Harris hopes film’s quandary debated
Naomie Harris’ new movie mixes futuristic science fiction with a tale as old as time: the undying love between a couple.
“Swan Song” is set in a society where terminally ill people can secretly clone themselves and let their healthy lookalikes seamlessly step into their lives.
“It does pose some very interesting questions about how far you will go to protect those that you love,” Harris said. “I think it will definitely get people talking, and wondering what they would do themselves in that situation.”
In theaters and on Apple TV+, “Swan Song” stars Harris and Mahershala Ali as a married couple with a young son and another child on the way.
Ali’s Cameron hasn’t told his family he’s dying, and struggles to decide whether it is ethical to replace himself with a clone so his loved ones can blissfully carry on with their lives. The offer to clone himself is off the table, however, if he informs Harris’ Poppy that he’s sick.
“It’s a very unique and special movie, and it has an incredible amount of heart and soul,” Harris, 45, said.
“I also love the fact that it’s dealing with a kind of mature love. Most of the time, we’re talking about the first stages of love, where it’s infatuation and people are just falling in love, whereas this is about a couple that have been together a hell of a long time, and really care about each other. (They) care so much that they’re willing to sacrifice their own happiness for each other.”
Harris said Ali selected her to star alongside him in “Swan Song.”
“Mahershala and I work in a very similar way, which is we don’t actually like rehearsals, and we don’t actually like a lot of talking about the script and intellectualizing the script,” Harris said.
“It was just very lucky that we both like to work in the same way, and that way is to find whatever magic there is, and whatever truth there is, in the moment.”
“Swan Song” is the latest high-profile movie in a busy year for Harris. She also returned as the sleek MI6 secretary Eve Moneypenny in the James Bond movie “No Time to Die,” and starred as the villainous Shriek in the Marvel-inspired “Venom: Let There Be Carnage.”
The London-born star enjoys playing a variety of characters. “They take you on a journey where you get to discover new parts of yourself, or reach out and reach these new parts of yourself that you never knew were within you,” Harris said. “There’s always a journey, every role that you take on. That’s one of the gifts of acting, that you’re constantly getting to stretch yourself and find yourself anew.”
She hopes “Swan Song” touches the hearts of viewers, and intrigues audiences with the moral quandary at the center of the story.
“It certainly got me wondering throughout the whole movie,” she said. “I’d flip between two positions, where I was suddenly like, ‘Yeah, I would’ve done the same.’ And then I’m like, ‘Absolutely not.’ ”
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