DeHaan, Delevingne unite in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

Dane DeHaan, left, and Cara Delevingne have special effects experience in comic book films. 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, Delevingne 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.