Kate Mara, who portrays the character of Sue Storm (invisible woman) in the superhero film Fantastic Four, shares that she had to familiarise herself with the wire work for the stunts in the movie
What can we expect from the movieIJ
Well, I think the great thing about our version is that it is definitely based on the original comic books, but it’s modernised. It’s the origins of these characters, so you get to know them right before they get their powers and the complications that come along with that. So I think that’s different: we haven’t seen that with this specific story before. On a personal level, I’m a total superhero movie nerd, and my favorite kind is always when I get to see the character forming their superpower because you feel so much closer to them — you understand why they got that specific power in the first place. It humanises them.
What did you and Josh discuss before you signed up for the role, what was he after, and what appealedto youIJ
I had seen Chronicle, his last movie, and was really taken by it. It stayed with me and I thought it was really smart. I thought the acting in it felt very natural and really raw and dark, and I love that as a movie goer. So when I went and sat with him and just talked to him, before we ever had a screen test, he expressed to me what he wanted the tone of this movie to be, how he wanted it to feel very grounded and real for a superhero movie. So when these kids do get their powers, it’s that much more explosive and exciting, and doesn’t look or feel like anything you’ve seen. That to me is interesting. It sounded like something I would want to see, and it’s definitely something that I wanted to be a part of. And I was relieved when I heard the other guys that he had cast because all of them are hands down actors that I had wanted to work with. So I thought “Okay, well good, he’s putting his money where his mouth is”, you knowIJ
What are your thoughts on your character, Sue StormIJ
Everyone knows she’s the Invisible Woman. But in our film, we explore how and why that is her power. Does it have to do with a specific characteristic she had beforeIJ Josh and I really talked about that. Before she has the power, when she’s just a normal girl, what is it that she’s trying to keep from peopleIJ Why does she not show her whole selfIJ That to me was really interesting because I think everybody has some sort of… not secrets necessarily, but some people take longer in their lives to really show people who they are. And Sue in this film is adopted. I think that adds to her vulnerability and her not wanting people to see her for who she really is. So when she does get this power, at first it’s terrifying to her. She doesn't want it; she wants to be normal. But the fact that she can become invisible is actually something that she probably always really wanted. She’s fighting against it now that she has it. So the journey of at first not wanting it and then being able to say, “Okay, well what are the advantages of this and how can I use it to help people, and to help my familyIJ” To have that arc and that journey with her was really, it was like a growing experience.
Can we say this film takes elements from both the original 60s comic book series and more modernincarnationsIJ
Yeah, it takes a little bit from everything. I think that Simon (Kinberg) was very smart in that he wasn’t using one specific comic to take our story from. It was a little bit from this one, little bit from that one. I think one of the special things about our movie is that while it’s new in its reincarnation of the Fantastic Four, it takes a lot of things from a lot of different comics. So I do feel like there’s going to be something in it that will make everybody happy in some way! Fans should feel like they know these people.
Presumably Sue is a somewhat stronger, more complex woman than maybe the original book versionIJ
There’s nothing ‘damsel in distress’ about Sue in our movie. Even though you see her before she maybe has the confidence to want to own these powers, she’s never weak. She holds her own and she’s not afraid of doing that. She was brought up by a single father, so she’s very comfortable around all of these men. And again, that’s one of the reasons why I was excited to play Sue Storm specifically as a superhero because she’s not a damsel in distress who then becomes a superhero. She’s definitely finding her way at first because she’s young, but she’s very smart. I connected with her before she becomes this superhuman.
So what is the dynamic between your character and the other threeIJ
Well, obviously Johnny Storm is my brother. They’ve got the normal sibling dynamic. They’re definitely close, but there’s a little bit of tension there because Sue has a very good relationship with Doctor Storm, their Father. We share the same passion for science. We share that, so even though we’re not from the same blood line, it connects us on almost an even deeper level, and the fact that he chose me as a child makes Johnny feel inferior, I think. I mean, it’s more of a tension between him and our Dad because Johnny and I have a really great relationship. But the fights between him and my Dad cause tension because I love them both equally. I have this thing of sticking up for my Dad, but also wanting them to just be. That was fun to play because Mike and I have a very natural chemistry. It was really easy for him and I to sort of just like jump right into it. The Thing is played by Jamie. There’s a scene in the film between Sue and Ben before he’s become The Thing; it’s a very, very small interaction, and one of the few scenes that I have with him in the story. It’s very subtle, but she has this sort of affection for him. I think in the comic books as well, the Invisible Girl is always kind of sticking up for him. That came easily for me because I already knew and loved Jamie Bell.
In this version, does Sue have any other powers apart from being invisibleIJ
She can create force fields, which comes in very handy. It’s like a giant moveable bubble she can create around things. So it’s like our version of flying. I can create a force field around all of us and sort of transport us to another place.
One thing that the Fantastic Four is probably known for is introducing a family dynamic. They’re kind ofthe first family of comic books.
Before they become the Fantastic Four, there is already that family dynamic beginning to develop because we’re all working together to get to this other dimension. We all have very different personalities, so everyone has their role that they play. When the accident happens and we all have these powers, there is a very different sort of banter and different relationships form because some people react in different ways than others. One of the interesting things about the story is how this family finds each other again. And then, what is that dynamic at the endIJ Which is really the beginning of the Fantastic Four. Where do we go from hereIJ
You don’t seem like someone who would want to sign up for a long-term gig...
There’s a reason why I haven’t done that before. I did Netflix (House of Cards), but it was 14 episodes and that was it. I’ve never signed on to a TV show because the thought of signing five years of my life away to one character has never been something that I was excited by. But knowing Sue’s specific arc and her journey and how different she’s going to be in the first movie than she could be in the second and then the third, that excites me. I feel like I can really explore this person and grow with her.
Josh Trank seems like ‘an actor’s director,’ but what’s he like on action and spectacleIJ
If you’ve seen Chronicle, you know the flying in that movie is so well done. It’s sort of like an anti-superhero film; ours isn’t anti. So I was very excited to get the opportunity to do all of the jumping around and flying.
Do you have to do any special trainingIJ
There wasn’t really any special training for it. Although, when you know you’re going to have to be in a spandex suit for three months of your life, you can bet your ass I was training for that! The only specific training that we had to do was make sure we were comfortable with the wire work, which is so much fun. Any time anyone’s ever asked me that question: “If you had a superpower, what would it beIJ” I’ve always said, I’d want to fly, and now I feel like I’ve had a little taste of what that feels like. I think one of my favorite days on set was just a day where Mike and I had to fly together. We felt like little kids! It will be exciting to see those scenes because you’re doing it in front of a green screen and reacting to stuff that’s not there.
What modern themes do you think the film may be addressingIJ
I think a general theme of the movie is: What would you do and how far would you go to protect your familyIJ That doesn’t necessarily mean your blood family. Everybody has someone they love that they would do anything for, that they would go to the ends of the Earth to protect, and that really is what it keeps boiling down to in this film.
Yes, a young audience today is different from 10 years ago.
Yeah, and we’re not going to dumb it down just because they’re 13. We trust they’re going to be able to handle superheroes that are smart. It’s not all primary colors and sparkly things that fly. There’s a lot more to it than that.
Why do you think there is such a wave of superhero-related TV shows and movies these daysIJ
Personally I love an underdog story, and a lot of these superheroes start out just as normal people who undergo an extraordinary event or situation that creates this power that they then have to figure out how to use. I don’t know: I think people like to watch normal people in extraordinary situations. And don’t we all want to feel special in some wayIJ
Fantastic Four premiers on Star Movies on May 15 at 9pm