The actress stars alongside Channing Tatum in the adventure film ‘The Lost City’: “When my time comes I plan to take a step back and let others shine,” she warns
Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum promise a good dose of romance and adventure in ‘The Lost City’, which opens on April 15 in Spanish cinemas. The story tells of the encounter between a novelist who has spent her entire career writing about exotic places and romances without leaving her apartment, and an attractive model tasked with impersonating the hero on the book covers. When the writer is kidnapped by an eccentric millionaire on one of her promotional tours, Tatum’s character will be her only lifeline.
Before the world was turned upside down by the pandemic, Bullock, 57, was already working on developing the film. A script in which he has been collaborating for seven long years and that he has finally been able to produce and star in. This quixotic story shows how two worthless can survive in extraordinary circumstances. The comedy also features Daniel Radcliffe, Joy Randolph and Brad Pitt in the cast.
-How did you end up owning the rights to this film?
-I read the story a few years ago, my producing partner and I knew we could do something fun with the script. We were absolutely convinced that no writer could develop the story to the level we had in our heads. Being allowed to produce this film is very rare in Hollywood, but we have achieved it and we are very proud of it.
-Was it fun working with Chaning Tatum?
He has no shame and neither do I. We are actors without shame. We know that sex sells and that’s what the character does as a writer. This is a woman who sells romance novels, but is unable to have an affair. It was really fun to play her because she always ends up between a rock and a hard place. It is a comedy with a good dose of tragedy.
-This is a friends movie, without any romance between a man and a woman.
-You have two human beings who are on a journey together. In her adventure they are forced to evaluate themselves and grow, it is not about him saving her. I am not a damsel in distress. I would love to be that, but honestly I can’t. What I loved about this narrative is that the roles are reversed, no one but Channing could have taken on that role and accepted it so honestly.
-Why have you been thinking about this script for so long?
-I imagined a couple trapped, they are two fish out of water fighting for their survival. Two people who would not be together anywhere else.
-The trip to produce the film was longer than expected due to the pandemic. How did you deal with that situation?
-For the team it was very hard, but it didn’t stop us. In fact, we got more motivated and made sure the movie got made. We were the only movie at Paramount that didn’t close that year because we had everything under control. Channing and I tested each other every day.
-Now, do you expect people to return to theaters?
-I love the movie theater experience, popcorn and sodas. I hope that the public will also enjoy the experience of seeing the film in a movie theater because it is created for a big screen. I shouldn’t be ashamed of wanting people to laugh at the movies. There is no shame in that! We all need a nice warm hug, we all need to laugh and have a little fun.
Daniel Radcliffe and Sandra Bullock in ‘The Lost City’.
-What is essential in a film for you to star in it?
-It has to be a story of pure entertainment, which keeps you hooked and on the edge of your seat. I am always looking for a project with visibility, accessible, that attracts the audience to live an experience. I like that aspect and also putting together the puzzle pieces that have to come together to get it.
-The conversations of the protagonists are very natural, was the dialogue in the script or did they improvise it?
We improvise a lot. We try to follow the script most of the time, but one day you skip it, the camera keeps rolling, and suddenly what you made up at that moment is on film.
-He’s been away from Los Angeles for a long time. Do you miss Hollywood?
-No not really. I have been working tirelessly for a long time and now I am lucky enough to choose what I want to do. This project was something that interested me a lot, that’s why I’m back promoting a movie, otherwise I’d be at home.
-What message does this film have for women?
-We need women capable of interpreting all the possible characters, complex women, complicated women, that is what we have to show on the screen, especially to young women. I want to see women in movies taking care of each other, being generous to each other. Recognize talent. When my time comes I plan to step back and let others shine. I am convinced of the current fight, but it must be for the greater good. I like to see women rise.
Channing Tatum and Sandra Bullock in ‘The Lost City’.
-What was the turning point that led you to look for roles written for men, transform them and interpret them?
-I want to be a man! My search started before this movie, when I was reading comedies. One day I told my agent that I wanted to read all the scripts that were sent to Jim Carrey. That’s how I started, then, little by little, they came to me until those of George Clooney, ha, ha.
-What did you learn looking for those papers?
I have learned absolutely nothing. I lie, I learned that you should not worry about receiving a negative answer. Actors are used to rejection and it is important to fight to transform a negative response into a positive one. It’s about being tenacious and having confidence. It doesn’t hurt to ask.
-What is your personal opinion towards the Hispanic community in the United States?
-It is a community that fights for its rights. I have a Hispanic brother-in-law and he is wonderful. But we should not seek to separate, but to unite. If you are a good person, come to my fold, if you are not, stay away from my house.
#Sandra #Bullock #incapable #damsel #distress