Dive into the Rebel Moon Universe with Djimon Hounsou and Staz Nair! These stellar stars chat about their characters' strengths and weaknesses in this epic sci-fi adventure. From Tarek's sensitivity to General Titus's journey of redemption, get ready for a cosmic ride. Explore the diverse cast and the inclusive vibes on set, making Rebel Moon a groundbreaking experience. Streaming on Netflix December 22, 2023.
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PeopleTranscript
00:00 - Thank you.
00:00 (clears throat)
00:01 - Hello, how are you doing?
00:02 - Hello, I'm Kaitlyn McDaniel.
00:03 I'm with Rainbow Media Co.
00:04 I'm wonderful, how are you both doing?
00:06 - Hi Kaitlyn. - Great, thank you.
00:07 - Wonderful also.
00:08 - It's amazing to talk to you both.
00:10 I'm so excited for everyone to see the film
00:13 and really meet these characters.
00:14 I know we're just kind of gracing the surface
00:16 with this one, but like, I can just really see
00:19 the potential, I'm so excited for everyone.
00:21 So just to start us off, I wanted to know
00:23 if you both could kind of talk about your character
00:25 and really introduce a strength and a weakness
00:27 that you think they have.
00:29 - That's a good question.
00:30 I play Tarek, when I'm looking at the camera, look at you.
00:34 I don't know why, I just panicked.
00:35 I play Tarek and I've got red light syndrome
00:37 all of a sudden.
00:38 - I swear that's the truth.
00:39 - That's the truth.
00:40 I don't look like an actor now.
00:42 No, strength is sensitivity.
00:45 I think his sensitivity is his strength for sure.
00:48 His weakness, his weakness,
00:53 and it's a strength in itself,
00:54 but his weakness when we find him
00:56 is his inability to trust.
00:58 And it's justified when we find him,
01:02 he has probably been isolated and alone
01:06 for a very long time.
01:06 So that's what happens when we're in those states.
01:11 So I would say his inability to trust,
01:13 but I believe that throughout this arc,
01:15 he will learn to trust again.
01:16 - I play General Titus.
01:23 - And General Titus, I have to say his biggest weakness
01:28 probably had to do with the fact that he himself
01:33 was part of a criminal act.
01:37 And, you know, of course he was in bed
01:45 with the Imperium before.
01:50 He served at the Imperium.
01:51 So for that and the, I guess,
01:56 the awakening of consciousness
02:03 made it in a way that he was, you know,
02:10 in need to redeem himself, you know,
02:12 from I guess a number of atrocious things
02:16 that he's committed over time.
02:20 So, but what his strength is,
02:23 his strength has more to do with what he knows
02:32 and what he's experiencing, what he has overcome.
02:38 You know, I would think it's a bit early to get to that.
02:43 - Right.
02:45 (laughing)
02:46 - You're gonna wanna give it to him away.
02:47 - Yeah.
02:48 - But I'm feeling like that, yeah, that is his strength.
02:53 And certainly that is the reasons
02:54 why they came looking for him.
02:56 - Yes.
02:57 - Because he's, yeah.
02:59 - I just realized we have your columns
03:01 from Pollux right behind you.
03:02 - Oh wow.
03:03 - And the extras.
03:04 - Yes.
03:05 - They gave depth to these backdrops.
03:05 That's super cool.
03:06 I just noticed these massive things.
03:08 - Yeah, like it's truly creative.
03:09 - It's such a cool little touch, right?
03:11 What a cool way to kind of immerse you
03:12 even in this interview.
03:14 - Yes.
03:15 And I wanted to ask, I know that Zack Snyder
03:18 kind of described that he got a lot of freedom
03:20 with this project and just being able to bring it
03:23 and kind of push the boundaries of sci-fi.
03:25 - For sure.
03:26 - And make it a little freakier, a little more inclusive.
03:27 So did you feel that on set, each of you?
03:29 - Inclusive, yes.
03:31 - 100%.
03:32 - Inclusivity, a billion percent.
03:35 Because none of us are the fabric of this state, right?
03:40 - We're all mongrels or from all across the world.
03:43 It's so eclectic.
03:44 - And so eclectic from different parts of the world.
03:47 People from South Korea, people from Africa, North Africa.
03:51 - Yeah, Asia, Russia.
03:52 - Asia, Russia.
03:53 So it was quite an eclectic group of cast.
03:59 - Yeah.
04:00 - Absolutely.
04:01 And just going over back to you, Staz,
04:03 I know you kind of said that you thought your character
04:06 wasn't able to trust, but you have that amazing scene
04:09 where you have to kind of get an animal to trust.
04:11 - That's trust, sorry, I should have been more clear,
04:13 trusting people.
04:14 - No, of course.
04:15 - Trusting humanoid-esque individuals.
04:16 - I just wanted to ask, there's so much that goes
04:19 into that scene, there's different language,
04:21 there's creatures, and so what was challenging
04:23 about just kind of getting people into this universe?
04:26 - I'll start with what was challenging,
04:29 or what the process, I guess, was for me.
04:30 I think the first thing I had to do was normalize
04:32 the fact that I was sitting there talking to a 50-foot bird.
04:36 And the way I did that is I kind of compared it
04:38 to when I tried to ride horses, and even more specifically,
04:42 when I used to foster and train pit bulls
04:44 that were kind of abused or aggressive or whatever.
04:46 And so I have, all three of them that I've had
04:49 were re-homed, and now live in forever homes
04:51 with kids and dogs.
04:52 And I just remember that process being very much
04:55 about the approach, and the approach has to be
04:57 far more intimate and far more sensitive and patient
05:03 than I think people understand.
05:05 And so it was having this healthy respect.
05:07 And also the bird and Tarek are kind of symbiotic.
05:12 They're both trapped, they're both unable to be themselves.
05:16 This conversation, I remember when I was doing
05:18 the final audition with Zac, I said,
05:20 "Zac, it feels like this conversation with the bird
05:22 is more a conversation with himself than anything else."
05:25 And he said, "That's absolutely right."
05:26 - With your demon.
05:27 - Yeah, with your demon, or the one inside
05:31 who's waiting for redemption, it's that.
05:32 It's like, let's break these chains of normality.
05:36 Let's exit the void and start taking action again.
05:39 It was kind of a wonderful opportunity
05:43 to really personalize that thing.
05:44 And I love animals, I love as a person.
05:47 If I could, I'd be Caesar Milan, I'd have like 500 dogs.
05:50 So it was just about being sensitive
05:52 and intimate and personal.
05:54 - Absolutely, well that's all the time I have.
05:56 But thank you both so much. - Thank you so much.
05:57 I'm glad you enjoyed the movie.