Clive Owen is an actor who has recently become one of the hottest British stars in Hollywood. With roles in the likes of Children of Men, Sin City, Trust, Duplicity and The Boys are Back, he has gone onto to star in the Spanish horror film, Intruders, which sees two children haunted by the same unknown creature in different parts of the world.
Talking to View’s Matthew Turner alongside co-stars Pilar Lopez de Ayala, Ella Purnell, Daniel Bruhl and Carice van Houten, the actors talked about the psychological nature of the film, working with director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, and working in Spain.
You've worked in a short period of time with both Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and Juan Antonio Bayona [director of The Orphanage]. What type of energy do you find in our young directors here in Spain?
I chose this project like I choose every project, really. I read the script and really loved it and I saw Juan Carlos' films and was just super impressed. I think he's a huge talent. I loved 28 Weeks Later, I thought it was a really fantastically made film, I loved Intacto and coming into a film like this, which I thought was a very original take - I wouldn't really call this a horror film, it's sort of much deeper and more psychological than that and all the fear and trepidation and all the danger in the movie is within the characters, so it's a pleasure to act in and be involved in something like this.
All the fear, trepidation and all the danger in the movie is within the characters...
This is the second time you've come to San Sebastian and it's always with things that are out of the ordinary. Do they always fit you with characters who are out of the normal, so to speak?
It must be related to the stuff I'm attracted to – I was last here with Alfonso Cuaron and Children of Men, which, I think similar to this, was a hugely ambitious film made by a really great, talented director. I think when I read the script for this and I talked to Juan Carlos about his vision for the film, I saw his ambition and I thought it was a very ambitious thing, to tie in all these elements together and to bring them in to pack an emotional weight and I was hugely excited by the possibility of achieving that and I think that's what he's done.
Pilar, it's a surprise to see you in this sort of film. How did you find the experience?
Well, for me it's not a question of genres, it's more about forming part of a good story. I like science fiction a lot and the fantastic component that this film has and I felt like being a part of it. When I was first told, I thought it was a joke – I couldn't believe it. I've followed Juan Carlos' career for a long time and I'm a fan of his previous films and when they told me that they wanted me to be a part of the project and surrounded by such a great cast and great actors, I couldn't believe it.
After that, I discovered that my character was very powerful and I felt like there were a lot of nuances and a lot of colours in my character and it gave me the opportunity of doing things that you don't get the opportunity to do very often, which is great for actors. A scene goes onto another scene and when it's a very complex character like the character I portray, it's great. So I'm very grateful to be part of this story. It's been a pleasure to shoot a film with someone who loves actors, who works with them in such a way that it gives you the possibility of doing a sequence from different perspectives, not only physically, but also from an emotional standpoint.
And also, all the rest of the work is based upon the actors and what spontaneously occurs in the rehearsals and the prior work and this is a luxury for an actor. It's been a very positive experience.
Ella, you've also worked with two Spanish directors recently. What was your experience of working with both Juan Carlos and Gustavo Herron and could you highlight anything about the characters you played?
Well, I love Spain and I love Spanish people – I think you're all incredibly friendly and nice, so meeting with Spanish directors and working with them is a massive pleasure because it's enjoyable and you know, you have a laugh on set, you get to know people and it's like a massive extended family. I found that Gustavo and Juan Carlos were very, very different directors.
Gustavo is very relaxed on set; he's very approachable, it's easy for you to talk to him and he takes things in his own time, which may mean that you have extra days filming or less time tutoring and stuff. But on Ways to Live Forever [Vivir Para Siempre], it was very relaxed, very laid-back. But because this [Intruders] is such an intense film, I think it was important to keep that kind of energy up. Juan Carlos is great and he definitely helped me with some of the intense scenes I had to do.
Daniel, how did you prepare for the part of the priest, because it's a special kind of priest?
I was a bit afraid. Once in your life, you've got to play a priest. And I said 'How are we going to do this?' Well, there was a fantastic Jesuit guy that allowed me to visit him and some of his colleagues on the outskirts of Madrid. And there's also the cliché of the Jesuit priest, how they're very closed and very serious and I was afraid to go and visit these people. I noticed that these guys were people who believe but who do something good – they have their social work and they truly want to help the poor people who live in these suburbs. And this is what my character does, so I went to church and I slept with the Bible next to me, something that I normally don't do.
Carice, your character is probably the most ambiguous in the film – sometimes you think she may be a villain, other times you don't. Could you talk about how you approached your character? And what was it like working with Clive Owen?
Juan Carlos, the first moment I met him, it was a very, very personal connection we had, immediately. It was not like just talking about movies, we immediately went deeper and I really liked that. And I think that what you feel in the film, it's so soulful and it's so personal. Working with Clive was great – there was only one day when I didn't like him so much – it was when Holland played the World Cup final against Spain. I was the only Dutch person in the group and he chose the Spanish side! But the rest was great – he's so down to earth, he's really great to work with and I feel really privileged.