Exclusive interview with Kate Beckinsale, Underworld 3D actress

The most awaited sequel to the Underworld series, ‘Underworld Awakening’ in 3D is finally releasing this New Year in theatres near you. An action flick totally supported by the talented and beautiful actress Kate Beckinsale looks very promising. You wouldn’t want to miss seeing Kate kick some serious butts and try and keep the vampires at bay to save the human race. From the storyline to the screenplay and the dialogues, the film does justice to the popularity and the magnanimity of its prequels. Kate Beckinsale who has been a part of the Underworld franchise in its previous two films was heard saying, “Action films attract me to don these roles as I get to use guns, hang from a wire, learn gymnastics. It’s all so very exciting!” Apart from her, we get to see India Eisley, Charles Dance and Michael Ealy in this film. Written by Len Wiseman and John Hlavin, this 89 minute film of Sony Pictures is in 3D, which adds to the total experience of watching the film. The direction which is the crucial part of any action film, is done by Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein from Sweden, who have brought to the screen some very powerful action scenes. The direction is very innovative, fast paced and gripping which will leave the thrill seekers wanting for more. KATE BECKINSALE FINDS BEING AN ACTION GIRL WEIRD Kate Beckinsale who plays the warrior Selene in the Underworld series of films said she took the part to prove to herself that she could pull it off. “I was sort of frustrated at finding that every time I went for a movie where the character was a cop or something, they’d say, ‘Well she’s very soft and British… We sort of think of her more in a period movie.’” But she never expected that it would go so far. Underworld: Awakening is the fourth in the series and the third movie starring Kate. “For me it was an experiment to see if anyone including myself would actually buy me doing this stuff. So the thought of it going on to two, three, or four films, was very much contingent on whether or not it worked. And I certainly didn’t think it would become one of the things that was most associated with me, because it was probably the movie I did that was the most far removed from myself.” She also feels that her role in Underworld changed her career. “I was, what, 28, when I did it? And I’d been solidly working for a good ten years before that. Now all of a sudden you’re ‘action girl’. I had to fight so hard to actually be in Underworld. Then, suddenly, I was so bought as that character it was almost like the other stuff never happened. It did open up an awful lot of stuff to me that had not been available to me before, so I was very grateful for that. But it’s strange to become much more famous for something that’s so far away from your sensibility. It’s not bad. It’s just weird.” “Underworld was a big career changer for me”- Kate Beckinsale KATE BECKINSALE’S COSTUME QUARMS Not heavy action scenes, not daredevil stunts. It was Kate Beckinsale’s trademark sexy leather costume that posed one of the biggest challenges on the sets of her next release Underworld Awakening coming almost a decade after the previous Underworld film that she starred in. “It was actually a bit funny. You put anything on that you first put on nine years before and you kind of go, ‘Bloody hell, I hope it fits!’ I was rather relieved that it was fine. But it was a bit of a time-travel moment,” she said. Kate also had a hard time doing an underwater scene wearing the tight corset as it diminished her lung capacity. “It’s very hard when you’ve got a corset on to take a big enough breath to actually be underwater for very long. So that was kind of tough. But it was a pretty smooth shoot, I have to say.”

