After starring opposite Nicolas Cage in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, it’s time for Australian actress TERESA PALMER to kick some serious ass in her new movie, sci-fi thriller I AM NUMBER 4.
Palmer chats about the attraction of superheroes, deflowering Harry Potter, and going franchise-tastic with director DJ Caruso and co-star Alex Pettyfer.
**I AM NUMBER 4 is in cinemas from 23 February
MMM: You’re clearly the action girl of this movie, not only do you get to kick ass but you also drive a Ducati. Did you have to do any special training or preparation and did you incur any cuts or bumps during filming?
Palmer: Yeah definitely. I was proud of my battle scars though. I had black & blue legs I would take pictures of them and wear short shorts when I came to work to show them off.
It was pretty intense. I had to do weeks and weeks of training with the stunt team. I didn’t want to do a disservice to my character Number 6 in not knowing how to fight so that meant I really had to get in there, get my hands dirty and learn how to work on wires suspended 6 feet in the air. It was incredibly challenging and gruelling at times, but very rewarding at the end of the day.
MMM: I Am Number 4 is going to make your face very well known around the globe. But before this, you were best recognised for having acted with a certain Daniel Radcliffe.
Palmer: I realised my claim to fame was that I was the deflowerer of Harry Potter. Someone had to do it. That was a very interesting film December Boys. Everyone knows me for that and I would always get the same question, ‘What was it like kissing Harry Potter?’ Daniel Radcliffe’s lovely and such a talented actor. But I’ve moved on from that move into different things.
MMM: Was there an inevitable degree of bantering between you and your co-star Alex Pettyfer given the country’s from which you hail, the UK and Australia?
Palmer: Yeah, there was a real camaraderie on set between all of us. It was funny, a lot of us were from different countries. Callan McAuliffe [Sam] is a fellow Australian. It was fun, we had a good time; we all hung out.
MMM: Have you seen a lot of fan interest in the film online?
Palmer: I have now, especially about what the next book will be about. There are so many fans already and it’s so exciting for us. Alex has been to a couple of hot-topic fan events and he was saying how excited everyone was, which is very exciting for us.
Teresa with co-star Alex Pettyfer
MMM: What’s the attraction of playing a superhero-type character for you?
Palmer: I was attracted to it because she’s such a powerful warrior and I like that. You don’t get to see too many strong female characters like that on screen. It was nice to be super-human and this other worldly character that’s so dynamic and feisty. For all those reasons I was attracted to the script.
MMM: I Am Number 4 could clearly turn into a big franchise. What are your thoughts about doing a franchise?
Palmer: For me it was a no brainer. I would love to be part of that. In this film when Number 6 comes into the movie, she’s very mysterious and you don’t really know if she’s one of the good guys or one of the bad guys. There’s so much more to develop with her and I want to explore her further.
And I also want to see the dynamic between Number 4 and Number 6 as they become a team. I don’t think we’ve had enough of I Am Number 4 and I’d really like to see it continue. I would embrace becoming part of a franchise. I think it’s a beautiful movie for so many different reasons.
By Jan Gilbert
