'Those About to Die' director Roland Emmerich and stars Moe Hashim, Jojo Macari, Sara Martins, Iwan Rheon, Dimitri Leonidas and Gabriella Pession chat with THR at San Diego Comic-Con. The cast dish on new experiences while filming this show, what it was like working with director Roland Emmerich and more.
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00What's my power?
00:01It's just general, you know, incredibly smelling man.
00:06Smells good all the time.
00:11Hey, how's it going?
00:12We are the cast plus director and executive producer of Those About to Die
00:18here at Comic-Con 2024 with The Hollywood Reporter.
00:21You did a lot of crazy stuff on this.
00:23What's something that you haven't done in your career before
00:26that you got to do while making this show?
00:29Well, I kind of learned that you can do a lot, a lot of things
00:36in front of a volume stage.
00:38Now a volume stage is this huge LED stage
00:41and I shot at the end 108 days in front of this stage.
00:47And they got really in trouble because you need the backgrounds more or less.
00:55So we were always fighting.
00:58I constantly had to go and watch what they were producing.
01:06And the good news was we created 1,800 shots
01:14which were all kind of a complete background and stuff
01:19and wide shots, closer shots.
01:22So that was really nice.
01:25What about you all?
01:27For me, I got to play a gladiator,
01:30something that I've been wanting to do since I was a kid,
01:33running around with fake knives and fight a guy that's six foot ten.
01:38I don't think I'll ever do that again.
01:40So that was pretty cool for me to kind of experience.
01:44What about you?
01:45Me? First time in a toga publicly.
01:54Everything on this job was a first, to be honest.
01:56The first time in Rome, pretty amazing city.
02:00First time working on a job really that is this scale and length.
02:06And also first time, hopefully not the last time,
02:10working with Sir Anthony Hopkins.
02:14Well, same here.
02:15First time in such a big program show.
02:20No, first time I'm a mother of such big kids.
02:26And enjoyed it.
02:27Like, yeah, beautiful.
02:29I did a great job.
02:30I'm proud of raising you.
02:33Chariot racing is, I guess, the main one.
02:36Yeah, learning to be around and work with horses
02:41was something I'd never done.
02:43And obviously, at its extreme, riding a four-horse chariot,
02:47which is an insane thing to do.
02:50Like, the stunt guys that actually do it are mad.
02:54It's insane.
02:55I only did little bits for the show, the safe stuff.
02:59But that was certainly a new experience for me.
03:08So, I think the volume stage for me,
03:13it's something I've never done,
03:14and I think it's so much better than green screen
03:18because you get that feeling that you're sort of there,
03:21even though you know you're not.
03:22But yeah, it's cool to work with something like that.
03:25Especially when you're doing something ancient.
03:28So, it means you get a sense of the scope of the whole thing.
03:31So, yeah, I'd say that.
03:36So, for me, I've been doing a lot of period shows in my career.
03:42My big desire was to do a Roman and Middle Age.
03:46So, Roman, for me, was amazing to be able to wear those costumes
03:51and live like a patrician,
03:52having this amazing house with the triclivio,
03:55which is this chair where I eat my grapes
03:57and just immerse myself in one of the most epic moments in history of all time.
04:02So, that was really a dream that came true.
04:06You know, Roland Emmerich, his reputation precedes himself.
04:09He's the disaster guy.
04:10We've been watching him for years.
04:12Did he stack up to how you imagined him when you first met him?
04:15What were your first memories of him when you finally got to meet him?
04:21Roland is like, he's quite a unique character in a way.
04:24And there's sort of two sides to him.
04:26And one is quite demanding.
04:28On set, he knows exactly what he wants.
04:31And he will change the sort of natural elements of the wind and sun if he could.
04:37It's like, why can't we get the sun to do this?
04:39And it's like, well, no amount of production budget can change that, I'm afraid, Roland.
04:45But he's also really sweet and almost childlike on set.
04:48When he's shooting stuff that he's happy about, it's like he's sort of giggling and excited.
04:54And then if things aren't going right, he doesn't stop until he gets what he wants.
05:00So, I think there's these sort of two sides to him that I saw.
05:03And a very lovely man outside of work.
05:05I think we all got to sort of hang out.
05:06Yeah, I also think that he's known for this super epic world.
