‘We all have an ex we have fantasized about’
By : Katie Ellis
Update: 2024-08-19 19:05 GMT
Excerpts from an interview:
Q What made you sign up for The Union?
“I loved the script from the very beginning and then having known Mark (Wahlberg) for the longest time, I was really excited to get the chance to finally work with him and to play these two highs school sweethearts coming thrown back together later in life. And of course having been in a Bond movie, I thought it would be really fun to play with that in kind of a spoof way.
Q What is your take on the idea of catching up with your old high school sweetheart?
“It’s something we have all fantasized about, if we’re honest about it. It’s that whole thing of wondering what happened to the one that got away and maybe wondering how things would have turned out had you stayed together or what you would say if you suddenly ran into them now.”
Q Do you have an old sweetheart you still think about?
“I do but we never lost contact. We’re still close friends so it’s different. I feel grateful for the time we had together but I don’t have any regrets. It was fun at the time but I needed to move on and discover life beyond my own backyard.”
Q Did finally getting to work with Mark Wahlberg live up to your expectations?
“It more than did. I have known Mark since the early 90s so to get to spend this time with him and to work with him so closely was such a thrill. It was fun because usually it’s the man leading the way on some big adventure but this movie turns that on its head. I feel like we had really good chemistry together. So yeah, Mark more than lived up to my expectations... and hopefully I lived up to his (laughs).”
Q There are some intense fight scenes in the movie...
“I loved it. I’ve always loved the physical challenge of action scenes. It was lucky actually because I had just done John Wick and Bruise so I felt like I was kind of fit and fight-ready for this. But the fight scenes are so intricate that it still took me something like six weeks of training to learn the choreography and everything else involved.”
Q Is it true that you insist on doing all your own stunts?
“I do all the stunts I’m allowed to do. Unless it’s something I really can’t do or it’s going to be a problem for insurance reasons. I like to do them. It’s something I learned to love again from my time on John Wick. That experience changed me forever. I have always been athletic. I was a gymnast when I was a kid. I can do martial arts, I love boxing so anything action is right up my street. I love to challenge myself, even more so now I'm closer to 60 than I am 50.”
Q You have a very distinctive hairstyle in this movie...
“I know. I love the hair and Roxanne’s whole look, actually. But the hair is often one of my first way into a character and in this case, it really represents her strength, her boldness and how she tackles life head-on.”
Q The Union is real globe-hopping adventure. Did you get to explore much between filming?
“We did get to hang out, have dinner together and see some sights, yeah. I had my family with me in London so we got to do some stuff there. We also shot in Slovenia which was fascinating because I have never been there before. So it wasn’t all work.”
Q What is your goal at this stage of your career?
“Just that I hopefully get to keep working, to keep challenging myself and most of all, that I stay healthy. I have two children who are still growing up. I just want to keep doing what I have been doing and take care of myself, put myself first because it is really important I stick around for them.”
Q The secret to looking young and healthy?
“Happiness. It’s important to be happy, to look after yourself, to take care of your body and to eat well. It’s the lifestyle that helps.”
(Asia Features)
“I loved the script from the very beginning and then having known Mark (Wahlberg) for the longest time, I was really excited to get the chance to finally work with him and to play these two highs school sweethearts coming thrown back together later in life. And of course having been in a Bond movie, I thought it would be really fun to play with that in kind of a spoof way.
Q What is your take on the idea of catching up with your old high school sweetheart?
“It’s something we have all fantasized about, if we’re honest about it. It’s that whole thing of wondering what happened to the one that got away and maybe wondering how things would have turned out had you stayed together or what you would say if you suddenly ran into them now.”
Q Do you have an old sweetheart you still think about?
“I do but we never lost contact. We’re still close friends so it’s different. I feel grateful for the time we had together but I don’t have any regrets. It was fun at the time but I needed to move on and discover life beyond my own backyard.”
Q Did finally getting to work with Mark Wahlberg live up to your expectations?
“It more than did. I have known Mark since the early 90s so to get to spend this time with him and to work with him so closely was such a thrill. It was fun because usually it’s the man leading the way on some big adventure but this movie turns that on its head. I feel like we had really good chemistry together. So yeah, Mark more than lived up to my expectations... and hopefully I lived up to his (laughs).”
Q There are some intense fight scenes in the movie...
“I loved it. I’ve always loved the physical challenge of action scenes. It was lucky actually because I had just done John Wick and Bruise so I felt like I was kind of fit and fight-ready for this. But the fight scenes are so intricate that it still took me something like six weeks of training to learn the choreography and everything else involved.”
Q Is it true that you insist on doing all your own stunts?
“I do all the stunts I’m allowed to do. Unless it’s something I really can’t do or it’s going to be a problem for insurance reasons. I like to do them. It’s something I learned to love again from my time on John Wick. That experience changed me forever. I have always been athletic. I was a gymnast when I was a kid. I can do martial arts, I love boxing so anything action is right up my street. I love to challenge myself, even more so now I'm closer to 60 than I am 50.”
Q You have a very distinctive hairstyle in this movie...
“I know. I love the hair and Roxanne’s whole look, actually. But the hair is often one of my first way into a character and in this case, it really represents her strength, her boldness and how she tackles life head-on.”
Q The Union is real globe-hopping adventure. Did you get to explore much between filming?
“We did get to hang out, have dinner together and see some sights, yeah. I had my family with me in London so we got to do some stuff there. We also shot in Slovenia which was fascinating because I have never been there before. So it wasn’t all work.”
Q What is your goal at this stage of your career?
“Just that I hopefully get to keep working, to keep challenging myself and most of all, that I stay healthy. I have two children who are still growing up. I just want to keep doing what I have been doing and take care of myself, put myself first because it is really important I stick around for them.”
Q The secret to looking young and healthy?
“Happiness. It’s important to be happy, to look after yourself, to take care of your body and to eat well. It’s the lifestyle that helps.”
(Asia Features)