Delevingne goes from model to savior of the universe
CARA DELEVINGNE is now one of the galaxy’s fastest-rising stars — but it wasn’t long ago that she wondered whether she’d ever get her break on the big screen.
The 24-year-old star — who portrays the heroic space agent Laureline in the upcoming sci-fi thriller “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” — dreamed of becoming an actress ever since she made her stage debut as Mary in a nativity play when she was about 5.
But Delevingne fell into modeling at an early age and found global fame in that career as a teenager — leaving her acting aspirations in doubt.
“I started modeling, and that was never really my dream . ... But because I was already so lucky (with modeling), I just didn’t really think I would ever become an actress," Delevingne told the Daily News. “When you become so well known in one field, it’s hard to get people to forget that."
She’s certainly made a name for herself as an actress since. “Valerian” is the latest coveted film gig for the London-born Delevingne in the past two years, following a breakout role in the indie drama “Paper Towns” in 2015 and a turn as the primary villain in last year’s “Suicide Squad.”
“Valerian,” which also stars Dane DeHaan as the titular character and Laureline’s crime-fighting partner, centers on the duo’s quest to protect the universe’s most diverse and culture-filled metropolis, Alpha, from a mysterious tormentor.
The film, due out Friday, is based on the long-running French comic book series “Valérian and Laureline,” which director Luc Besson grew up a fan of. Neither DeHaan nor Delevingne were familiar with the comics before Besson approached them about the movie. “It just seemed like the coolest opportunity ever,” DeHaan, 31, told The News. “Luc called me up and wanted to meet with me and really just offered me the opportunity of a lifetime to go on this journey with him. He sat me down for breakfast and told me it’s the movie he’s wanted to make his whole life.” Delevingne was similarly captivated, describing Laureline as “one of the most kick-ass, determined, hard-working, filled-with-love-and-passion characters" she’d ever seen. To capture the strong and fearless essences of their characters, Delevingne and DeHaan immersed themselves in the comic books and adhered to strict daily exercise routines throughout production. That meant a blend of boxing, running and Muay Thai workouts for Delevingne, while DeHaan focused on resistance and weight training in addition to running and swimming.
They performed the bulk of their own stunts — much to Delevingne’s delight.
“Stunts are one of my favorite things in the world to do, so I was so up for doing every single thing,” she said. “Some of them, I think probably insurance-wise, I wasn’t able to but really I wanted to do everything . ... I am first to jump head-first off of a side of a thing, attached to a wire — that’s like my favorite thing.”
DeHaan wasn't as crazy about it.
“Cara definitely enjoys doing stunts more than I do,” he said. “You can put her on a wire and bring her 1,000 feet up in the air and she’d be really happy to be up there, whereas I couldn’t wait until it was over to come down. But there definitely was a lot of physical training involved. I had to be ready to do anything.”