Will Poulter talks about the hardships he faced while shooting in the jungle for The Maze Runner
How did you react to the scriptIJ
I actually auditioned a scene for Gally without even reading the script or the books, it was quite tricky. When I read the books and the script I loved them both. What I really liked about the script — and it’s the biggest challenge when adapting into film — is that it captured the spirit of the book without having catered to every single, which would have been impossible anyway. The camaraderie between the Gladers and the dynamic that exists between characters — how they negotiate around the hierarchy they’ve built — is what I really liked as an actor. And then to play someone I haven’t played before — I wouldn’t call him a villain, but he’s this conflicted character that goes between good and bad. It’s difficult to know where Gally stands. I was on board from the moment I read the script, because it was a great challenge. And its not everyday that you associate with such challenges in a platform as big as this movie.
What did you make of Wes’ short, RuinIJ
It was the first thing I watched after I heard he was directing it. I was blown away. It’s something he’s developing into a really large-scale feature.Ruin was fantastic. You really get a sense of the bigger picture and where he plans to go and how he intends to expand. I marvel at his ability. He’s the first visionary that I’ve ever worked with — he’s a genuine visionary.
He comes from the world of visual effects. Is he good with storyIJ
That was what confirmed me that I had made the right decision. I sat down with Wes when I was in lA and he showed me all the concept art. I’d already seen Ruin and he was showing me his vision for the movie — how realised and already formed his ideas were. And he said, ‘By the way, none of this matters unless character, emotion and the relationships between every character are 100 per cent watertight and believable.’ A Michelin star chef can cook amazing meals, but if they’re not cooked right and the flavours don’t harmonise, the whole thing falls apart. Wes is a Michelin star chef of filmmaking, and that was comforting.
How much did louisiana location help you in easing inIJ
It was something Wes was really keen on. We had a situation where we were all basically living with each other, so we were all on the same corridor of a hotel. We made it common practice that we all ate together every night. Everyone would come over and cook a dish. The Americans called it ‘potluck dinners’. We’d all cook a dish, put it out on the table and eat food and watch basketball. We literally spent every minute with each other. It’s crazy because when you’re living on top of each other, you might anticipate some issues or that you’ll get on each other’s nerves, but we didn’t. There were so many of us that we got enough time away from one another. We had a blast and that strengthened the on-screen relationships.
The only difficulty that I faced was with Dylan. We got on so well off the sets, yet our characters hate each other. That was one part that required me to act seriously.
The film is so vast and there are so many characters that we took upon ourselves the need to talk about the relationships. We’d sit down in a circle with a script and rehearse. I haven’t experienced that before.
Did you face any problem due to weather conditions — given the high heat and humidityIJ
It was insane. I’ve ever experienced anything like this. I turned red in the heat. I burn easily and I dilate. I lost so much weight — all of us did. luckily we were eating Cajun food and big Southern portions, so that was good. We’re used to be in big, heavy cotton clothing and started sweating the moment we stepped outside. Adding to that were heavy tool belts and all the running around and pushing each other over and fights. There were problems about snakes as well. We had a snake wrangler with us at all times and there was also someone who was in charge of making sure that none of them found their way onto set. But you take that all on the chin because you’re doing the best job in the world.
How much of what we see in The Maze Runner is actually realIJ
We had an unbelievable special effects team who supervised life Of Pi. But as an actor, it was great because Ball realised it was difficult to react to a blue and green screen the whole time. For the others who enter the maze, there was a lot more blue and greenscreen work. I wasn’t really subjected to any of that. It was difficult reacting to the maze walls and the maze doors when they were supposed to open and close. We always had at least something to react to, which was good and helpful. I’ve done similar things before when I shot Narnia, where there were tricky times because of greenscreen. But this time, I had already had experience facing a green screen and acting on cue. I should also mention that we got a chance to camp out in the Glade. We camped out during one of the worst rainstorms of all time. We did a boot camp survival course out in the Glade with an ex-army nurse.
Would you survive if you happen to be abandoned in the woodsIJ
No. I can just about build a fire still, but gas and electricity in london is a little too convenient. My mum would kill me if I built a fire in our front room. I haven’t used many of my new learned skills at all.