“It’s two pe ople falling in love in a war scen ari o” Theo James is Four

So, is it fair to say that Allegiant is where Four starts to take the lead?

Yeah, it opens him up more. You used to follow the story through [ Tris’s] eyes, whereas in this film we’re slowly diverging from that so you see certain events from both of their perspectives, which causes them to butt heads.

Is this where their romance starts to crumble?

I guess it’s just a frisson between two people. She’s wooed by Jeff Daniels’ character who Four doesn’t trust at all. [ In this film] they actually go their separate ways. It’s about a relationship where they’ve been together for a certain amount of time but then find differences in their fundamental belief systems, and trying to overcome that. They’re constantly in a state of learning and adapting. We tried, as much as we can, to put in the idea of two people falling in love in a war scenario.

What about Four’s relationship with his estranged mother Evelyn?

In the second film his character has a lot of resentment for her. He was abandoned by this woman and had not heard from her in 20 years, so he pushes her away. In Allegiant, though, he realises that she’s coming from that place of coldness for a reason.

And how was it having your mum played by Naomi Watts?

They mentioned her early and I loved the idea. I remember watching her in Mulholland Drive and thinking, “This is an amazing performance!” I liked the idea of a young mother. I thought that was interesting because it means all the implications of, you know, getting pregnant young – and the dark recesses of that history was really interesting to explore.