Claudia Karvan talks Daybreakers
January 9th 2010 14:30
Sick of vampire films yet? I hope not, because there's still one more that looks set to take audiences by storm: the long-awaited Daybreakers, which is due to hit Aussie cinemas on January 21st. It's not the kind of vampire flick we've become accustomed to, however. According to Claudia Karvan (who is just one of several Australian stars to be cast in this movie), Daybreakers is a "sophisticated genre-horror film" that subverts the typical vampire tale.
"Handling a crossbow is always an attractive concept!" says Karvan of her human role in the film. Set in a futuristic world, Daybreakers paints a bleak, dystopic picture of a society where a plague has transformed the majority of the population into vampires. With the human race on the verge of extinction, it's up to scientist and vampire Edward Dalton (played by Ethan Hawke) to find a human survivor that can help with the cure (Willem Dafoe).
While Claudia Karvan's previous work has mostly been in the drama field (with emotional TV shows like The Secret Life of Us and Love my Way being her bread and butter) she was more than happy to embrace a new genre. Working alongside fellow Aussies Sam Neill, Michael Dorman and Isabel Lucas was a worthy experience, and she found that the directors - Queensland-born brothers Peter and Michael Spierig, who also wrote the Daybreakers storyline - had a near-fanatical dedication to the production of the movie.
"They had a beautiful relationship as brothers and they really trusted each other - it was really lovely to see them flourish," she says.
The Spierigs approached the 40 day shoot, which began in August 2007, with careful planning and preparation. Says Peter, "We did a lot of story boarding, a lot of conceptual work, we did the animatics ourselves - we did everything to show people what Michael and I were intending to do so that when we got on set we would maximise that time because it wasn't a big shooting schedule."
As for the workload between the brothers? "It's all 50:50," says Peter. "Michael doesn't just talk to the actors, or I don't just talk to the cinematographer or whatever it may be - we just split it up. Quite often we'll go up to the actors together and then it becomes a bit more of a discussion. I don't know what it would be like to direct alone anymore really."
As for Claudia Karvan's future plans in Hollywood? "I can't say I've got any goals - I'm really not a goal-oriented person," she says. "I'm kind of just a bit of flotsam and jetsam. I just go with the flow."
Daybreakers will be in Aussie cinemas on January 21st, 2009. Here's the trailer:
Claudia Karvan in 2009: 'I just go with the flow'
"Handling a crossbow is always an attractive concept!" says Karvan of her human role in the film. Set in a futuristic world, Daybreakers paints a bleak, dystopic picture of a society where a plague has transformed the majority of the population into vampires. With the human race on the verge of extinction, it's up to scientist and vampire Edward Dalton (played by Ethan Hawke) to find a human survivor that can help with the cure (Willem Dafoe).
A tense moment
While Claudia Karvan's previous work has mostly been in the drama field (with emotional TV shows like The Secret Life of Us and Love my Way being her bread and butter) she was more than happy to embrace a new genre. Working alongside fellow Aussies Sam Neill, Michael Dorman and Isabel Lucas was a worthy experience, and she found that the directors - Queensland-born brothers Peter and Michael Spierig, who also wrote the Daybreakers storyline - had a near-fanatical dedication to the production of the movie.
"They had a beautiful relationship as brothers and they really trusted each other - it was really lovely to see them flourish," she says.
Michael and Peter Spierig: a dynamic directorial duo
The Spierigs approached the 40 day shoot, which began in August 2007, with careful planning and preparation. Says Peter, "We did a lot of story boarding, a lot of conceptual work, we did the animatics ourselves - we did everything to show people what Michael and I were intending to do so that when we got on set we would maximise that time because it wasn't a big shooting schedule."
As for the workload between the brothers? "It's all 50:50," says Peter. "Michael doesn't just talk to the actors, or I don't just talk to the cinematographer or whatever it may be - we just split it up. Quite often we'll go up to the actors together and then it becomes a bit more of a discussion. I don't know what it would be like to direct alone anymore really."
The Spierig brothers in action
Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe are the big Hollywood names
A still from the film
Claudia Karvan wields her high-tech crossbow
As for Claudia Karvan's future plans in Hollywood? "I can't say I've got any goals - I'm really not a goal-oriented person," she says. "I'm kind of just a bit of flotsam and jetsam. I just go with the flow."
Daybreakers will be in Aussie cinemas on January 21st, 2009. Here's the trailer:
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Comment by Janet Collins
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The Social Critic
Janet Collins Blog
Why go "vampire" Claudia? No need.
Comment by Journeywoman
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Fashion Peach
Anyway I'm looking forward to this one! So many Australian cast and crew members, and the filming took place in Oz too.
Cheers for the comment Janet
Comment by Morgan Bell
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