DeHaan, Delevingne unite in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
Futuristic tale melds stunt work, characterization
• Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne had some previous experience emoting in the cinematic world of special effects before Luc Besson’s Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.
Delevingne portrayed the evil Enchantress in last year’s Suicide Squad and DeHaan was the Green Goblin in 2014’s The Amazing Spider- Man 2. Neither film, though, properly prepared them for Besson’s complex sci- fi fantasy. “When I did Spider-Man, I was in front of the ( special effects) screens for two or three weeks,” says DeHaan with Delevingne at a Beverly Hills hotel suite. “When we did Luc’s movie we had screens every single day for six months.”
Based on the French comics series Valerian and Laureline by writer Pierre Christin and artist Jean- Claude Mézières, t he ambitious movie is set in the 28th century. It features DeHaan as Valerian while Delevingne plays Laureline. They are special space agents sent to the massive international space station City of a Thousand Planets.
The couple’s assignment is to track down a lethal menace which might destroy the city and perhaps the universe, but they have to cope with l ots of interference along the way. Both performers immersed themselves in rigorous combat training and loads of work outs before the shoot and during the filming in Paris. Their regimen included a strict diet to keep them lean, as well.
“It was so important to really feel like we were two people who could potentially save the world or save the universe, obviously in the physical sense,” says Delevingne who is also a model. “We were doing everything we possibly could to do the best job and everyone was so incredibly helpful.”
Even the exuberant Bess on marvelled at t heir energy and dedication since his main attractions are in almost every scene. “I’m very proud of them because every morning they were one hour at the gym and then on the set they had their little plastic boxes with their lunches,” the filmmaker says. Notes Delevingne: “Luc would sit at his table eating his beautiful French baguette, and the best cheese, and me and Dane would be sitting there, and eat like a piece of fish with a vegetable.”
The extra effort came easy. DeHaan and Delevingne were aware that Besson had been obsessed with his project for at least a decade after being a devoted fan of the French comics as a kid growing up in Paris. In fact, the director managed a cinematic variation of the space fantasy theme with The Fifth Element in 1997. But he became more serious about the Valerian film translation as digital effects refinements allowed him to accurately realize the comics vivid illustrations.
Rather than intimidating his headliners, Besson’s enthusiasm for his passion inspired them. “It brought the joy of the work back and it made me remember why I do this, to have a good time and to have fun,” DeHaan says. “I don’t always have to be torturing myself, although there’s a time and place for that. It’s nice to take a break from it with something that is artistic but also there to entertain.”
Certainly, Delevingne appreciated the filmmaker’s motivation and enjoyed the complicated stunt work required for her role; maybe even a little more than her colleague. “We would be on wires and Cara would be like, ‘ Let’s do it again,’” says DeHaan. “And I was like, ‘OK, I think that’s good’.”
On the other hand, Del evingne admits she was impressed with DeHaan’s ability to handle weapons, especially swords in one sequence. “I took sword fighting in acting school and I never thought I would use that,” says the actor. “Then when I was handed two swords, I got to fight with these guys on stilts, and it was just a blast.”
Most of the time DeHaan and Delevingne were unsure what the finished sequences would look like. Both agree they trusted Besson’s vision, and his sub- plots covering diversity and more directly a feminist approach as defined by Laureline. “That’s been my goal from when I was younger — to be a role model for young girls,” says Delevingne who points out Laureline is an equal partner to DeHaan’s Valerian. “I’m following every single one of my dreams that I’ve ever had through hard work and determination.”
Her quest continues. She recently wrapped the Toronto shoot of the romantic drama Life in a Year with Jaden Smith and she will begin filming Fever Heart next month in Vancouver. DeHaan has a domestic future ahead of him after his wife Anna Wood gave birth to their first child, Bowie Rose, on April 16. “I am in full- on dad mode,” says DeHaan.