Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00 I don't know much about D&D, but if I were to see a D&D movie,
00:03 I would want it to be reminiscent of "Game Night."
00:05 And I think that it was.
00:06 I mean, you can see that link there.
00:08 That's the whole point.
00:09 D&D is a game night.
00:10 That's the energy we're bringing to this movie.
00:13 And I've been screaming this from the mountaintop.
00:15 Like, D&D isn't about dragons and swords and magic.
00:19 Like, that's all there.
00:20 That's not what it's about.
00:21 It's about that "Game Night" feeling.
00:22 It's about getting your friends together
00:24 and doing some goofy stuff and seeing
00:26 how creative you can make this and failing at all your plans
00:29 and coming up with something even more magical by mistake.
00:32 And that's what the movie's about.
00:34 We just dress it up in dragons and magic and swords, you know?
00:37 But honestly, now after seeing the film, now I'm like,
00:39 now I do want to see what the tabletop game is about.
00:42 Like, now--
00:42 [LAUGHTER]
00:43 --it's made me want to feel what everyone else has
00:46 been feeling about this game.
00:47 But I loved it so much.
00:49 And the great thing about it is I
00:50 feel like this film is able to capture so many different tones
00:54 at once.
00:55 Like, there's art.
00:56 There's humor.
00:57 There's moments of levity.
00:58 But there's also moments that are very serious as well.
01:01 So how do you think this film is able to accomplish,
01:04 you know, pulling at people's heartstrings at the same time
01:07 but also having, you know, literal dragons?
01:11 I mean, I think that's the secret sauce.
01:14 We've got to give John Daly and John Goldstein,
01:15 our directors, credit for that.
01:17 I think that they have a lot of history in that.
01:19 So they've done "Game Night."
01:20 They've worked in kind of the genre world.
01:22 They wrote "Spider-Man Homecoming."
01:23 So they know how to take all of this lore and all
01:25 of this accoutrement, all of the kind of dressings
01:28 that people think the movie is about.
01:29 It's not about the superpowers or the magic.
01:31 It's always about the people.
01:33 And I think that that's the magic that they've baked in.
01:35 We all got this script.
01:36 We got a "Dungeons and Dragons" script.
01:38 And we're like, oh, OK, it's "Dungeons and Dragons."
01:39 What's it going to be?
01:40 And you read through it.
01:41 And like you said, it was full of heart and humor.
01:43 It was funny.
01:44 There was real pathos.
01:46 There was lots and lots of kind of--
01:48 there were stakes.
01:49 There was heartache.
01:50 And you wanted to hang out in this world.
01:52 And that's just on a human level.
01:54 You dress that up with magic and swords and everything else.
01:57 But the story is about people.
01:59 The story is about found family.
02:01 The story is about how do you become
02:03 the hero you know you could be.
02:04 And that's just human stories.
02:05 That's everyday in the world.
02:06 It's just more fun to do with dragons.
02:08 Yes, yes.
02:09 And I feel like this is a blockbuster film for you.
02:13 I know you were in "The Great Man" last year and now this.
02:16 How do you think being in a "Dungeons and Dragons"
02:19 film kind of exemplifies the stage at which you want
02:22 to be in your career right now?
02:25 I mean, I try to keep things very simple.
02:27 There was a lot of words for a dumb actor like me.
02:29 I just like to turn up and do this.
02:32 I like making films that make me smile.
02:34 I like making films that make other people smile.
02:36 I like making films that bring an entertainment factor
02:39 and expand what you imagine is possible in the world.
02:42 Sometimes that looks like a blockbuster.
02:43 Sometimes it doesn't.
02:44 And beyond that, I don't really think about it that much.
02:47 Yes, sir.
02:48 Yes, sir.
02:49 Well, thank you so, so much for chatting with me.
02:51 I enjoyed the film.
02:52 Like I said, I can't wait for more people to see it.
02:54 Thank you very much.
02:55 Appreciate you.
02:55 Just as I'll start with you first,
02:57 so your character of Simon does a lot
02:59 of spellcasting in this film, some efforts
03:02 more successful than others.
03:05 And I feel like when we often think
03:07 of spellcasting in movies, the first cinematic reference
03:10 I have is "Harry Potter."
03:11 That's immediately the first thing I go to.
03:13 So I wanted to know, how was it like filming those scenes
03:18 and putting those together, and even
03:21 like the movements and gestures that you
03:23 used to create the spellcasting?
03:24 Yeah.
03:25 I worked with a choreographer a bit.
03:28 I also know a bit of sign language.
03:30 So I wanted to root all the spellcasting
03:33 in some form of language.
03:36 Because I feel like if spellcasting was real,
03:38 it would be a communication space around you.
03:43 So I would take a sign that had to do
03:47 with the intended action of the spell,
03:51 and I would modify it in a way that looked more
03:55 like sorcery, spellcastery.
03:59 Because I also-- "Harry Potter" is my first reference
04:02 in terms of spellcasting.
04:04 And they have wands, which is easier, I think.
