Taylor Kitsch was only just on our screens as the Mars bound hero in last month's
John Carter and now he's back in another sci-fi blockbuster,
Battleship. This modern day story takes its inspiration from
Hasbro's classic board game and sees Kitsch and the rest of the US Navy taking on some particularly nasty alien invaders. Here, the star talks about his character, a different take on alien creatures and working with the just plain awesome
Liam Neeson.
Q: Did you ever play the game Battleship as a kid?
A: Yes and we definitely gave some nods to the game in the film.
Q: Your character, Alex Hopper, is quite the military man. What type of training was needed to get you prepared for the role?
A: My character’s job is to “fight the ship”. This movie will show how the Navy uses their ships to fight the enemy. This is something most people don’t really have any knowledge of. No one has had the access that we had to these ships, which is really cool. We had military consultants there to make sure that we followed the proper protocols.
Q: Did you have any gun training?
A: I trained with Navy SEAL’s while we were filming Battleship in Hawaii.
Pete Berg (Director) and I are very interested in how Navy SEAL’s operate.
Q: There seem to be a lot of water sequences for you in Battleship. How acclimated are you to water?
A: I was very acclimated. Shooting on water enhances everything. To act off natural settings always helps.
Taylor Kitsch in Battleship
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A: I’m a pretty disciplined guy. I think that helps with anything you do, especially in the military. I’d like to think I have good leadership skills, as well, and I work well with others.
Q: Can you relate to this character?
A: Yes, I can. I think it’s the same for Hopper. He was scared of his own potential. He was a guy that just didn’t have a purpose yet.
Q: Andrew Stanton (Director) talked about why he cast you in John Carter. He said what really impressed him about you, and it seems like it’s the same thing here, is that you play the role of a damaged character really well. What do you think that means?
A: I don’t think it’s fun to watch the perfect guy. I don’t even know a perfect guy. Everyone has their own flaws. The guy I play in
Oliver Stone’sSavages, is also pretty messed up. I grew up watching
Sean Penn and
Daniel Day Lewis immerses themselves in that kind of character. I love the challenge of playing those types of roles.
Alexander Skarsgard in Battleship Enlarge
A: I don’t know if I have one particular person. My brothers were inspiring to me when I was growing up. I actually think it’s the ups and downs of life that shape you more than the people that you interact with.
Q: Brooklyn Decker plays your love interest, Sam, in Battleship. How was it working with her?
A: I actually met
Brooklyn for the first time in Hawaii on the Battleship set. We rehearsed a bit and I did a lot of improvisation in the beginning. Brooklyn’s great. She would just bounce it right back. That’s when I knew it was going to be great working with her.
Q: What can you say about working with Liam Neeson, who plays, Admiral Shane? There is a scene where he’s basically putting you in your place. How imposing was he?
A: There is a scene where Hopper is in the mirror rehearsing speaking to Admiral Shane (
Liam Neeson’s character) and he is scared to death.
Liam is a great guy. I’d love to work with him more.
Liam Neeson and Taylor Kitsch in Battleship Enlarge
A: If you don’t make the aliens different, you get those stereotypical clichés that would make Battleship just another alien movie. This was big with
Pete Berg (Director). The relatability between the aliens and the humans is really important.
Q: What was it like shooting the scenes with the spaceships? There is a lot of CGI. Were you working with nothing there?
A: We are reacting to nothing a lot of the time and that’s tough. There’s a scene where the aliens come in, take a man and they fly off. When shooting that scene, I was really looking at a huge fan that was blowing wind at me.
Q: Are you prepared for what’s to come?
A:
Pete Berg is a dear friend and a great Director. I know I’ll work with him again down the road. I’ve been blessed to work with
Andrew Stanton and
Oliver Stone, as well. I want to keep working with great people.
Battleship is in cinemas from the 11th of April. Check out what we had to say about it on ClickTV.