Modern blockbuster filmmaking can be a strange experience for an actor. After all, the advances in CGI means that more and more sequences can be put together using simple green screen, and that means performers using their imaginations to see how a scene might come together. Brad Peyton's Rampage is a perfect example of one of these projects, and I recently learned from the cast that they often felt quite ridiculous while they were on the set:
Naomi Harris: You definitely feel really silly, yeah.Jeffrey Dean Morgan: You feel like there's egg on your face a good 90% of the time.Naomi Harris: But that generally is the life of an actor, though!
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Naomi Harris, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Malin Akerman this past week during the Los Angeles press day for Rampage, and the first question I asked them was in regard to the movie's CGI. Curious about the experience, I asked them if there is a certain oddness to the filmmaking style, acting against absolutely nothing, and they enthusiastically responded noting that it is exactly as strange as it sounds.
The good news is that they did have some support on set for their visions of what the movie would become. I specifically asked the actors how Brad Peyton went about showing them what Rampage would become, and Malin Akerman explained a bit how it was behind the scenes:
Malin Akerman: He was great because he did have images that he had sort of created on his iPad for us to see, give us an idea what it would look like. But a lot of it was left to imagination, and a lot of was green screen. I did actually have a man in a green suit have to grab me at one point, without giving anything away, and that was fascinating to see how that was going to translate into what it eventually was. And they did a brilliant job.
You can watch Naomi Harris, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Malin Akerman discuss the ridiculousness of green screen filmmaking during the production of Rampage by clicking play on the video below!
Starring Dwayne Johnson, Joe Manganiello, Jake Lacy and P.J. Byrne in addition to Naomi Harris, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Malin Akerman, Rampage is a blockbuster based on the classic arcade game of the same name, and arrives in theaters everywhere this Friday, April 13th.
