Jon Harris

Interview by: Phil Newton In the third of our series of exclusive interviews direct from the set of The Descent 2, this week we’re delighted to present a one-on-one with Natalie Mendoza. Born in Hong Kong, Mendoza grew up in Melbourne where she began her career in Australian television before being offered a part in Baz Luhrmann’s musical Moulin Rouge! After taking the role of Juno in The Descent she subsequently moved to London where she now lives with her husband. Looking both fierce yet sexy in Juno’s blood-splattered costume, Mendoza led me away from the hubbub of the set to the relative tranquillity of her dressing room for a confident and impassioned discussion of her work. Phil Newton: Hi Natalie, so were you surprised when you were approached about doing a sequel to The Descent? Natalie Mendoza: I was… but Neil (Marshall) had joked about it at the end and I thought, well, they haven’t seen me die and I was like hmmmm okay (laughs). So when I heard that they were going to make a sequel I knew it was in the realms of possibility, contrary to what a lot of people would think, so I wasn’t that surprised - but I was pleased! PN: So what’s happened to Juno since we last saw her injured and surrounded by crawlers? NM: She’s completely feral, that’s the best way to describe her. Obviously Juno has been left behind and she’s become quite feral over the course of the three days because of the extreme circumstances she’s been in; it’s almost like she’s become encased in this armour of primal, vicious energy because that’s what she’s had to do to survive. She has this real edge to her when you first see her, she’s not sure if she’s hallucinating because that’s what happens after that amount of time, you start seeing things. Three days in that cave is like three weeks in terms of her emotional and mental state. She’s found a way to survive and being silent is the best thing for her. PN: Can you talk about the scene you’re shooting today? NM: Yes, basically it’s off the back of Sarah and I coming across each other in the caves for the first time. We’ve had a big confrontation and it’s been established that I’ll make the way out so in true Juno style she takes point; you know she takes the lead, and I’m glad they allowed her to do that. So I’m leading everybody through some really dangerous parts of cave and this very unstable bridge made of rock that could fall apart at any moment, and of course it does! PN: And how is her relationship with Sarah, bearing in mind she left her alone to die? NM: Well, the sense of betrayal she feels is so deep and the anger has really started to fester so when they first see each other it’s just pure hatred, whereas Sarah has had time to gather herself a little bit. The way I feel is that Juno’s put on this armour, like a new survival personality which is very primal and through the course of the film what she has to do is chip that away because she really doesn’t care about anybody else because of this betrayal and the hatred that she feels. She just wants to get out alive. PN: Has it been fun working with Shauna (Macdonald) again? NM: Yes, of course! Shauna and I get on very well and I think we’re quite similar personality wise, it’s great; it’s just so lovely. We actually had the old cast back in one day just to shoot some old video footage and everyone wanted to come back which is a really good sign that everyone just loved making the first film. That was actually my first day of filming and it was just such a nice way to ease into it. PN: Shauna was telling me earlier that you’ve all remained very close. NM: It will always be a really special time for us because when we rehearsed the first one we were taken out into the sticks and trained for a couple of weeks and we really bonded very well. It’s such a tiny cast so you can’t help but become close. And even on this film with Krysten (Cummings) who’s our new girl and is playing Rios, I mean I feel like I’ve known her for years, it’s hilarious. So that’s the brilliant thing of working on a film with a small cast, you have that opportunity. PN: Was it easy to get back into character, you’re a keen rock climber now I understand? NM: Yes, I do love maintaining my fitness so it wasn’t that difficult for me; I climb regularly and I train every day. I think climbing is a different type of fitness though, it’s more the amount of fighting I have to do in this one, there was just no warming into it. The first time you see me I’m fighting, it’s a massive fight, and that was a real shock. It was a surprise as I’d say I’m actually extremely fit, but because of such explosive energy and because I’m also fighting men it’s very exhausting. This is like my third day and I’m really feeling it – the second day I couldn’t