We’re here with Snow White and her Huntsman…

Kristen – I said that on set all the time, I was always saying where is MY Huntsman, where is he?

Q. What are you most excited for the audience to see from this film?

Chris – I mean what I was excited about when I read it was how different it was to the fairy tale we knew. Across the board people have said to me that they didn’t expect it was also for a male audience. Even I assumed it was a fairy tale for kids or girls, but it’s not it’s for everyone because of how epic and visually stunning it is, with such great characters, story and heart. It’s just a big beautiful film.

Kristen – Yeah it’s so fundamentally stunning. The whole reasons I wanted to do the movie was because I wanted to be a part of that whole. I wanted to be one of those people. I wanted to help them. I know it sounds totally lame!

Chris – It’s true you can’t help but come along for the ride with each character that comes in. It’s like all of society coming together to take on the Evil Queen.

 

Q. Whether it’s Charlize being scary or the dwarves being funny each character brings something different to the film don’t they?

Kristen – Finding balance is important. Like for anyone who thinks we’re doing this dark twisted tale, it really is quite classical as well. In terms of what you think it’s going to be, the enchantment of it all is like so beautiful. When it gets light, when there’s levity it’s like so unbelievably beautiful.

Chris – I think more than ever films are combining so many different themes. With this one it’s not just an action film or a fairy tale it’s all those things coming together with that perfect set of balance.

Kristen – Life is never a genre. Like right now were not in a fairy tale…

Chris – But it’s somewhat tragic at the same time

 

Q. The film is so action packed, was there a scene that you found the most difficult?

Chris – Anything with a horse is pretty difficult!

Kristen – I’m so happy to hear everyone agreeing about that!

Chris – Especially my horse that seemed to want to go in the opposite direction in battle. I was like Dude and he was just like neeeh. I love how people say to you “By The way Horses can smell fear”. I’m like don’t tell me that I was relaxed before that!

Kristen – It’s true, it’s so true! That’s why I can’t ride. It might look like I can do it but it is just fear literally. Whatever is going on with my face in those scenes I take no credit for whatsoever!

 

Q. Is there something that helps you face your fear in those moments?

Chris – Sure I think you just get caught up in the moment. There’s a hundred horses riding in one direction, then you just jump off and things are on fire. It’s like, this feels like a battle sequence. After each take they would say and one more and I was like No we’ve all survived this one.

Kristen – I’m at war with men by the way it’ like the craziest experience in the world!

Chris – Yeah Kristen came on set being all tiny and we thought she was going to get squashed by all the horses or us in this big battle. Then Kristen comes out of it unscathed every take. Me and Sam were on the ground getting dragged by horses and hit by swords.

Kristen – I got lucky in that sequence but I destroyed myself in others!

 

Q. Can you describe a typical day on set for Snow White and the Huntsman?

Kristen – We were normally really cold and of course wet and muddy!

Chris – Yeah, but more than ever I felt like I was living this story. Normally you’re like I can go home now or back to the warm trailer. This was like Chris can you role in the mud to match the continuity and can you stay like that all day? Don’t wipe it off, don’t get dry. All of us suffered through it for four months, but it pays off in the finished film obviously. There’s no acting involved, you are genuinely uncomfortable

Kristen – All you want to do is get as close to the real experience as you can. You read a script and it does something to you. The reason you do the movie is because it did something to you. You’re like why did it feel like that? It makes you want to get as close as you can to that experience. It needed to put us in a place where we never felt silly. And we’re literally doing Snow White and the Huntsman; it’s a fairy tale with trolls and all that. But we all genuinely believed in it so much. Genuine discomfort, fear and freezing cold people!

Chris – Yeah it might have been the first time I stated to want to get away from the experience. Thinking I hate this acting thing!

 

Q. Do the amazing sets help you get into character?

Chris – It’s much better when 90% of your imagination hasn’t been taken up just creating what’s going on the green screen. You’re really there. If anything you get on those set and in those environments and it’s almost like you don’t want to get in the way. I ook impressive with a  dramatic cathedral behind me.

Kristen – Yeah Chris just stand’s there Huntsmaning out!

 

Q. Kristen what was the most challenging and interesting thing about your character?

Kristen – I think that before she finds her voice there is a survival instinct there which is quite interesting to watch in that package because you know she’s quite small and she is a princess and all of that. But the interesting part is the humanising traits that we essentially all know her to be. She’s good, selfless and compassionate. But all of those things exist more easily in the real world we live in. It’s easier to root for someone you don’t feel is like a superhero. I can’t just have snow white’s effect on people. It was nice to ply someone who’s like an action star but still also such a lady. We’re not doing a girl power movie where we’re suddenly making her really tough. She’s strong because she’s steady she’s not strong because she’s got brawn. I had to stop myself from wanting to learn the choreography and take guys out. I think to keep her someone you wanted to believe in was what I was most concerned with.

Chris – I like the fact she wasn’t doing backflips off the castle wall and juggling different sword and things. You’d be wondering like where did all that training come from? She’s just like biting and scratching instead.

Kristen – It’s like with the Troll I just smile at him and it’s like you stop being silly, you get out of here right now you’ve been bad!

 

Q. Do you have a favourite scene either to film or to watch?

Kristen – I love the first escape, when Snow White breaks out of the castle and getting to the dark forest.

Chris – I love watching Kristen slide down through the tunnel. That whole sequence is pretty epic all of a sudden it’s like now we’re off. Prior to that we’re sort of setting things up an thyen that’ss like the break out of prison.

