BRIE GOES APE
A perilous journey, a mighty beast and a hunky co-star
Brie Larson gets snap happy in her new film
Kong: Skull Island. The Oscar winner stars as photojournalist Mason Weaver, who travels to an uncharted island with James Conrad, a former British Air Service captain played by Hollywood heart-throb Tom Hiddleston.
Woman’s Day catches up with the 27-year-old to get the lowdown on her epic role ...
In the movie, Mason finds a kindred spirit in James. Was it an instant connection with Tom in real life too?
It was and it’s not like that all the time, but that’s what those moments are for. Meeting someone for the first time and doing improv together can be a bit like puppies playing – you have to really get comfortable with each other before you can play. But we’re both such open people and we’re so committed to what we’re doing that it was just incredible right off the bat. Tom’s an incredible actor. He’s so classically trained and yet also so open to just throwing it all out the window. We had this one running joke all the way through production and would always crack each other up ...
Well, now you have to tell us what the joke is!
Oh, no! Well, it was a side movie we were making – Kid
Kong. It’s about Baby Kong. I think it would go over well.
What was it about the film that made you want to be part of it?
On the big-picture scale, the story felt to me like an allegory for the way we treat nature and how we value it, and how we value other human beings as well. It’s also dealing with war and the animal nature that’s within us all. We’re so far removed now from that part of ourselves – we feel the need to overcome it in some ways. It’s also a very visual and tactile film. Aside from the obvious CGI moments, this is not an overly CGI movie. We shot on location all over the world to capture the natural beauty of this planet. It lends a great case for keeping certain things protected – nature can’t talk, so we have to listen as best we can.
Did you have any previous photography experience?
When I was 17, I took photography at California Institute of the Arts, which has this wonderful free photography programme for high-school students, and it was one of the most incredible times of my life. We took black and white photography and got to develop our own photos. So since I had taken photography classes a couple of times, I already had a feel for it when I got this part. You never know what things in your life are going to come in handy later and this was a great opportunity to get back into it again. I also took a lot of photos on set and started to really see the world through Weaver’s eyes.
What effect does Kong have on Mason and what is their relationship in this film?
They have a very special relationship. Kong is the biggest thing on the island, yet he doesn’t choose to use his power in a way that’s harmful to her. I think that’s a real turning point for Weaver. You hear her talk about trying to get a Pulitzer from the photos she’s going to take, but very quickly she realises that there’s something on this island that’s big and precious, and worth so much more than a prize photo or the trappings of American life. If that is her agenda, she’s no better than these guys trying to shoot him down. Instead, she feels she has to do whatever she can to make sure that this thing is protected. I think that’s why a sort of mutual understanding forms between her and the big guy.