move! So it’s interesting the different type of fitness that’s required in this film, it’s on a whole other level. PN: Juno is kind of the badass character isn’t she, so is that fun to play? NM: She’s brilliant to play, she’s so different to who I am, it’s perfect. I love this character, which is why it was so seductive to come back even though I really questioned it. I hesitated in some ways because I really wanted to make sure that the integrity of the first film was maintained in the second one and I had a lot of questions and big discussions with the producers and the director before I was convinced. Then when all my questions were answered and I’d read the script I was just so excited to get back and play this character, as I loved the first film. And this time it’s great, she’s obviously quite seriously injured so as much as she’s a badass she’s also got this obstacle, which is fun to play as well. You know, it’s not just Juno being all gung-ho in the caves; this time there’s a more internal struggle going on as well. PN: And obviously you’ve got male characters in this film, has that really changed the dynamics? NM: It has actually, I would definitely say it has changed it. Vaines (Gavan O’Herlihy) is the person that finds me and when he finds me it’s like I’m made of stone, nothing he says affects me because I’m in survival mode. But for the majority of my character’s journey it’s mainly female and I think it’s good that it ends up like that. PN: How’s it been with Jon (Harris) taking over as director, who of course edited the first film? NM: It’s been the most natural process with Jon taking over, it just seemed that’s the way it was always meant to be. I don’t think people realise how fundamental the editor is in filmmaking and he contributed in such a major way with the first film, you know he really edited it very well and he just got it. So that was the big clincher for me because when I found out that Jon was going to direct I was like brilliant, I’m in, because I really have such faith in him, he’s got such great taste in terms of the way he edits. And that’s where Neil comes from too, he’s from an editing background, and so it just felt right. It’s funny, it’s like Neil and Jon could be brothers, they’ve got a really similar kind of energy and they’re very laid back and calm and so I knew there would be a really similar feel on set. Of course Jon’s also added his own spin on it but he’s also maintained the integrity of the first one and that’s brilliant. PN: Would you want to be involved in a third instalment should the opportunity arise? NM: Actually there has been talk about a third film but I kind of think that my character, her journey, should end with the second film because I feel like the second one makes sense in a lot of ways because it (The Descent) was actually quite frustrating to watch. It provoked the audience because there were a lot of questions unanswered and miscommunication occurred and as an audience member you were like (groans) why didn’t you talk, you got it all wrong, whatever, and with this film it’s more about redemption, it’s about a coming together whereas the first film was about the splintering of the group and friendships. So I think two is good. If they want to make a third, well… (laughs). PN: What are your future ambitions? We’ve recently seen you in the most recent series of “Hotel Babylon” here in the UK, so are you keen to do more TV work? NM: I don’t really want to do TV to be honest. I took “Hotel Babylon” because I wanted people to recognise that I was living in England and I just wanted to introduce myself to the English audience and obviously I thought doing a series on the BBC would be a very good thing. Unfortunately I was playing an Australian and so people assume that I speak with that kind of an accent all of the time and so I don’t know… It was fun. You know, I really love good TV, I’d love to do a great American series or British series but first I think producers need to allow the writers to have a bit more freedom – that was a lesson I learned from doing some British telly – but hopefully that will change. I’ve written a pilot recently which looks like it’s going to be picked up, so I’m all for good television but I don’t know that I’d sign up for a long three series deal unless it was something very specific that I thought would challenge me. Film has always been my thing and I’ve just done another film called The Canopy so it’s nice to be able to be free again to be doing film and theatre. Film and theatre are my first love. Thanks to Natalie for taking the time to chat with us, and for all those involved with the production who made this interview possible! The Descent 2 will be released in 2009! Next week: Krysten Cummings!

