R (Nicholas Hoult) and Julie (Teresa Palmer) share a touching moment in "Warm Bodies." Photo by Jonathan Wenk.
As Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland have proven, the undead can sometimes be just as funny as they are terrifying. And while The Walking Dead has exemplified that an almost soap opera-like romanticism can also be at the unbeating heart of a zombie apocalypse, the idea of humans and zombies having such relations is a unique idea. In Jonathan Levine’s new zombie romance Warm Bodies, a Romeo and Juliet-like forbidden love awakens something in the undead, particularly a zombie known simply as R (Nicholas Hoult, whose rotting brain is unable to remember the rest of his human name). After eating her boyfriend’s brains, R stumbles awkwardly into love with Julie (Teresa Palmer). Their unlikely partnership forces the surviving humans to reconsider their prejudices of the living dead and causes a healing process in the other zombies (aside from the vicious bonies, who are too far gone to ever be human again). With the movie hitting theaters Feb. 1, Wrestling with Pop Culture talks to Hoult and Palmer about their experiences with zombies, music and John Malkovich.
What initially attracted you to this project?
R (Nicholas Hoult) stares blankly as Julie (Teresa Palmer) gets tough in "Warm Bodies." Photo by Jonathan Wenk.
Palmer: I read the script and it was so unique, original and refreshing, the fact that you’re hearing from a zombie’s perspective, because something like that had never really been done before. I really cared about the characters and thought it was grounded in reality, in a strange way.
Hoult: Jonathan Levine was a director I wanted to work with, I’ve enjoyed his previous films. I cared about the character, I thought he was funny and endearing and just thought it would be a tricky one to pull off and, if it worked, it could be a good film.
What were some of the challenges of playing these characters, specifically for you, Nicholas, since your character never blinks?
Hoult: The not blinking thing was a tough one. That was a silly decision. I was talking to Jonathan and I was like, “Do you reckon dead people blink?” He was like, “I guess not.” If I was smart about it, they could have cut around my blinking. But I pretty much decided I wasn’t going to blink. I had contact lenses, which helped with that.
Palmer: You were good! It was bizarre. I was like, “It must be those contact lenses.”
The resemblance is uncanny! Photo by Jan Thijs.
Hoult: Also the fact of not being able to communicate verbally made it something difficult to try and emote without emoting too much and connect with Teresa’s character. That was the main thing with my character was he was trying to express himself and failing, like most guys do with girls. But when you’ve got great actors all around you it makes it very easy because you can kind of just watch them and enjoy what they’re doing and they make you look good.
Palmer: Because I have much of the dialogue in the movie, I had never come up against that before. I’m usually playing a supporting character, but this one was my first lead role and I found it quite challenging to balance the initial situation that she finds herself in. At the start she’s petrified by R. Then her fear needs to transition into a place that will organically take her into falling in love with him. So I had to be fearful, but injecting a bit of curiosity in there as well. Finding that balance was quite challenging as an actor. But a lot of it was really there on the page because the script was so strong, so I just trusted the words and tried to get beneath that. It’s definitely the most dialogue I’ve had in a movie.
What do you think people can learn from zombies?
Hoult: That if you try your best, things can get better and you can change for the better. There’s that moment early on in the film where they’re talking about how the zombies aren’t all that different than humans. So basically we live in such a fast-paced world now with so much technology and things going on that sometimes you need to just stop and notice the smaller things around you.
R (Nicholas Hoult) and his best zombie friend (Rob Corddry) lead Julie (Teresa Palmer) to safety. Photo by Jonathan Wenk.
Palmer: From this movie in particular and the zombies in this film, it’s really that as dark and dismal as your situation may seem, love and the power of human connection can really bring you through to the other side. This, too, shall pass. I always go back to that and I think that’s very prevalent in this film. And you see how love breathes life back into you and we, as people, can really connect with that and learn from that.
One of the most interesting things about the film is it’s music selection. Did you guys have any input into that or was that all set before filming began?
Hoult: In the script, my character listened to a lot of Frank Sinatra. So some of the tracks did change into the edit. But Levine’s got great taste in music and I think he balances some of the newer tunes with Guns N’ Roses and other classics.
Palmer: This film is very eclectic and the music is representative of that. You get old stuff, new stuff, edgy and cool, romantic.
Were all the vinyl records and other things R collects taken from the book the film is based on or was that unique to the film’s script?
Hoult: The book goes into a lot more detail in many respects with the bonies, and my character in the book has zombie children and a wife. All those things couldn’t fit into this film, but I think Levine did a great job of adapting. I don’t think the specific things he collected were in the book.
If a zombie apocalypse actually occurred, do you think you could really fall in love with a zombie?
Palmer: I totally could! R is sweet and wants to take care of me and keep me safe. And he’s a hotty patotty and has great taste in music. He’s a sweet, sensitive guy and he didn’t really smell too bad. I was really surprised about that.
Hoult: Yeah, that was a big bonus. I don’t know if I would be so successful in the falling in love with a zombie thing. It works in the film because she manages to heal me. I don’t know if my love’s strong enough to heal someone.
What was it like working with John Malkovich?
Julie (Teresa Palmer) tries to make her father (John Malkovich) understand that there's hope for the zombies. Photo by Jonathan Wenk.
Palmer: It was fantastic. It was very surreal. At first it was daunting to hear that John Malkovich was going to be playing my dad. Then when I met him, any fears or intimidation went out the window because he’s very humble and he’s a giving, generous person. He’s sweet and soft-spoken and hilariously funny. He really surprised me with his sense of humor. He’s a brilliant actor, so it’s really cool to be halfway through a scene and realize you’re acting opposite John Malkovich.
Why do you think things like zombies and vampires are so popular and prevalent in pop culture these days?
Hoult: They just add a magical or mystical feeling, but all the things they deal with are grounded in very human emotions. In this film, the guy has a hard time talking to a girl and it’s a love that shouldn’t be. Zombies are different from vampires because vampires can run up trees really quick and do cool stuff whereas zombies can’t. They want to look after you and they’re endearing, but they’re the underdogs of the supernatural dating world.
You also have several other films coming out soon. What can you tell our readers about Jack the Giant Slayer, the new Mad Max film and the next X-Men movie?
Hoult: Jack the Giant Slayer is a family adventure movie, basically a riff on the classic Jack and the Beanstalk tale. My character goes up a beanstalk, where loads of giants live who want to eat humans, to try and save a princess. It’s a visual spectacle. Mad Max is going back to that world with George Miller directed again and Tom Hardy playing Mad Max. I can’t say much about it other than the vehicles are really cool and the landscapes and stunts are insane. So I’m very excited about that. And we’re doing another X-Men film later this year.
www.warmbodiesmovie.com
