What was it about The Lost City that appealed to you?
I just loved the escapism of it and how much fun it was. It’s been a long time since I have laughed, other than at myself, and just relax with a project. That was the whole journey of this. It’s the kind of pure escapism we really need right now. I love how this is a movie about life and we all need to find a way to fall back in love with it. This is a movie we can all enjoy and laugh at together, as a community, which I think is really important right now.
Was this movie as much fun to make as it is to watch?
Absolutely. It was three months of pure joy in the jungle. It’s always fun when you get to be collaborative with people you respect and admire and we definitely got to do that. I loved it.
How was it having to wear that sparkly pink jumpsuit in the jungle?
The jumpsuit was something else. It kind of embedded into my body parts to the point that it’s kind of a part of me now. That suit will stay with me for the rest of my life. The way the sun bounced off it and gave everything a kind of a pink hue was hilarious. But, I have to say, it wasn’t all that uncomfortable. It was like my superhero suit in the way it clung to me. You didn’t want to eat too much in it and I couldn’t use the restroom, so no drinking either. But it was beautifully made by our amazing costume designer.
What was the most challenging aspect of shooting this movie in the jungle?
The jumpsuit made it more of a challenge than it already was. It was tiring but amazing. I got to work with extraordinary people and I got to bring my children along and make so many incredible memories with them. Then, coming out of the jungle was an incredible experience too, because you experience all that nature and beauty and then you emerge in what feels like a sort of rebirth. You come out and realise how blessed we are to be here on this planet and how lucky we are to live in a place that really is pretty extraordinary.
You and Channing Tatum make a great double-act. How was it having Channing with you on this adventure?
So much fun. It’s not every day you get to dig leeches out of Magic Mike’s ass and speak to his crotch! He’s a great guy, so funny and so talented. Every day we would laugh and laugh together. We were also so lucky to have such a brilliant script to work with and also the freedom to explore those scenes and come up with more and more hilarious lines. We could have had two or three versions of the film based on the lines that came out of those moments. We just kept going and kept laughing. I’m amazed we managed to make a movie out of it actually, because we were just too busy having fun.
You also got to work with Daniel Radcliffe. Were your kids excited to meet Harry Potter?
Oh yes. My kids, my whole family actually, are huge Harry Potter fans. I don’t usually ask people for autographs but I did ask Daniel for one for my sister’s birthday. My son is a huge Harry Potter fan so he was pretty excited to meet Daniel. He was so cool with him, it was hilarious. As frustrating as it must be to have that legacy, Daniel is so amazing in those moments while also moving on from Harry Potter in his adult life to be the brilliant actor that he is.
You star with Brad Pitt in your next movie, Bullet Train. Did that help land him for his cameo appearance in The Lost City?
No. We actually went through a whole list of people to be Jack Trainer before we eventually gave Brad a break. The truth is that he and I both have the same hairdresser, Janine Thompson. She told him to do my movie and then she told me to do his movie. That is honestly how it happened. Also, she knows too much so both Brad and I have to do what she says!
What is it like to combine your roles as a producer and an actor on a big movie like this?
Well, you don’t get to sleep much and you get a lot of grey hair. It is stressful because you are always working to make it better, to find the money and to fight for people, but I love it. I did stop for a while because I needed to be a parent but once they got sick of me, I was excited to come back and do two things I love. I feel really lucky to have the opportunity on a movie like this.
Is it true that you are taking another break to concentrate on being a parent?
I’m going to take some time to be a mom, yeah. It feels right. I’m looking forward to it.
Asia Features