It’s not that often a reporter will admit almost “peeing in their pants” after seeing a movie—and that was just one of the remarks made after writers saw “10 Cloverfield Lane.”
So when John Goodman and Mary Elizabeth Winstead were at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel this week, The Film Strip asked them if they enjoy scaring the scrap out of people?
“I love it,” Winstead laughed. “It’s kind of weird because it wasn’t really a scary experience making the film. It was quite pleasant. So there’s something kind of odd about having it come out in a way that’s so terrifying to people, and to have them associate that feeling with it. But ultimately that is what we want, were trying to accomplish.”
“It’s nice to have any affect on an audience besides having them yawn or check their phones,” Goodman quipped. “So if we can accomplish that, we’ve done our humble jobs.” One of the most frightening elements of the movie is Goodman’s character, Howard. “I have to trust that the audience is going to see that my character’s inner screw is loose.
“Moviegoers are going to see the loose wiring in the guy after awhile. He approaches things with his own particular point-of-view and he thinks he’s always right, which never ends well for anybody,” he explained.
After an accident and waking up in Howard’s underground bunker, Michelle (Winstead) is very resourceful in her attempts to escape.
“She’s kind of a badass from the beginning,” Winstead admitted. “When I’m reading scripts, I generally see a lot of female roles that if they end up being a badass, they have to start off being weak. Something happens to them that makes them find their strength along the way.”
Director Dan Trachtenberg calls Winstead the best special effect that they were able to feature in the thriller.
“I think we all hope that we would react in the way that Michelle reacts,” he stated. “I think she feels authentic, but she also has a little more resourcefulness than we may actually have.
“The idea that she immediately launches into survival mode is really something that I really relate to whenever something happens,” he went on to say. “Even if it’s just bad news…I never really wallow in fear for too long, and I think that’s exciting to see in a protagonist.”
What Goodman likes to see in a script is suspense and excitement.
“The script was different from anything else I had ever read before,” he enthused. “That was the first thing that hit me when I first read it. It was interesting, and a page-turner, which is always a good sign. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next.”
John Gallagher, Jr. also stars. Producers are J.J. Abrams and Lindsey Weber; and story by Josh Campbell and Matt Stueken.
Syndicated Entertainment journalist Marie Moore reports on film and TV from her New York City base. Contact her at [email protected]
Facebook.com/TheFilmStripTM Twitter: @thefilmstrip