Interview by: Phil Newton Continuing our exhaustive coverage of The Descent 2 this week we’re excited to present an exclusive interview with Shauna Macdonald. First coming to the attention of UK viewers in the popular BBC television spy drama “Spooks” where she played the character of Sam Buxton for two series, she was then cast in the leading role of Sarah in Neil Marshall’s The Descent which brought her worldwide acclaim. In addition to reprising her role in the sequel, Macdonald will also soon be seen in forthcoming genre pics The Mutant Chronicles and the big screen remake of Silent Night, Deadly Night. A thoughtful, softly-spoken subject in person, I caught up with Macdonald on the main stage of The Descent 2 as the crew worked around us busily prepping the next scene of the shoot. Phil Newton: Hi Shauna, so you’re back for the sequel. Did this come as a big surprise to you? Shauna McDonald: I was surprised that they were thinking about doing one! I remember when it was first mentioned it to me, this guy next to me I knew he was something to do with the film, as in one of the executive producers or financers – someone you never see – and he said “what do you think about a sequel”? I said “you couldn’t do a sequel, it’s a self-contained piece”, and then it sort of set that idea in my head. Then they properly asked me what I thought and I said “yes, why not, but who’s involved?” I was really cagey about getting involved, I just wanted to know what it would entail and where it was going to go but it was explained to me that it would be the same feeling, be a lot of the same people – we’ve got the wonderful (cinematographer) Sam McCurdy, we’ve got Jon (Harris) who was the editor and is now the director, a lot of the same crew – and I said aaaah. So it’s the same sort of feeling and it’s just taking their stories further and I thought that’s actually going to be quite nice. PN: I think you said at the time that you believed there was no way out for Sarah at the end of the original film, so how has this been resolved for the sequel? SM: Well it’s the same day, we start off at the end of the action with her in the caves and she gets out – I don’t want to tell you how she gets out – but she gets out quite dramatically, almost by mistake. Then we find her roaming the roads and she’s taken to hospital, so her journey starts with her coming round in hospital with amnesia. She doesn’t really know what’s going on, she knows who she is, she knows that she’s been down a cave, but she doesn’t really know much above that, she’s completely shut down. She’s also a murder suspect so her role is to help the rescue team find the girls. PN: I was going to say, how do they persuade her to go back down into the caves, I think that’s the last thing I’d want to do in the circumstances? SM: Well, they’ve got to find these girls and soon and she just thinks they’ve been involved in some kind of caving accident so she wants to help to find them and it’s not until they’re well and truly down there that she really remembers what’s gone on. She gets flashes of things. PN: Could you say a little about the scene you’ve been shooting today? SM: Yes, well, we’ve got to get from one part of the cave to another and this is a scene where it’s the death of a character. We’re doing the stunts just now, which is really challenging. PN: The original film was very physical, so was it easy to get back into character? Had you continued your climbing and fitness regime in between the films? SM: After the first film I really got into doing things like triathlons and marathons, stuff like that, but then I had a baby! I’ve got a little one year old, so the whole time I was pregnant I really did slacken off, but I aimed to do the London Marathon in April so I trained up for that and I also did some fighting training just to get myself prepared for being hit and hitting and it was hard work. Sometimes it was really hard getting the motivation because it’s tiring being a mum with a baby who’s gorgeous but doesn’t like to sleep all the time, but you know the incentive was to get back into leggings and a vest top and also I wanted to be good. I remember feeling just awkward with some of the fighting in the first film because I wasn’t prepared and I thought no, don’t have that detracting me, I need to think about my moves, I want to be able to flow with it this time. PN: Working with Jon who edited the first film, how has that been? SM: Well, brilliant because he’s got more of an understanding of the first film because he cut it, he made the film – I was merely in it – he made the essence of it with Neil so he’s very much on the same page as me. He’s so calm and so clear and also really open to the actors and coming in and really working through