Between takes
The Fast & Furious star talks phones and foam…
Game Of Thrones star Nathalie Emmanuel’s on-set antics.
What’s the first thing you do on set?
Get a cup of tea! I’m like, “Let’s get that in straight away!”
Hot or cold lunch?
I generally prefer hot. Depends on what’s there; I’ll take anything I can eat that’s healthy. I do take a lot of snacks with me, because I’m a vegan and I’ve got allergies.
Best on-set experience?
On Fast & Furious 7, there’s a scene where I have to jump from a moving bus onto the hood of a car… obviously I didn’t actually do that but I did have to jump into a big pile of foam, which was really fun. [Director] James Wan was like, “Nathalie, look scared! Not like you’re having the time of your life!” But it was really fun, and it was with Paul Walker as well – he was the one throwing me off the bus.
Worst on-set experience?
Probably on Fast & Furious 8. We had to shoot outside in Atlanta, Georgia, which is very, very hot – but be dressed like we were in Russia. Feeling so hot but having to look cold was really tough.
Have you ever stolen anything from a film set?
Well, often wardrobe departments have really great bras, which are hard to find… I haven’t stolen them but I’ve asked, “So if this bra just wasn’t here anymore, what would happen?” And they’ve been like, “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” which means I can take it!
Any on-set superstitions?
I’m not particularly superstitious, but I do like to run my lines by myself, in my trailer, quite a few times. Usually in the mirror! [laughs]
Do you use your phone on set?
Yeah. I can pretend like I don’t, but I do. I’m totally a phone addict. Not during rehearsal or when the director’s talking, but if we’re waiting for them to change the lights, I’ll have a little gander.
Most embarrassing moment?
When I first started out, on Hollyoaks,
I found it really, really hard to hit my marks without looking at them. We kept doing it, and I just wasn’t getting it. It got so bad that they literally put giant, fluorescent yellow arrows on the ground so I could see them out of my peripheral vision and would know when to stop walking… I was so embarrassed that it really worked!
How would you compare the Game and sets?
Of Thrones Fast & Furious They’re both huge sets with lots of moving parts, so similar in that sense but also very different – Fast & Furious is modern, but on Thrones you feel like you’re stepping into another era, another world. It’s always a bit “Whoa!” when you walk on set and there are hundreds of extras in armoured costume.
Best-ever wrap party?
The one in Seville for Game Of Thrones Season 7 was terrific. Everyone was dancing, having a great time; and Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, who plays The Mountain, bench-pressed me above his head. That blew my mind. I didn’t think he could do it – then again, this is a guy who can actually pull a plane, so I shouldn’t have been surprised.
Who’s the best dancer on Game Of Thrones?
Alfie Allen’s got some moves on him. I’ve seen him throw down. ML
ETA | 2 OCTOBER / FAST & FURIOUS 8 IS AVAILABLE On dIgITAL hd nExT mOnTh, And On Bd And dVd On 16 OCTOBER. REAd TOTAL FILm’S REVIEW On p106.
‘the mountain bench-pressed me above my head. then again, he’s a guy who can pull a plane’