British actor ALEX PETTYFER kicked off his on-screen career back in 2005 with a TV adaptation of Tom Brown’s Schooldays. He followed that with the lead in Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker. And now he’s about to start a whole new movie franchise with sci-fi thriller I AM NUMBER 4.
Pettyfer chats about discovering teamwork, the British film scene, and working with Glee star Dianna Agron.
**I AM NUMBER 4 is in cinemas from 23 February
MMM: What kind of preparation did you do for your role as Number 4?
Pettyfer: I did similar things to Teresa, worked on wires and on flexibility. I found it hard enough to touch my toes, let alone do back flips at first! I’m not very good at the gym so I had to work very hard at that.
MMM: Do you find the Aussies easier to get on with because they have a similar sense of humour?
Pettyfer: No! Only joking. Teresa [Palmer] and Callan [McAuliffe] have this amazing personality which brings this great energy to the set. It was easy to work with them and everyone involved.
MMM: Your character discovers a lot about himself and his abilities during the course of the film. Did you discover anything about yourself during filming?
Pettyfer: I discovered about teamwork for the first time. I’d done a few movies before but never really had the experience that DJ [Caruso, director] passed on to me. That is when you’re number one on the call sheet you have to lift everyone’s morale up.
Me and DJ were the father and son of the set and tried to keep the energy vibrant every day. It’s a different kind of pressure. The better you are on the set the better they work. That’s something very powerful.
MMM: How do your experiences being on the set of such a big budget production compare to some of the earlier films you did? And does this mean a permanent switch to the US for you?
Pettyfer: I don’t know if it is a permanent switch because I love English films, I love Steve McQueen’s Hunger with Michael Fassbender. And I love our British independents. Most of our British talent has been recognised through that, like Tom Hardy with Bronson. So I will definitely come back to England to do a movie like that. Unfortunately for a 20 year old there aren’t many roles like that.
Alex Pettyfer and Dianna Agron in I AM NUMBER 4
I really enjoyed working on this movie. I think the difference is the work ethic. It’s a lot faster which is weird because when you have less money you would think you would work faster. You have to work faster and be more concentrated on getting what you need and not what you think you need.
MMM: What’s the attraction of playing a superhero-type character for you?
Pettyfer: I think that there is element of kid in everyone where we play out in the garden and pretend to be Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man. Why not do it for 3 months and pretend for real kind of? I think everyone wants to feel super-human in same way or another. Why not do it with lights on your hands and throw things around.
MMM: You had some intense scenes with Glee star Dianna Agron. What it was like working with her?
Pettyfer: Amazing. She’s like this old, classic movie star and brings this lightness to the movie. The romance on screen is a beautiful thing because even though my character is super-human, he’s reluctant to do so. Love is a very complicated thing; there’s always something to muck it up.
John’s destined to become this warrior yet he just wants to be a normal kid. The more he falls in love the more his Legacies kick in and I thought that was a great dynamic.
MMM: I Am Number 4 could clearly turn into a big franchise. What are your thoughts about doing a franchise?
Pettyfer: I think the most important thing is to find a story, but in that story you find a character you work well with. I think Johnny Depp had his day with Jack Sparrow. I think he said he would play that character over and over again because he had so much fun.
That’s the same with me because John has amazing quality to him that I find endearing and really love. I would say the same I would love to play him over and over again. I hope that people go see this movie and really enjoy it and help us get to make a second, third, fourth so we can see where these characters can go.
MMM: Your character shows some vulnerability in I am Number 4 which makes him even more interesting. In real life you have shown some vulnerability yourself: I believe you walked out your first audition for I am Number 4.
Pettyfer: I really admire DJ’s work and love his previous movies Salton Sea, Disturbia, Eagle Eye. I love and idolise Steven Spielberg and think Michael Bay is one of the best action Directors after DJ, and probably easier to work with too!
I find John so layered, so complex and such an interesting guy. You have this guy who’s from a different planet who comes to earth and has the same emotions as us and this vulnerability, as you said, a reluctant hero. I just didn’t know if people would believe I was that guy and I didn’t want to ruin the movie for anyone.
I realised I’d be missing the opportunity of a lifetime. This character was a challenge and every actor looks for a challenge, so I knocked on the door and hoped and prayed they’d let me back in and give me another chance.
By Jan Gilbert