the text and finding the beats in the scene; he’s a real actors’ director. PN: You got put through so many extremes in the first film, what new challenges have you had to face in this one? SM: It is pretty extreme! I guess Sarah spirals down in the first film and in this one it’s her ascent back into humanity and everything along the way, what with crawlers and one or two arch-rivals popping up all over the place. PN: Yes, were you surprised when you found out that Juno was coming back as well? SM: Yes, I was surprised because it didn’t look good for her, but then again it didn’t look too good for Sarah! I think it’s great that she’s back because the characters are so different, I think that the audience are desperately waiting for them to be reunited to see what happens next. PN: Of course in this one you’ve got some male characters as well, has that changed the dynamic a lot? SM: I guess it is a different feeling when you’ve got guys on board, although a lot of the crew from the first film were guys of course, but yes, it’s a different vibe, a different dynamic. The thing is with the first one we all got along so well; the girls have become a huge part of my life, from me getting married to having a baby… Whatever I’ve been doing, whatever they’ve been doing, we’re always in each other’s lives. So when I think of the first one it was like my mates doing it and I was actually really relieved when I discovered it was going to be a mixed cast so that I wouldn’t compare it. PN: I was going to say, you recently had a reunion with the other girls for a special screening of The Descent in London, so it sounds like you’re all pretty close? SM: Absolutely, very much so. And it was weird when MyAnna Buring was here in Ealing Studios doing her Lesbian Vampire Killers film! So she’s been around very recently, and then my daughter was one at the weekend and Nora-Jane (Noone) was there for that. They’re very much a part of my life, it’s brilliant. PN: Has there been any talk of a third film yet or is it too early to say? SM: It’s sort of in the air but listen, this film was in the air for three years and God (laughs) we’ll start getting grey hairs by the time we’re asked and it’s getting made, so I don’t know. PN: You’ve also recently worked on The Mutant Chronicles, the Simon Hunter film, can you say anything about that? SM: That was a weird one for me. It was just one day of filming and I was playing the wife of Sean Pertwee’s character Nathan and it was just this mad scene with Thomas Jane coming in to my little cottage which I have with my daughter and I’m basically waiting to die because everybody’s got a ticket to leave and I don’t have a ticket to get on these rockets that are going to Mars or wherever they’re going. So it was just this weird, quiet scene and apparently that’s one of the still moments of the whole film because it’s all CGI and I really enjoyed doing that. Simon’s great, I’d love to work with him again, I really would, and it’s just a shame I didn’t get to do more. PN: And what’s next for you after completing this film? SM: I don’t know, just being a Mum for a while, it’s nice. Thanks for Shauna for taking the time to chat with us! The Descent 2 is in post-production right now and is set to be released next year! Next week: Natalie Mendoza

Interview by: Phil Newton And so we come to the final part of our coverage from the set of The Descent 2 with an exclusive interview with newcomer Krysten Cummings, who plays the role of Rios in Jon Harris’s forthcoming sequel. Best known as a musician and stage actor – Cummings played Mimi in productions of Rent in London, Toronto and on Broadway – The Descent 2 is her first major feature film role. A reporter’s dream, Cummings was brimming with enthusiasm on a variety of topics as we snuck outside for a sneaky cigarette during the afternoon’s filming. Phil Newton: Hi Krysten, so my first question for you is how did you come to be involved in the film? Krysten Cummings: The casting director, she’s known me for quite a long time. I haven’t really been doing a lot of acting but she and I did climbing together and that type of thing, and she saw the breakdown and thought I know who could kick this part really great. She wondered if I was still living in London and then hunted me down and found me. I went in initially thinking they’re not really going to be interested in me – because I’m a singer most of the time – and I didn’t come in looking all perfect and super clean and lovely and Hollywood, I said I’ll just go and see what happens. And I read the part and I thought it was awesome and I love the first film immensely… PN: I was going to ask if you’d seen the first film? KC: Oh my God yes! I mean I love horror films, I looooove horror films in a