idea of filming me while I was driving a big industrial vehicle seems like not a very safe idea.
That's kind of how those things are done. But in terms of my personal preparation for that, I really didn't do any. I don't drive; I don't know how to drive, particularly. So, it came quite organically to me to be clumsy at driving.
What did you want to bring to Ramsey this time around that wasn't necessarily on the page?
Nathalie Emmanuel: I think the plot leads Ramsey to have to really show leadership, like the situation really expects it from her. And I definitely feel like, in this movie, she had to take control in a way that we hadn't seen her before. Usually, it's team effort and everyone's doing their thing. But there was a lot of Ramsey having to really guide everybody and be confident at it. And I think that, while the situation is on the page - what she has to say and what she has to do - I really wanted to make sure that she had a confidence and a purpose.
And then when we see her driving and she's completely out of our comfort zone, there's that juxtaposition of not being confident not being fully equipped to do what she needs to do. I just liked that kind of contrast, really.
One thing that's usually found in the Fast movies is the theme of family. Why do you think that the found family element is so important to the fans?
Nathalie Emmanuel: I'm very blessed in life to have a really supportive family tho I grew up with, and then also my chosen family. And they are both so incredibly important to me and to my well being, and I don't know how I would do anything without them. And I think not everybody is blessed to have an immediately safe or supportive family environment that they grew up in, so this idea of being able to choose your family and that you can find family and community is a really big deal for a lot of people.
I think that that connects to people; that really helps people relate. Because we look for community in all kinds of places, and it's possible to find your tribe.
Your character came into this franchise with ties to Cipher. In your opinion, can we explore that storyline there somewhere deeper, maybe in F10?
Nathalie Emmanuel: Oh, I'd love that. I kind of feel like Cipher is - as much as she's using her abilities in a bad way, and in a sort of negative way - there's a part of me that feels like Cipher is Ramsey's idol.
For years, she knew who Cipher was but didn't know the identity of Cipher. And now that she's found out who it is, there's a part of her that's going to be really impressed with that. It's like, "Oh, you're doing bad things, but you're kind of iconic. And I'm conflicted by these emotions."
I want to see that story play out.
Nathalie Emmanuel: Me too. That'd be epic. I mean, Charlize is amazing.
Can you describe working with Justin Lin this time around? Did he give you any insight into where Ramsey was going in F9?
Nathalie Emmanuel: Yeah, he definitely was like, "We want Ramsey to be doing more action," and that kind of thing. He fed me that before I really got the real script; the shooting draft. So, that was really cool.
But he was just open, really. When I met him, he was just like, "I want to know your thoughts about Ramsey. What do you think that she's thinking, and who is she?" It was the first time we'd worked together, so a lot of our kind of prep was him getting to know me and know Ramsey through me as well. And it was amazing. He's a very supportive director, and he wants you to play and have fun and throw ideas. He's very receptive to all of that, and he was it was really great working with him.
And he's Justin Lin of the Fast and Furious franchise, and I hadn't worked with him yet. I was really excited. I felt like I've been like fully initiated now. In the fold.
Can you talk to me about what it's like to be a part of a franchise that continues to grow and tell these amazing stories throughout the years?
Nathalie Emmanuel: It's just so much fun. It means so much. And at the end of the day, these movies wouldn't keep going if people didn't support them, and the fans didn't support them. The fact that we are on movie nine, and it's my third movie in this series, means so much.
It's really rare. This is a really rare thing to happen, especially in such an arbitrary and unpredictable industry. Trends change, but people have kept with these movies and supported them, and we have nobody but the fans to thank for that. It just is so heartwarming. Thank you.
Do you have an ideal heist for F10 in your head?
Nathalie Emmanuel: That's a really difficult one. Maybe it could be, I don't know, taking down the like 1% or something. Redistributing wealth, let's do that.
There's another thing that you're involved with that I'm extremely excited about, and that's the prequel to Army of the Dead. Can you talk to me about that a little bit?
Nathalie Emmanuel: Yeah, I can't say too much, because I'm actually not sure what I'm allowed to say about that. But it was a real fun movie that we shot at the end of last year in Prague, and it was with Matthias Schweighöfer, who plays Dieter. It's his origin story, and Army of Thieves kind of gives you an idea of what we're up to.
I don't want to give too much away, but it was a lot of fun. Matthias is directing as well as starring, and it's so great. He has such a great energy of a person, and we have a lot of fun together. I've been speaking to him recently, and he's so pleased with the film. It's really exciting. I'm looking forward to watching it.
from ScreenRant - Feed https://ift.tt/3zTNAzO
via Whole story
Post a Comment