Caffeinated Clint
Diane Kruger, the beautiful German actress whose range has been demonstrated thanks to showy turns in “The Piano Player” and “Inglourious Basterds”, co-stars opposite Liam Neeson in the new thriller “Unknown”. The film, directed by veteran action-blockbuster producer Joel Silver (“The Matrix”, “House of Wax”), tells of a man who awakens from a car accident to discover his wife doesn’t remember him and another man has replaced him.
Diane, how did you get involved with this film?
They sent me the script and Liam was already attached to it. And I have to say, just knowing that he was going to be in this made me want to do it. Because I feel like, especially in this kind of movie, it’s so nice to see someone who has experience, who is at a certain age, who brings so much to this movie, right?
Definitely. He is great.
Everything he does already has another layer of depth because he’s just not just the hot twenty-five-year-old running around in a shirt. And I love that my character was a real standalone character, you know. She has her own storyline, she has her own motivations why she goes along in this plot and that was very refreshing to me, to see in this kind of film.
Being from Germany, what was it like to shoot in Berlin?
I was born in Germany, but I left seventeen years ago, now. So, a long time. And, weirdly, I’ve done three movies, back-to-back in Berlin over the last three years. So I do feel like I know it a little bit but not that great, either. And the city is kind of mysterious. A lot of it is happening underground. I still discover really strange places and new places.
What was the energy like on the set?
The set itself was very intense because it was very cold and we were on location. It was a very fast-paced shoot. We used to change locations many times during the day and moving around in the city, with the snow, it was not always easy. And it was so cold, that by the time you get home at night you’re happy to be home in the warmth.
You jumped at the chance to work with Liam, was he everything you envisioned he’d be?
He was very gracious to me because I was doing an accent which always takes a lot of time to, sort of, set in place. And then, every day it takes a little while until it’s all fluid and it sounds good. He really allowed me to have the space that I needed. And, again, I was so concerned about my character’s storyline being respected and making sure that we don’t just make another male-driven movie. Yet, obviously, it’s Liam’s film but, he’s a good enough actor, and a good enough character-actor to really allow his female lead to have the space for her story, and let her shine in some of the scenes. So that was really nice.
Did you have to do physical training for the film?
Not really training, per se. There was a lot of rehearsing. I’d never really done anything like this. Like, the fight scenes, it’s a little bit like a dance you learn. Like a dance routine. It was really new for me and I was very impressed with Liam because he’s done this before. And, he has become this action star. So he knows all the tricks and can make it look good for the cameras. And that was interesting to learn.
‘’Unknown’’ commences Thursday
