(Continued from interview②) Hollywood actress Milla Jovovich, invited to the 30th Busan International Film Festival with Protector, expressed her thoughts on being called the "female Taken".
On the afternoon of the 18th at the Busan Cinema Center's Biff Hill press conference hall, a press interview was held with the visiting team of Protector, the official selection of the 30th Busan International Film Festival's Midnight Passion section. The event was attended by lead actress Milla Jovovich and director Adrian Grunberg, who answered questions from domestic reporters.
Protector is an action thriller about Nikki Halstead (Milla Jovovich), a former U.S. special forces operative who must find her daughter Chloe, kidnapped by a criminal organization, within 72 hours. The film stars Ukrainian-born Hollywood star Milla Jovovich, known for the Resident Evil series.
Milla Jovovich said of the film, "When I read the Protector script, it felt like reading a beautiful work of art. It also felt like a portrait. I hoped that that sensibility would be well conveyed to audiences around the world. I thought that would not be easy. So I kept discussing the script with the writer. We talked about what the most important core of the story in this script was. It was a mother's desperate fight to save her daughter. I also have three daughters. One of my daughters is the same age as the character in the film. That made the project feel much more special to me," she praised.
She added, "I hoped that not only parents with daughters but people in many places beyond Korea and the United States could empathize with it. I also thought of it as a collaborative work that goes beyond two countries. Our efforts paid off. Many people empathized, and even though the subject is uncomfortable to handle, I think it was expressed gracefully and respectfully."
She also revealed, "Acting in this movie is actually not 'acting.' It's real. I really lived that kind of life like in the film and lost 10kg," which surprised many, and she said, "I had to feel that desperation every day to survive. We filmed six days a week and had four weeks of night shoots. At 45, it wasn't easy to handle those emotions and action. So every night I discussed the character with the director and developed it more and more, refining both the lines and the action. It was an honest collaboration. It was a very difficult project to handle, as it was the character that required expressing the most emotion. I think not only I but the director and the staff felt the same. For me, it's a film I will never forget," she emphasized.
Furthermore, Milla Jovovich commented on reactions calling Protector the "female Taken," saying, "It's about time a female version of Taken appeared. Until now, women haven't had many opportunities to lead action stories. Hollywood has been dominated by male-centered action films. I think by doing this kind of film I opened the way for other actresses. I plan to continue that work. Of course, the goal of saving a daughter is the same, but the content is different. Protector will take a different path from Taken. But Taken is now a classic, isn't it? Liam Neeson is of course an actor I like. Thank you for the comparison," she said.
Protector is scheduled to be released in the second half of the year.
[Photo] OSEN DB, provided by Ascendio.
[OSEN]