04:08 But I didn't want to just gesture vaguely
04:14 in a direction, like fingers splayed.
04:17 I feel like that's so lazy when actors do that in a movie.
04:20 They're like, this is magic.
04:21 I'm like, no, I wanted to do something really cool
04:23 and interesting with my hands.
04:26 So yeah, that's what I did.
04:29 Gotcha, gotcha.
04:30 And Sophia, for you, I love how this film kind of mixes
04:36 so many different tones.
04:38 Like there's humor, there's heart,
04:42 even there's some heartwarming moments as well.
04:45 So your character is one that she's very kind of like,
04:49 not as wanting to work with the group,
04:52 but eventually warms up to them.
04:54 So how would you describe her journey throughout this movie,
04:58 and learning actually to get their trust and to trust them?
05:02 I think she had some sort of prejudice against humans
05:08 because of her past, of her human parents
05:11 banning her and whatever.
05:13 So she ended up being kind of like a very closed off person,
05:18 who's very like one track mind is to help my family,
05:23 help these elves, and get back the enclave
05:27 and find protection.
05:30 And that was just like her one main goal.
05:32 Like whatever she has to do, she'll do it, that type of thing.
05:35 And then she surrounds herself with this group
05:41 of kind of losers.
05:45 And then she ends up realizing that what she actually really
05:49 needs is a family.
05:51 And she never really had a family,
05:53 even with the enclave, she was never quite at home.
05:57 With these groups, she ended up a little slightly opening up
06:00 towards the end.
06:01 And what I really find fascinating
06:03 is not only what has happened in her journey through that,
06:08 or I actually think about what's next for her.
06:12 Now she's like done what she wanted to do.
06:15 And now she has this group of people,
06:18 how she could have changed, her personality could change
06:21 a little bit.
06:23 So it's really interesting to think about.
06:25 But--
06:27 Yeah.
06:28 Yeah.
06:31 Well, thank you both so, so much for chatting with me.
06:33 I enjoyed the film and I can't wait for more people to see it.
06:35 And I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.
06:37 Thank you.
06:38 So Chris, I'll start with you first.
06:40 When we meet Egan at the beginning of the movie,
06:43 I feel like he's the type of person that
06:46 kind of looks at intent versus impact
06:49 when it comes to things in his life and what he's done,
06:52 especially when it comes to his daughter.
06:54 As far as what's happened and how he's kind of missing,
06:57 he's like, well, I didn't intend to be missing,
06:59 but it kind of left her in this predicament over the years.
07:02 So how would you describe his journey
07:05 and what he comes to realize about himself
07:09 throughout the course of this movie?
07:11 You know, it's like the time old tale
07:14 that the hero journeys talk about,
07:18 which is replacing selfishness with selflessness.
07:21 And that is the story of his life,
07:25 is that he's been a selfish kind of dude.
07:28 And he can wrap it up in thinking
07:30 that he's been selfless and a good guy.
07:33 But really he's motivated by the pursuit
07:37 of pleasing his own needs.
07:41 And a decision that he makes in the end of the film
07:44 is the thing that flips the script
07:46 and involves his dear friend and involves his daughter.
07:50 And without, you know, you always like,
07:54 for me, one of the kernels of good storytelling
07:57 is why does this story have to happen
08:00 to this character right now?
08:02 'Cause if you can't answer that question,
08:04 then there's really no reason for the journey.
08:06 And there is a reason why all these dragons
08:08 and all this crazy shit happens to this guy Edmund,
08:10 'cause he has to learn this story about being selfless.
08:14 - Yes, yes.
08:15 And Michelle, for you, first of all,
08:18 Hoga is kind of the heart of the film for me,
08:21 but not only she's the heart,
08:22 she's also stern when needed to be.
08:24 She's also brings the humor when needed.
08:27 And I think that's the perfect, you know,
08:28 mix of tone that I would think would be needed
08:31 in a D&D film.
08:32 So it was like playing a character that kind of,
08:33 you know, serves a lot of things at once in this movie.
08:37 - Oh, I didn't really think of it that way,
08:39 but that's sweet of you, thank you.
08:41 You know what?
08:43 I just really like how down to earth she is.
08:46 She's pretty just matter of fact, you know?
08:48 It's like, you know, what's going on is pretty much
08:53 in her mind, I think is very simple.
08:55 She's like a pure kind of character where,
08:58 like, here's the loyalty.
09:00 This knucklehead needs my help.
09:01 Let me stick around.
09:03 I really, I really love this little girl.
09:06 Let me take care of her and treat her like my own daughter.
09:10 And I think that that's pretty much Hoga's mentality
09:12 is just like, I'm gonna stick around with this,
09:14 with these people who accept me for who I am
09:17 because they're the right thing to do.
09:21 And she just follows her heart that way.
09:23 And she's very loyal, you know?
09:25 - Well, thank you both so, so much for chatting with me.
09:28 I really enjoyed this.
09:29 And I can't wait for everyone to see the film.
09:31 - I hope you guys like it. - Thank you very much.
09:33 - Cheers. - Thank you.