Category: Interviews

In what appears to be part 3 of her interview with The Playlist, Mary reveals why it was necessary for her and the cast to do Thing reshoots and how she ultimately came on board to become part of the film. Click the link to read the full interview and below, are some excerpts.

Although Winstead was skeptical herself at first, the director and producers impressed her with their take on the material.
Though it boats the same title as Carpenter’s the film, this new version is actually a prequel of sorts and Winstead was encouraged by the respectful approach the filmmakers planned to take. “It was presented to me as a prequel,” Winstead told The Playlist. “They kind of described it to me as something taking place a few days before the Carpenter version. I didn’t really know what to think. Being a fan of that film, I was certainly a little worried as to what it was going to be. I read the script and really liked it. I met with the producers and with Matthijs and there was just such intelligence and passion and a respect for the Carpenter version. It went beyond what I expected. They were adamant about using practical effects and about character development and focusing on the paranoia and isolation and psychological elements that were so great about the Carpenter version. They really wanted to make something that was for a new generation but just as much for the fans of the Carpenter version; something both sides could get into, rather than what most remakes do which I think is just gloss over the original completely and just make something for a new group of kids. I was glad to hear that.”

 The much publicized reshoots were done to bring those unfamiliar with the Carpenter movie up to speed.
News of reshoots usually spells problems for any production. With the large skepticism already around “The Thing,” reshoot reports made an already cagey fanboy audience even more apprehensive, but Winstead offers an explanation. “We reshot a few scenes to kind of help guide the film along as far as exposition goes,” she told us. “When we shot the film, we had all seen the Carpenter version a billion times, so we were like, ‘We know what’s going on, we don’t need to explain it.’ When the cut came together, it became clear that we kind of unnecessarily glossed over some of those things and we had to go back and make things more clear as far as where we are in the film and what’s happening and what everyone was going and making it clear for people who don’t already know the story. And we did some additional things with the end sequence, making it bigger and crazier and more insane. So that was fun.”

Winstead doesn’t worry about being pigeonholed. She just really likes horror movies.
After parts in “The Ring Two,” “Final Destination 3,” “The Thing” and the forthcoming “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” we asked Winstead if she’s a little worried about being forever pigeonholed as a scream queen. “You know, I’ve never really worried about it,” Winstead told us. “‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’ to me isn’t a horror film at all. It’s really more of an action adventure historical epic. I feel like with every role I take I just want to be challenged in some way. As long as I become a better actor and keep working, that’s really the goal. Just, you know, keep at it.”

The world premiere of “The Thing” is happening tonight, and tons of new interviews are coming out with Mary talking about the film. Speaking with Moviefanatic, Mary talks about what it was like working with her co-star Joel Edgerton, the type of research she did, how “The Thing” differs from her other horror films, and more. Check out some of the excerpts below and click on the link above to read the full interview:

Movie Fanatic: You’ve done a lot of horror movies. What, for you, makes this The Thing different from others you’ve worked on?

Mary Elizabeth Winstead: To me it evokes a time period of my favorite horror films which are from the ‘70s and ‘80s. I feel like it had a little bit more of that classic, slow burn. The first half of the film is really kind of slow and suspenseful and then when the terror kicks in, it kicks in and it doesn’t let go. It doesn’t feel so modern and slick to me and that’s one thing I was really excited about going into it. And also the character was just so refreshing that it was just a no-brainer. I had to do it.

Movie Fanatic: The Thing is more dramatic, and less jokey than a lot of horror films. Was that also an appeal?

Mary Elizabeth Winstead:I feel like it’s a horror film for adults and I don’t think we get a lot of those. Most horror films now are made for teenagers; they’re about teenagers. I’ve done a couple of those horror films so there’s nothing wrong with that but the older I get the more I starve for more adult material. So that was one of the things that I really liked about this film and the character. There was a real maturity about it, I felt.

Yahoo! Movies posted a small featurette of Mary and her co-stars talking about “The Thing” and how it ties into the John Carpenter 1982 film. See for yourself in the new interview clip below:

Hey all. With day two of “The Thing” press junket going on, I’ve found this new interview with Mary talking about the upcoming film and her character. See it for yourself.

11 days and counting everyone! With The Thing about to hit theaters, new interviews will be coming online all over the place and one of the newer ones I’ve come across is with Flicksandbits.com where Mary talked a bit about The Thing film. Here’s some excepts.

Trust is definitely a big theme in the film…

Mary Elizabeth Winstead: Oh yeah, it’s one of those universal themes of who can we trust, and what happens when we lose all of our trust in someone, when we can’t trust anyone around us. How does that affect us, and what will we do if that happens, and what kind of chaos can permeate in that kind of situation? So it’s definitely a scary thing when you feel there’s somebody you can’t trust, even if your wrong you can drive yourself crazy that way – that’s sort of what happens in the film (laughs). You never know who is or who isn’t, but no matter what, people are gonna die basically – it’s going to be a horrific thing.

The original movie was an all male cast, the fact that there’s a female lead adds an interesting dynamic to film. Also that your on a Norwegian base, that really brings out the mistrust and paranoia between the Americans and Norwegians…

Mary Elizabeth Winstead: Yeah, the original is an all male cast, which is a really interesting thing, it is really cool to see a film with an all male cast. But I think with this film we really wanted to set ourselves apart from that, this isn’t a remake, it’s a real prequel. It’s about completely different characters, completely different people in the same situation. To me having a female lead kind of immediately says, ‘This isn’t a remake, we are doing something different, and we are bringing in a different dynamic.’

The fact that it’s a Norwegian base, I think for my character, as well as the other Americans characters, it sort of adds to the whole paranoia of it, because they’re saying things you don’t understand, their talking to each other and you don’t know if they are forming some sort of alliance against you. It really does build up the tension.

Check out the full interview when you click the link up top.

If you’ve been on the official “THING” site lately, you’ll notice that the cast, crew and production notes have been added. Within the production notes, Mary talked a little bit about her character and the film itself. Be sure to check out the full interviews and notes on the official site.

On how Universal decided to cast Mary as her character, Kate Lloyd:

Of the production’s leading lady, executive producer Dale commends: “I worked with Mary on Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, where she played a very different character. She’s got versatility, gravity, pathos and strength. She has everything that Kate needs to be.”

Mary describing her character:

Winstead offers that she is a big fan of Carpenter’s seminal film and is honored to help bring the new story to the screen. “Having a female lead immediately differentiates us,” she says. “Kate has to be a really intelligent girl of strong will and strength of character. It’s rare to get the chance to do something where the woman gets to have that kind of power in a very realistic way.”

How she feels about bringing a female character into the mix:

The situation Kate finds herself in as one of only two women among a group of male scientists allowed Winstead more layers to bring to the character. “Everyone would have a different feeling about a woman coming into the situation,” Winstead says. “And she would have certain feelings about being one of two women with all these men around. So it creates a unique dynamic between all of the characters.”

How filming in Toronto helped  getting into character:

“Isolation is a big element in the film, as is being separated from people and not knowing who you can trust and who you can relate to,” she says. “Having it set in such a vast, remote facility where there’s no help, and there’s nothing for miles, adds to the paranoia and the claustrophobia.”