THE REVOLUTIONARY

hugo Weaving is valentine

What was your initial impression of Valentine?

the character incorporates a great kind of broad spectrum of humanity. He’s set up as being a hero, in a way. But, he kind of travels to another place. So, it’s partly concealing certain things from the audience. you have to make a psychological sense of that for yourself as an actor and make the character real.

What is Valentine’s world view?

Valentine is someone who can really see that tractionism is dead. they are in dire trouble. they have starvation problems. Valentine actually doesn’t believe in tractionism or London. If we see him as a revolutionary, as someone who is trying to push the boundaries and trying to change the whole paradigm, then that’s more interesting. that’s what I’ve been doing.

Can you tease about the final showdown between Valentine and Hester?

you’re in a climactic point in the film where London is charging towards this war and Valentine’s trying to get away. Hester’s trying to stop him. She’s tethered his airship to London. He’s trying to cut the rope. She has a gun on him. there’s a war about to erupt. Within the scene, Valentine starts to talk her down, and then starts to take her back into her childhood. then, within that scene, we go into a flashback where she sees Valentine 15 years before with her mother. It’s actually a loving situation. So, the scene travels internally into her brain. It’s this mesmerizing thing within this crazy world going on.

Bryan Cairns