Acting is difficult, however performing with a masks on for a lot of your efficiency is even more durable. Just ask Kane Hodder from the Friday the thirteenth films or Tom Hardy, who performed the masked Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. The actor Florian Munteanu, who stars as Krieg in Eli Roth’s sci-fi romp Borderlands, needed to act in a masks the whole time, but nonetheless managed to search out the essence of his character that made him so interesting within the sport.
In an interview with Digital Trends, Munteanu spoke concerning the challenges of bringing the sport to life within the film and the way taking part in an intimidating brute introduced out a hidden comedic aspect audiences haven’t seen earlier than.
Note: This interview has been edited for size and readability.
Digital Trends: When you’re coping with characters, you search for the particular particulars and issues that make them click on. With Krieg, it’s the masks. That’s what makes him who he’s. Putting on the masks, how did it enable you to get into the character’s thoughts and perceive what he desires?
Florian Munteanu: I imply, the masks is a part of the character. I stored telling everybody simply because you’ve gotten a masks on doesn’t imply you’re protected from not making an attempt to behave to the fullest of your skills. The facial expressions and every little thing that goes with it — the attention performing, the physique language — need to be on level despite the fact that you’re carrying a masks. That’s the way you make the masks your personal. That’s how the masks turns into your face.
Preparing for the film was very straightforward for me as a result of I used to be very conversant in the video games and the character. Krieg is definitely my favourite character, so I knew mainly every little thing about him. The bodily preparation for the position was powerful, however it was lots of enjoyable immersing myself in all of it.
I’m going to ask the apparent query concerning the challenges of performing with a masks on. It’s nearly like one other artwork type. What have been the challenges you bumped into with [the mask] on? As you mentioned, it’s tougher to convey feelings and expressions.
Munteanu: I imply, I’m an enormous comedian e book fan, so if it involves comedian books, my favourite character in all probability can be Bane. I used to be looking for a personality with similarities to Krieg, and clearly [because of the mask], it’s Bane. I used to be digging into what Tom Hardy did with him in The Dark Knight Rises, making an attempt to see what sort of difficult issues he was dealing with. The most important drawback he had was clear imaginative and prescient. Every time you’ve gotten one thing in your face, it bothers you, particularly when combating.
I do know that Krieg is there primarily for combating scenes. When I used to be filming, I needed to cope with blurry imaginative and prescient as a result of the masks was transferring always. The aim, on the subject of fights in a film, is to not hit the individuals in entrance of you. It’s essential. [laughs] That was probably the most difficult half. Also, it was new for me. I by no means put on a masks, and I might by no means put on a masks after I was combating. I attempted to coach with the masks a few weeks previous to us coming into the shoot, and I feel we made it work. We pushed by means of it.
You’ve positively added some extra comedy into his position. You’ve performed Drago and Razor Fist, however that is arguably your funniest position up to now. Did you look ahead to the problem of working in your comedy?
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Munteanu: 100%. I really feel like Krieg is a protagonist for as soon as. It’s enjoyable being the unhealthy man. I knew that Krieg had that humorous aspect to him due to his cut up persona, and the best way he talks. I noticed that as an enormous alternative for myself to, such as you mentioned, do one thing completely different than what I did previously with my different roles.
You have this buddy cop chemistry with Ariana (Greenblatt)’s character, Tiny Tina. Take me by means of that relationship.
Munteanu: If you’ve gotten a bond like that in a film, you attempt to, as actors, join nearly as good as attainable in actual life to create actual chemistry on display. Ariana made it very straightforward for me. She’s in all probability probably the most proficient younger lady I’ve ever seen in my complete life. She made it very straightforward for me to love her. She made it very straightforward for me to work along with her.
I used to be studying rather a lot from her, not solely on the subject of the craft of performing, however how I method completely different scenes, the right way to get unfastened, and the right way to have extra enjoyable with it. We understand how robust the bond is between Krieg and Tiny Tina within the video games … The followers predict to see that enjoyable bond. Once once more, I feel we nailed it as a result of she made it a lot simpler for me, and I hope I did the identical for her.
There’s lots of strain to honor the video games. At the top of the day, you need to give your personal interpretation. Did that change your course of, understanding you needed to steadiness the sport with your personal type?
Munteanu: A little bit bit, yeah. It’s nearly not possible to create the identical model of the sport character and adapt it to the film character since you don’t have countless hours to unfold every particular person storyline. A film is approach faster. We mainly solely have two hours to inform it, and meaning it’s essential to velocity issues up. If you velocity issues up, you need to do away with a number of the particulars that possibly lots of players and followers love concerning the character.
In the previous, we had so many films attempt to adapt video video games. They weren’t at all times profitable as a result of it was so difficult. There’s a skinny line between what you need to carry from the sport and what stuff you need to carry to the desk to make this work in a film. I feel we did an incredible job, however on the finish of the day, the followers need to resolve. I’m actually curious to see what the response will likely be.
Borderlands is now in theaters.