The UK born actress, Kate Beckinsale, who put a spell on the audience with her ferocious avatar of the werewolf-slaying vampire Selene in the film Underworld, is back in action with its fourth sequel called as “Underworld Awakening”. The sequel will be the first 3D film in the franchise and will feature Kate as the vampire warrioress who leads the battle against humankind. In an exclusive interview with the media Kate spoke about her upcoming film of Sony Pictures “Underworld Awakening” It was nearly nine years ago that the prequel of Underworld Awakening was shot. What according to you is a factor that has made the series so popular? I think people really like it when a female-driven action movie works because it’s so unusual that it does. I remember loving Alien because of how empowering it was to see Sigourney Weaver actually do all that. Every TV show, every movie, every book, has got vampires and werewolves in it now, which is weird. I remember when Len (Beckinsale’s husband and Underworld co-creator, Len Wiseman) first sent the script he was saying “We’ve had vampire movies, we’ve had werewolf movies, but we haven’t had a mainstream movie with both of them in it.” It seems amazing that somebody could ever have said that given the climate we’re in now. This is the first film in the franchise to be shot in 3D, how was the experience while shooting it? I actually really like 3D. I loved Harry Potter so much – that last movie – I thought it was brilliant. But I do notice that the movies where I enjoy it tend to have been shot in 3D, rather than converted later. So I was very glad when I learned that that was how we were going to do this, not having any idea how that would actually affect us on set. And it didn’t, really, apart from having a little bit more time waiting around, just because the cameras are so extremely sensitive and sometimes have to be tinkered with. How was your experience working with the Two Swedish directors? Two Swedish guys, Mans (Marlind) and Björn (Stein). They’d done a film called Shelter together (starring Julianne Moore; 2010). They’re also very good friends and have this incredible system where they take turns behind the camera on alternate days. On Monday it’s Mans and Björn is silent, and then on Tuesday it’s Björn and Mans is silent. And you think, ‘How are they going to keep that up?’ But they do…. There are so many peripheral things involved in being a director than what you’re actually shooting. It can be frustrating. You’ve either got someone coming up and asking what you want for a shot in three-weeks time or it’s ‘Can you come into the edit and have a look at something.’ The way they work, the one who’s not directing can do all that stuff so that the person who’s directing can be completely present. There are people out there who are unfamiliar with the franchise. How does the film befit them? All the characters basically, apart from me, are new. So the fans of the series are meeting them for the first time, just as much as people who’ve never seen it before. So I think it should work on both levels. How different is this film from its prequels? Well it’s pretty different. In the previous films the humans weren’t really aware of all this going on, whereas in this movie it’s become almost recognized as a kind of plague. Now they’re being purged. By the time I wake from my 12 year cryo-freeze, the whole world has changed. So I’m starting the movie kind of like the audience is, going, ‘What the hell is going on here?’ How has the character of Selene evolved in the past nine years? Selene definitely started out as someone who was very sure of who was a good guy, who was a bad guy, and what her position was. Over the course of various betrayals and surprises, she’s a little less like that. Given that she’s learned that ‘all is not as it seems,’ she’s a little bit more guarded than she initially was. What is the most attractive thing about your role? Selene’s got these warrior skills and everything, but she’s still very much female. She was kind of a lone wolf, rebellious and yet very passionate. She had a lot of good stuff. I just felt there was a lot there that was rather endearing in an odd way. And certainly for me, just in terms of my career, I was sort of frustrated at finding that every time I went for a movie where the character was a cop or something, they’d say, “Well she’s very soft and British… We sort of think of her more in a period movie.” So for me it was really a question of seeing if I could pull it off or if they were right. Did your character require any special training? It’s interesting… On the first movie I had a lot of preparation, a lot of training, because I’d never done anything like it. I was completely hopeless, physically, with everything. I really had to be trained how to run, let alone shoot or fight… But there is a kind of muscle memory to it. My body remembers how to actually do this stuff. So this time I only had two weeks for particular set pieces and stunts, you know, practicing the knee slide, the jumps, and the various fights. Rumors have it that your costume turned out to be one of the biggest challenges on the sets, is it true? It was actually a bit funny. You put anything on that you first put on nine years before and you kind of go, ‘Bloody hell, I hope it fits!’ (Laughs)… I was rather relieved that it was fine. But it was a bit of a time-travel moment. We did some underwater stuff. And I found swimming in the corset was a little bit… It’s very hard when you’ve got a corset on to take a big enough breath to actually be underwater for very long. So that was kind of tough. But, it was a pretty smooth shoot, I have to say. When the first film Underworld was made, did you think it would have 3 sequels to it ? (Laughs)… For me it was an experiment to see if anyone including myself would actually buy me doing this stuff. So the thought of it going on to two, three, or four films, was very much contingent on whether or not it worked. So, no, not at all. And I certainly didn’t think it would become one of the things that was most associated with me, because it was probably the movie I did that was the most far removed from myself. Was Underworld a big career changer for you? It was and I think I was a bit late to the game of realizing quite how much. I was, what, 28, when I did it? And I’d been solidly working for a good ten years before that. Now all of a sudden you’re ‘action girl’. I had to fight so hard to actually be in Underworld. Then, suddenly, I was so bought as that character it was almost like the other stuff never happened. It did open up an awful lot of stuff to me that had not been available to me before, so I was very grateful for that. But it’s strange to become much more famous for something that’s so far away from your sensibility. It’s not bad. It’s just weird. What are your future projects? There’s Contraband (costarring Mark Wahlberg); that’s coming out first. Then there’s Underworld. And I’ve just finished Total Recall with Colin Farrell, Jessica Biel and Bryan Cranston (for director, Len Wiseman). I literally just finished that a few weeks ago. Three movies back to back, I think, is plenty for this year (laughs)...