Actor-turned-producer John Boyega says that the film Pacific Rim: Uprising has an international appeal because of its message, which says that people from all over the world must work for the survival of the planet. By Team Viva
How would you describe Jake and Amara’s relationship?
They are constantly forced to work together without any clarity of whether they like each other or not. But I think when they are shipped over to the Shatterdome in China, they see the similarities and help each other navigate through an environment that they don’t understand. Well, she doesn’t understand the environment fully and Jake kind of lost touch with what it means to be a part of the same. So they find a great sibling kind of relationship, where Jake’s like an older brother.
How was it working with Cailee Spaeny?
I absolutely love working with her, because she reminds me of myself, just like Amara reminds Jake of himself. It’s cool because you’re able to look into someone’s eyes and see your past innocence. We have a good bond and share a good chemistry. So it has been lovely working with that little girl.
What drew you to come back to the franchise?
I was drawn to the franchise because of the opportunity to work as a producer, and to have my first co-producing gig in a studio that I really admire. Secondly, the role! It was fantastic. And thirdly, Steven DeKnight who is an amazing director and with whom I always wanted to work with. He has worked for Spartacus and Daredevils and is directing his first feature film. I felt like it would be great collaborating with him. It felt like a fantastic opportunity.
Do you think people enjoy monster versus robot films?
I think it’s just the scale of it and the adventure. Everybody to a certain extent has felt the action figures in films or when you watch films like Godzilla and King Kong, the scale of the beast or the creature going to the city creates an instant excitement. What Pacific Rim does is that it gives an answer back to those monsters that we have grown up watching. So we love King Kong and Godzilla but if they were going to attack us what would we have? We have the Jaegers. Seeing that face off is having a ticket to the best books in my shelf.
What would you say on the international appeal of Pacific Rim?
What stands out for me in this film is that it definitely has an international appeal. Not only through the characters but through the message too. It says that people from all around the world must work together for the survival of the planet because it has got to a point where there is no fight among the countries anymore. It’s like we’ve got a bigger enemy just running around through the cities and around the world. They are in unison, so we too have to be. So that gives a strong message of unity. And when you go to Shatterdome in China, there are people from all around the world who have flown in and come across. That makes a story diverse and energetic.
Tell us more about the film?
This film is larger than life, its epic, scaled and hard to imagine. It’s nice knowing that Pacific Rim handled the giant of the giant realm in which the heroes are kind of demigods. For me it was something that I loved being involved in and its scale was absolutely crazy to me. We had a lot of fun with that.
Audience loves your character as you are the hero and anti-hero too. They love the way you play the father figure. It’s phenomenal as it shows a lot of empowerment.
Well it’s a film with a bunch of young people, but within that group you find that Jake takes a mentor figure for Cailee’s character — Amara. But at the same time they learn from each other and form a tiny group.
Since you have also produced the film, tell us about your changing roles?
Acting in the film was not new for me, I knew about it as I am used to it. But coming as a producer was new for me. But it was not easy. I had to jump on a horse while it was moving, and learn and discover different things simultaneously. I was able to exercise the education and training I have collected on the way. It was fun, I really enjoyed it.
(The film premieres at 9 pm on Sony PIX.)