05:11But he's so into details.
05:13I remember one day we were shooting this massive scene with Dimitri.
05:19And he did a stop, stop, stop, stop, stop.
05:21And then he wanted to adjust a curtain.
05:24He didn't like the way the curtain was.
05:25So, I noticed by observing him in his job, it's true that he's epic and like a visionary.
05:31But he's also into details very much.
05:33That makes the difference.
05:34And I think that's very unique to observe and to get it out of.
05:38Nobody would probably expect that.
05:41Yeah, he thinks fast and he talks fast.
05:45My technique was just, as soon as I got on set, go straight to Roland.
05:48And just sort of like, right.
05:50So, then I'd understand what he wanted for the scene.
05:53And then I could go and prepare while everyone else is doing their thing.
05:56So, yeah.
05:57But he trusts us.
05:59I think he kind of leaves you alone.
06:03Because he's cast you and he wants you to do what you're going to do.
06:07And then he'll come in and give you an absolute diamond note.
06:10Which you haven't thought of.
06:11Which you haven't thought of.
06:12And it completely transforms the scene.
06:14Yeah, it's great.
06:18Obviously, it's ridiculous.
06:21It's bigger than a bucket list thing to work with Anthony Hopkins.
06:24It's a dream situation for an actor.
06:28I mean, he's one of the greatest of all times.
06:32I think the big thing I learned about working with Tony is he's such a gentleman.
06:37He holds himself incredibly well on set.
06:39He's a really nice guy.
06:40And mainly, he's having a laugh all day long.
06:43All day long, he's there cracking jokes to me.
06:46Which is not always the easiest thing.
06:49But those are pretty heavy scenes together.
06:51And he was cracking me up all day long.
06:53Having so much fun.
06:54Which is just so inspiring to be around.
06:57Now, Roland, you obviously helped make Will Smith one of the biggest stars in the world.
07:03You're good at casting.
07:04So, what did you see in these folks when you were getting them on board?
07:10Well, I have the feeling I'm really proud of them.
07:15Because they really, really kind of work very well in their characters.
07:22But we also became friends.
07:24That's the interesting thing.
07:26Because whatever we did, we became friends.
07:30And that's also kind of really nice.
07:32Because we're so long together on a TV show.
07:35That we shot like 230 days.
07:40It's pretty much like it started in March and we ended in November.
07:46On my birthday, right?
07:50Did you guys get him a present? A cake or anything?
07:53It was your birthday?
07:54Yes.
07:55Well, I got a cake.
07:58And it had my hat on it.
08:03And it was actually really nice.
08:08It makes it so much nicer.
08:10It makes the experience so much better.
08:12Like you say, when you're doing a long one.
08:14You need to be able to go home at the end of the day and be like,
08:16What a lovely group of people.
08:18Also, you have to have lunch breaks.
08:22And then most of the time, on the weekend, dinners.
08:27Because I'm always inviting everybody who's in town.
08:31And that's always kind of great.
08:35Because you have a private time together.
08:38We basically did a tour of all the restaurants in Rome.
08:42We were trying different ones.
08:44All the better ones.
08:47All the better ones, yeah.
08:48And then we had the favorites.
08:50And we stuck with the favorites for a lot of times.
08:53It's not often on time where you're on a job where you have everything.
08:58Someone told me that when I started this job.
09:01That you won't have anything.
09:03You will not have everything in this job.
09:05Like being on a project that you respect.
09:07That you would love to see.
09:09With an amazing character.
09:11With some people you love.
09:13And eventually it will be a great success.
09:16But seriously.
09:19And we all loved our characters.
09:21And each character.
09:23And we happened to love each other a lot.
09:25So that was that moment for me.
09:27I guess for us.
09:29To have it all.
09:30Well, if you wouldn't mind.
09:32Tiffany has a bucket.
09:34You can reach in and grab a question.
09:37Each of you.
09:38Oh, my gosh.
09:40Okay.
09:44So here.
09:47What's the best costume?
09:50You've seen at this Comic Con so far.
09:54We were like not even in the main hall.
09:58You know.
09:59I mean we're like run from one thing to the other.
10:03And it's all in hotels.
10:05And everybody is very serious.
10:07You know.
10:08And so I have not seen anything.
