How much did you know about Borderlands, the video game, before this movie came to you?
Nothing. I’m not a big gamer, but I understand what a big deal it is, and how Borderlands is this wonderful mix of spaghetti Western and weird sci-fi that billions of people play every day. It’s a fascinating world and I found the script really interesting. Then, when I found out Jamie Lee Curtis was going to be in it, I knew I had to do it. I would do any movie she is in. And, who wouldn’t want to play a video-game character?
Is this the first time you and Jamie Lee Curtis have worked together?
It is. Jamie refuses to remember (laughs), but we did meet many years ago. So, this felt like the first time, and we became fast friends pretty much instantly. That’s how Jamie is. She very much works from a place of friendship.
I loved every day we got to work together. We actually shot this during Covid, so it was just amazing to be able to spend time with anyone, let alone someone so special. I was preparing for Tar at the time and Jamie was doing Everything Everywhere All At Once. This was before anyone really knew what it was. I remember she kept on showing me these pictures of her and Michelle Yeoh with sausage strange fingers. I was like, ‘What is that movie?’
What can you tell us about the character you play in Borderlands?
I am Lilith, who is a bounty hunter with mummy issues. She goes back to her birth-planet to try and find the key to everything. She was such a fun character to play.
How did you handle all those action scenes we see in the movie?
I loved it. I loved how wild and exaggerated it all was.
I loved all that spinning-my-gun stuff. It reminded me of callisthenics when I was little. We used to twirl batons.
I really enjoyed the challenge.
Is it important to show that Borderlands is not just for guys who love shooting things in video games?
It is, because that’s not what Borderlands is at all. It’s not just guys that play it. So many women love it too. Women of all ages, shapes and sizes play the game and female characters very much drive the story. To have Ariana Greenblatt, Gina Gershon, Jamie and myself represent that was just fabulous.
How did you enjoy having that red hair and that cool costume?
I loved it, but then I always love the dress-up component of my job. For this though, we all had just one costume so I found myself wearing the exact same thing every day for four months. I pretty much slept in it in the end. Thank god for stretch denim, that’s all I can say! But it was important to get the look of each character as close as possible to the game while at the same time, making it in a way that would let us actually move in the way you need to for an action movie like this. We made it kind of its own thing.
Was the red hair a wig?
No, that was my hair, dyed red with a lot of hair lacquer, so it didn’t move—at all—as it doesn’t in the games. I got a lot of tips on the hair from some drag queen friends of mine (laughs).
Is there a certain kind of pressure that comes with making a movie of an already established franchise like Borderlands?
There is, of course. The fans and the people who play these games have certain expectations as do we, as filmmakers. We wanted to make this the very best we could and to really pay homage to the Borderlands games. This movie is very much a version of that world that I think both people who have played the game, and who have never played it, are going to love. We were lucky to have Randy (Borderlands game co-creator Randy Pitchford) on set to advise us and to give us a thumbs-up when we needed it. And I felt lucky to have Colleen (video-game actor Colleen Clinkenbeard) around whenever I needed input on Lilith.
Finally, has being a part of this movie and experiencing Borderlands turned you into a gamer?
I have tried, but I don’t think I can ever really be classified as a gamer. It’s my Irish thumbs (laughs). They just don’t work for video games. But I have played Borderlands... badly. I gave it a go, but I just kept bashing into walls and everything. I did have fun though so, who knows, maybe I’ll give it another go.
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