Interview: Paula Patton and Travis Fimmel talk ‘Warcraft’

Heading to cinemas this weekend in Duncan Jones’ highly anticipated adaptation of the hugely popular game World Of Warcraft. Warcraft: The Beginning is led by Travis Fimmel, fresh from his success on the TV epic Vikings, and Paula Patton, who has starred in the likes of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, and Bille Woodruff’s The Perfect Match. The pair were over in London earlier on this week to talk about the film, and we caught up with them ahead of next week’s big release.

Paula Patton as Garona in Warcraft: The Beginning

We are going to star off by asking about the training side of things. Was there a lot of physical training involved for both of you?

Paula Patton: Yes, there was quite a bit. I mean, for me they wanted me to look like I could potentially be half-orc, so aesthetically that began with a bit of training. There was a lot of protein that I had to each and then two-and-a-half-hours of training [per day]. Then we added the stunt training and that’s what turned out to be so beneficial – I had to do the swords and sticks and riding a horse, which all helped the feeling of being a warrior, and finding the character.

You’re the only one who’s not in a motion capture suit… of the orcs…

Travis Fimmel: A real six-pack…

[To Paula] Were they going to have you as motion capture at the beginning?

Paula: I don’t know, I heard rumours of that but when I was asked to read it, it was always going to be me… as far as I knew. That’s what scared me. I just remember that Duncan [Jones] and I had this great meeting and in the room we both said, I really wanted [it to be me] in it, and then I got in my car and [gasps]. What have I done?! This is so scary – I don’t know hoe I’m going to be half orc, half human, and I’ve heard these horror stories about hair an make-up and all of these things and I’d be scared to death, but then this has become a role just changed my life in every way you can imagine.

Travis: There’s going to be a lot of teenage boys with green posters on the wall… [Laughs].. and some adults too.

And how comfortable were those teeth to have in all of the time? They looked really uncomfortable…

Paula: They were something that I had to get used to…[laughs]. There was the leakage problem… a bit of dribble, and speaking clearly and so I wore them quite a bit [beforehand] to stretch my mouth out so that I could talk reasonably well and not dribble everywhere.

Did you have any injuries?

Paula: You know its funny, I got myself a couple of times. You certainly don’t want to have dry-mouth when that’s going on. You have to keep it lubricated. It was uncomfortable and then it became something that I loved and I didn’t feel that I was Garona until I had them in.

Is it weirder now that you don’t have them in?

Paula: Oh gosh its been a while now. I wish not that I kept a pair because it makes you feel different – I would do certain calls.

Travis: Kah-kuh, Kha-kul

[Laughs]

Paula: Or that.

Travis Fimmel in Warcraft: The Beginning

How familiar were you both with the concept of Warcraft? Did you take some convincing to enter such as massive scale movie?

Travis: No, we both weren’t familiar with it, but we’re lucky because Duncan is a fan of the game. And then there’s Rob [Kazinsky] who plays one of the orcs who was in the top ten in the world at one stage. Yes, 18 hours a day.

That’s intense.

Travis: He was single at the time.

How does it compare with something like Vikings?

Travis: Well, with Viking’s you’re lucky as you’re on real boats and you shoot it and the job is finished. They edit and put music on it but this was such a long process. We’re so lucky though as we’ve got Toby Kebbell etc who we’re still acting with most of the time. I was blown away when I was acting with Toby and he’s got his pyjamas on and that sort of stuff  – the motion capture suit and then you see the film two years later – and I was just blown away with what they can do… and these creatures you really feel for them because there is a human playing with it, and its his really eyes and I think it makes a big difference. Duncan made a choice not to make a typical bad guy and a typical good guy so there’s good and bad on each side and there’s great characters to root for on both sides. It’s not one dimensional in that way – well, it’s three-dimensional isn’t it?

Toby Kebbell in Warcraft: The Beginning

Toby must have been quite a help because he did Planet Of The Apes?

Travis: I think that a lot of the other actors who had to wear motion capture suits went to him for advice, yes. He’s such a good actor too.

What was he like on set then?

Travis: Oh, he was a wanker on set. [Laughs]. So much is special effects but there were so many amazing sets that were built. We’d walk into these sheds in Vancouver – these big warehouses – they had built these forests with trees in it, twelve feet wide or whatever and you get to ride horses through them all day. It’s such a different experience. Viking you’re sort of… well, you have to hike up a hill and its pissing down with rain, and you just want to go home, but this you’re indoors, not getting rained on. It’s nice.

Paula: It’s like an Alice In Wonderland moment. You open up a tin door and suddenly you’re in another universe. It’s quite outrageous but surreal and you’d have lunch and forget you were actually in Vancouver in a parking lot.

Travis: It was six months inside. In the shed.

Paula: The people who built these sets were just magnificent artists. For the props to the paintings to the…

Travis: … set designs…

Paula: Unreal… and the costumes. It takes an army. It’s a collaborative art form filmmaking and it takes all of those people doing their jobs at the best they can that either makes a film good or bad, and that way there’s no science to it. It’s the magic that happens… all these personalities, all these talents and gifts come together and create this collective dream. Of course you have your director – and I really loved working with Duncan, but it was just watching the movie that I realised just what a magnificent job that he had done – it’s really impressive. All the decisions… I’d always seen orcs and they’d been ugly, and he makes them beautiful somehow and attractive, and all of it. There was a choice in the way it looks  – the way you feel where you’re in a theatre – you feel like you’re flying sometimes – you feel that you’re at this odd… I tried to explain to him how I felt when I watched it because it felt so unique.

Warcraft: The Beginning

When did you shoot it?

Travis: A couple of years ago.

It must be amazing to be in that environment and then see it on the screen. How weird is it?

Paula: It’s very weird. It’s surreal.

Travis: My griffin thing – the flying turkey was half the time just a broom-stick with a bit of foam on the end and some poor fella wondering what I’m doing with my life. He’s poking me with it, and we’re both trying not to laugh. ILM, the company our of San-Fran – it’s amazing what they can do. It’s tremendous, and how real the creatures look too. I really think people will get immersed in a different world when they watch the film – well, I hope they do anyway.

You talk about the guy poking you with a stick – were there any other fun moments on set?

Travis: It’s always fun when there’s a group of actors on horses. Unfortunately I was the only one who fell off, it was embarrassing. I was the only one who had owned a horse and I was the only one that fell off. Had you ever ridden horses?

Paula: Well no. I think someone pulled one along at a show or something, but no, never.

Travis: Had you even killed anyone before?

Paula: That I will keep a secret.

Travis: Have you ever fallen in love with an Australian before?

Paula: Actually, in fact… no I haven’t.

Are you both interested in doing a sequel? Are you signed up for it? When would that likely happen?

Travis: I’m broke dude. No, if it goes well it would be great. She won’t kiss me off-screen so… may as well make another movie.

[Laughs]

Warcraft is released in UK cinemas on May 30th, 2016.