10:10I have seen a lot of security guards.
10:12That's I have to say.
10:14Yeah.
10:16Okay.
10:17Here we go.
10:18Which character from any film or TV show would you choose to cosplay as?
10:22Is that me?
10:26Do you know?
10:27I was saying.
10:28Because we got asked this the other day.
10:29And I thought.
10:30Do you remember the town mayor in Nightmare Before Christmas?
10:33He's sort of mad.
10:34No one ever cosplays as him.
10:36Probably because you can't get an outfit.
10:38Do you remember the guy's head switches around.
10:40He's got like a cone head and a little hat.
10:42And a suit.
10:43What's wrong with you people?
10:45It's Comic Con and you don't know the mayor.
10:47I remember.
10:48Yeah.
10:49It's like when I said that I would love to be invisible.
10:50And you came up with this.
10:51Yeah.
10:52You chose the invisible cloak.
10:53We could be an amazing couple.
10:54Like I'm invisible.
10:55I'm just talking to myself around Comic Con.
10:56Exactly.
10:57You can't see me.
10:58Like Scorpus who talks to himself.
10:59Perfect.
11:00Yeah.
11:01Yeah.
11:02So I'm the town mayor.
11:03I know no one seems to know who that is.
11:04This is a massive disappointment.
11:05Who would you cosplay as?
11:06Oh.
11:07I don't know.
11:08No.
11:10I would play Boredom in Inside Out.
11:11You know the French Boredom that is so bored with the phone doesn't give a fuck.
11:12I love that.
11:13I would play her.
11:14Spider something?
11:15Yeah.
11:16Yeah.
11:17It's scary.
11:18Microphone.
11:19Who is the most creative?
11:20Oh.
11:21I don't know.
11:22I don't know.
11:23I don't know.
11:24I don't know.
11:25I don't know.
11:26I don't know.
11:27I don't know.
11:28I don't know.
11:29I don't know.
11:30I don't know.
11:31I don't know.
11:32I don't know.
11:33I don't know.
11:34I don't know.
11:35I don't know.
11:36I don't know.
11:37I don't know.
11:38Who is the most iconic voice in an animated series that comes to your mind?
11:46The thing is in France they are iconic too.
11:51The one who does the comics.
11:53But I would say because I love him.
11:55Steve Carell in Gru.
11:57That's mine.
12:00That was my question.
12:03I have that one.
12:06What's the best costume you've seen at Comic Con so far?
12:10I saw this one.
12:12I don't know if you've heard of it.
12:14It's the mayor from the Nightmare Before Christmas.
12:16I don't know where they got this costume from.
12:18But I think it's a fantastic idea.
12:20And congratulations to them if I don't get to bump into them.
12:23Give me the bucket.
12:25Give him the bucket.
12:27I was going to say I very rarely get starstruck.
12:29But I just walked past H. John Benjamin.
12:31And I was like right on.
12:34Okay.
12:36What would your superhero name be?
12:41Oh, damn.
12:43Flying Cho-Cho?
12:45The J-Man?
12:47It's probably just the J-Man.
12:49That's my name anyway.
12:52J-Man, Joe Bones.
12:54What's my power?
12:56Just generally an incredibly smelling man.
13:00Smells good all the time.
13:03I thought we would have to answer.
13:05You go.
13:07Switch it up.
13:09If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
13:11Yeah.
13:13I want to win Wimbledon.
13:15So I would love to have probably the best serve.
13:17Best backhand.
13:19Best volley.
13:21Best demi-volle.
13:23I'm obsessed with tennis.
13:25So I would want to be the number one tennis player in the world.
13:27But in the ATP.
13:29Not in the women's.
13:31And win.
13:33That would be my superpower.
13:35Mad?
13:37Crazy.
13:39It's not really a superpower.
13:41It's impossible to get there.
13:43So you have to have a superpower to do that.
13:45By the way, it's mine.
13:47What do you want?
13:49It's true.
13:55Which character from any film or TV show would you choose to cosplay as?
14:02I think I would probably...
14:04I'd love to do Iron Man.
14:06But the 300 grand Iron Man suit.
14:10The real deal wear.
14:12It's got air con inside.
14:14It's got all the high tech technology.
14:18I think me and my agent were talking about that.
14:22Fully invested in.