Kristen – Yeah it like totally kick-starts the movie, it’s like alright… this is the world we live in now. It really is relentless from there it never stops.

 

Q. You never really know what the dark forest is going to throw at you next, what makes it so creepy?

Chris – Obviously we were in there doing our thing, then later on they kind of transform some trees and add the spirits and all the monsters. It’s like wow, where did that all come from.

Kristen – How cool does the snake thing look now! The snake thing is so awesome. I’m sitting there amongst nothing. That actually made me feel stupid. It did feel a little stupid sitting there gasping “Oh no it’s all around me!”.  Then Chris comes up with his axe and chops this branch and it falls in a perfect half.

 

Q. Kristen has this film given you a taste for action now, would you like to do more action roles?

Kristen – Yeah I would like to do more of it, although it’s hard. The reason Chris is like… well just look at him… he’s made for it!

Chris – Kristen is actually going to take on Thor next ! I’m going to hand her the hammer

Kristen – Yeah Mrs Thor.

 

Q. Kristen what do you enjoy most about the action?

Kristen - I really love to physically push myself, I think it’s so much cooler to watch people overcome thing sand face fears. I also have brothers and I grew up just loving running. Anytime I can move forward, if I get to run in a movie I feel so good. I don’t know why. Although yeah… I probably couldn’t do Thor.

• Chris and Kristen stop to compare biceps

Chris – Kristen’s muscles are like little stones, they’re very sharp as well, her arms are like blades.

Kristen – I’ve lost my muscles dude, when we were working together I was so impressive. Now they’re gone.

 

Q. Do you think they’re could be a sequel to this film?

Chris – Yeah sure there could be a sequel. It’s left open for that. Though what I liked about it was that it’s left open ended not as some sort of cheesy hook that says, hey come back and see it. A lot of the film is left open to interpretation and possibilities. For a sequel it’s just that you’d need a villain who is as powerful and dangerous as Charlize’s character and it’s like where do you go from her! What I loved so much was that it was a villain who you can’t help but understand and empathise with in some ways. Yes what she’s doing is horrific and you don’t agree with that, but she had some traumatic experience and it’s like no wonder she feels this way about men and society.

Kristen – A sequel would have to stand on its own. What’s awesome about the way this whole production has gone is that it does feel like it’s being done for the right reasons. We can’t wait to find where destiny leaves you.  What I’m really stoked about is that destiny can lead you to a certain point, but then it becomes about how does everything that you thought was so perfect fall apart around you. It’s like okay now we’re actually individuals, before we were at war and moving too fast to really consider ourselves as people. So once she actually has to contend with ruling a kingdom. Destiny helped her save the people but it’s like is she the one to lead them. Can you deal with the fact that you are completely stunted emotionally? Like there’s no development, she’s been a prisoner for ten years. But I think a sequel could be awesome.

Chris – I think Snow White needs to go off to high school and have her debutant ball.  She missed out on a lot because she was locked up. She also needs to get a driver’s licence or maybe get better at riding her horse. I mean I’m not going to write the script and it’s not going to happen but that was just my idea.

 

Q. Kristen as a California girl how was it to live in the UK for so long?

Kristen – Cold and wet definitely but I really love it here. I do love LA, I was born in Los Angeles and I do truly love California, I think it’s beautiful but it is pretty isolated. I love living in London because you live in your city things are going on all around you all the time. I’ve never lived in a city for this long. I’ve done trips but most of the time you go make movies in the middle of nowhere so this was amazing to have an apartment right in the middle of London.

 

Q. Congrats both of you on your accents how did you perfect them?

Chris - I had a great dialect coach and I listened to a bunch of films and things. There were a couple of Scottish guys on set so I kept going to them to say stuff and they’d be like no not like that! I’d try it again and they’d say yeah do it like that. I had a nice solid reference for it.

Kristen – I had a great coach too. It did help a little to be here in the UK but it’s so not modem, it’s what’s called Received Pronunciation.  It’s a little bit more fully formed and so perfect for the character. I could never have hoped to ply the character sounding like this (slips into valley girl speak) “So like dude what do you think we should do now? “

Chris – (slips into surfer boy mode) “Dude That Queen is like SO… totally evil!”

Kristen – “I know like…. Listen to me brothers…. Follow me. Like seriously come on dude!”

 

Q. What’s your favourite British Food?

Chris – I like meat pies and things. Although that’s like an Australian thing, you do meat pies as well but we do them better.

 

Q. Which other fairy tale character would you like to play?

Chris – Cinderella… I’d like to play Cinderella!

Kristen – I’d like to play Mowgli. Chris can be my Baloo.

Chris – That is awesome! Man that would be so sick! I’d be the bear.  I love it in the cartoon where Baloo and his friend cry at the end , then they skip off into the sunset together. (starts singing bear necessities)

Kristen – I am so on by the way, if you are!

 

Q. Last question, if you hadn’t become actors what would you be doing?

Kristen – I’ve grown up loving movies. My parents are both in the business  and if I couldn’t act I’d still want to be making movies that’s it for me. But if I wasn’t allowed that answer,  I’d just do the normal thing and go to school and figure it out like everyone else

Chris – Well the reason I started doing this was because I had a different idea every week. It’s was like, hey I want to be a professional surfer, and then I wanted to be a fire-fighter, a lawyer, then a doctor. Every week people were like so Chris what are you doing now? It was like oh you want to get to the Olympics now, that’s cool for this week. Good luck ! In reality I’d probably attempt to do lots of other things and fail and then find myself right back here pretending to do things.

 

Thanks so much and congratulations on the film, we look forward to SWATH Part 2.