Sitting down to chat up the film with reporters at Comic Con, Larter talked about training, the 3-D aspect of filming, and getting ready to welcome a new addition to her family.
Ali Larter Resident Evil: Afterlife Interview
How did you get into shape for the film and what kind of training did you have to do?Ali Larter: "I’m very athletic to begin with. I played sports my whole life. I love all kind of outdoor activities. So for me, I love to get a chance to do that stuff. I love working with the stunt coordinators and coming up with the different choreographed scenes. I have a really cool fight scene with The Axeman, which was fun to do. We also shot that with the Phantom Camera which is a 3D camera. We got the camera straight from James Cameron’s Avatar but this one’s in slow motion. This camera can only shoot 23 seconds and then it breaks. Then you have to wait two hours and then you start again. It was really fun and it was a challenge to shoot in 3D, but it was very exciting to be on the forefront of a new technology."
As an actor, what new stuff is the director telling you to do now with 3D?
Ali Larter: "Well, you can’t cheat. The cheats are what’s really hard because a lot of time you learn how you can do that and just move to get out of the angle. There’s a lot of new kind of technical difficulties that come along with shooting in 3-D, but also how many times do you get to work in something that’s a new medium in a way? It’s really exciting, really fresh and part of it is that it takes extra time and you might make mistakes. We’re the second people to get these cameras. They were building rigs because these cameras had never been used outside. It’s really fun to be a part of it. I’m excited to see how it turns out. I think 3D is an amazing fit with the Resident Evil franchise. You see all these movies now that in post are turned into 3D just to do it to hop on the band wagon. Where with 3D in Resident Evil, it just feels like a really cool marriage. And Paul wrote the script specifically to enhance the 3D elements."
Does that mean you can’t get away with faking as much and you have to be involved?
Ali Larter: "Definitely. Right on. You just have to hit your mark exactly. There’s no room for error in 3D. They have to see playback. When you’re shooting these scenes, they’ll say, 'Cut,' and you’ll look up and the crew is in 3D glasses and there’s monitors all over. Then there’s the beauty tent so you have to go in and see specifically. Makeup has to run in and see how that looks because sometimes you could be totally washed out. Other times you have to have on all this makeup just to even see that you have any features. There’s such a learning curve that comes with it. But we had an incredible crew and I was really excited to work with people that were really excited to learn and take on the challenge."
Was it a slower shooting process?
Ali Larter: "Definitely. Some days we’d only shoot 30 seconds worth of footage, but you have to be patient. The people are just learning with these cameras. They’re very sensitive. You have to be sweet and delicate with these bad boys. If it’s too cold, they freeze up. It it’s too hot, they get steamy. But that’s what’s exciting about it. We’re the second movie to get to use them. It really brings a freshness to this Resident Evil."
How was it coming back to the franchise and working with Milla Jovovich again?
Ali Larter: "She’s amazing. I was thrilled when I ran into Paul with Milla and she said, 'Paul’s writing this kick-ass role for you again.' I was really excited that they wanted to bring me back. There are two sides. I was thrilled that the fans embraced Claire Redfield because I know how sci-fi fans can be. They can be vicious, especially when you’re taking on one of their loves. So, it was important to me. I was really excited that they wanted to see more of me and they wanted to have me back. Truthfully, if the fans hadn’t embraced me, I wouldn’t have had a chance to do this one."
"I also loved the fact of coming back with Paul directing. Paul nailed the heart and soul of this franchise. I’m excited just to get to work and play with him. They’ve done it from the beginning, and with Paul directing his knowledge of the mythology of the franchise is so helpful to me as an actor who doesn’t play the game. I did my research but things can be out of order. Certain things wouldn’t make sense to me and he would be able to be there, right on set, to explain different things or how he was going to edit it or how he was going to move this scene here to help it make sense. And part of it, really, for this movie was taking that leap of faith with Paul and just trusting that when he assembles the movie, it’s going to look pretty bad ass."
Speaking of sci-fi fans, what have you heard of the Heroes wrap-up movie that they’ve been talking about?
Ali Larter: "I had heard some rumors about that right around when we were cancelled, but then I haven’t heard any again. So, I don’t know, but I’d have to be pregnant superhero. They’d better hurry up. If they wait too long, I think all the actors are kind of off doing their own thing. It could be kind of fun to play a pregnant superhero. In the new X-Men movie they can find a little role for me and I’ll be the hero in there."
Do you need that closure?
Ali Larter: "It would be great just to say goodbye to everybody or hello again. Let’s put it that way. When you’re cancelled, you never know that’s going to happen so there’s not a chance to say goodbye to the family that you really create on set. Since I started working in this business when I was 20 years old, it’s always been about creating the family environment whenever I’m working. I’ve always been somebody who tries to be really open in life and open to relationships, so I’ve formed so many incredible friendships. It’s a bummer that you don’t get to see these people and hear how their families are, and just the work for our crew is always hard to get. "
How did you hear that they’d canceled the series? They kept you waiting.
Ali Larter: "Yeah, they did. We got a call. I was actually surprised because you kept hearing how great we do internationally. I was just in Spain doing the Samsung job. We travel internationally. I’ve never experienced anything like it in my career. I don’t know if it’s because they don’t have as many channels or what it is. On an international level, they embraced that show so much. Honestly, in my career, I think that Resident Evil and Heroes are two things I’m really, really proud of. Of the fans, they really have gotten behind it. It’s been a new side of this business for me. My husband’s in comedy. You don’t get the loyalty of the fans. The sci-fi fans are the best in the world. This is my fifth time being down here [at Comic Con in San Diego] and I just love being here. I love coming down to Comic Con."
Did Milla give you any advice about kids, being pregnant and what you should eat?
Ali Larter: "She’s an incredibly mother and Ever was up on set with us while we were shooting, and she really has figured out a way to balance it all and to have a career. One of the things I felt very lucky about is in this industry you can do it. As an actress, you can have children and it doesn’t take away from the kind of roles that you want to do. The actresses that I admire, when I look at Angelina Jolie and Cate Blanchett and Reese Witherspoon, they all have families. So I just feel really lucky that I work in a field where it doesn’t hurt you."
Is there anything you have not been able to stop eating?
Ali Larter: "I eat everything. I bake myself strawberry shortcakes and I wake up at 3 in the morning and I eat them. I love it. So much of the time I have to be careful. I work out and play certain roles where it’s important for me to look a certain way. But now it’s just freedom. It’s like, 'Bring on the Sprinkles cupcakes, pizza, pasta!' I’m loving it."
You’re so well known for the sci-fi stuff, do you have a desire to do something comedic?
Ali Larter: "Definitely. I’d love to. I’m excited to have this time to have a baby and to just take a moment with my life. I’ve been really lucky to work on movies like Resident Evil and Heroes but now that that’s over and this is over, I’m looking forward to the next chapter of my life and my career. I think doing a comedy or doing something like that would be really fun."
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Resident Evil: Afterlife hits theaters on September 10, 2010.