really sick scary way almost as much as I love my Playstation 3 (laughs) – that was my present to myself on this job, a Playstation 3 – so now all my housemates love me, we’ve been driving around killing people in Grand Theft Auto … anyway, forget that, I can’t remember what the question was? Oh yeah, I saw the first one and I was a huge fan and I was really happy about the fact that it was actually women that were doing something pretty cool and it was (thinks)... PN: Quite different? KC: Yes, and I was just surprised that it hadn’t been done before. And it scared the shit out of me which was great, it was one of the first films in a long time that scared me when it first came out and even watching it again on DVD – maybe I shouldn’t say this if it’s going to be in print – my boyfriend didn’t really like it because he kept getting up to do the washing up and make tea because he was like, it’s just freaking me out with all the claustrophobia. DC: Yes, I watched it again last night and that scene where Sarah gets trapped... KC: It’s really awesome, it’s brilliant! And I knew about Neil (Marshall) from before, from Dog Soldiers and then recently, just before I got this, I started to hear about Doomsday … So I did my research and I looked up who Natalie (Mendoza) was and strangely enough Natalie and I have a few friends in common! Shauna (Macdonald) and I didn’t but as soon as we met each other it was like a really old friend that I hadn’t seen in ages and we just kind of slotted in together. PN: How’s it been working with the two of them bearing in mind they both did the first one? KC: It’s a lot to live up to! I really cacked myself the first time we met. They’re both super-fit anyway in real life (whispers) – she says with a cigarette in her mouth – I used to be super-fit but I only had like three days before I knew I was doing this film, well maybe five, but it was a weekend and I had to come in properly to start getting my costume fitted. Another thing with the girls is that everyone is much bigger than I am and I was a bit kind of, hey man I might be small but I’m kinda scrappy… they’re quite tall compared to me anyway. PN: I think on the first one they had like a boot camp where they went off together? KC: Yes, well that’s what I was hoping for. I’ve done quite a lot of climbing, I’m quite fit as I was a dancer and I’ve had to do a bit of fighting here and there in real life (laughs). No I’m just kidding, in theatre and that kind of thing, I’m usually always playing the hard-nuts. PN: So you’ve not had to do too much preparation for this? KC: No, not too much although I would have liked to have done a little bit of training as in not eating that third Krispy Kreme doughnut (laughs). It was really nerve-wracking especially when Natalie arrived. The first time we didn’t really get to do anything together on set but in the last week or so she’s really come on and she actually almost knocked out Shauna for real. Shauna took a punch in one of the takes and it was quite cool. So they’re both really tough. PN: Can you tell us a bit about the character that you play? KC:I’m Deputy Jenna Rios and I’m a city cop, not so much on the tough side, she’s more working with battered women and doing more counselling. She has a young daughter and wants to have a better life so she moves to Chattooga County to have a better time, open spaces and clean air and good schools, all that kind of thing. I think really she’s having the shittiest day of her life ever, it’s that feeling of man, I just want to go home and hang out with my kid and here I am doing this. PN: I believe that Rios bonds quite well with Sarah? KC: Yeah, in the beginning when we first see Sarah she is extraordinarily maternal towards her and because of Rios’s history of dealing with women who are possibly battered or damaged or whatever she’s really approaching it more that way. I think she’s very much in the dark about what has happened to Sarah for real and she’s applying all logical knowledge to the situation and it takes a while, once they get into the throes of the insanity, where they are and what’s going on and why they are down there, for her to get hyped up and get alert. PN: Have you had a lot of action scenes to do? KC: I’ve spent a lot of time representing the damsel in distress I think, which is hard. But, you know ... Rios gets her freak on. Juno’s gone feral and Sarah’s a tough-ass but she’s like a silent but deadly type. I’m having to find where it is, I’m like the humanity within this desolate world. PN: So what sort of challenges have there been in store for your character? I know in the first film there were lakes of blood… KC: Well, I’ve been in a pit of shit which has been fun. PN: I saw a clip of that today. KC: Did you? Oh my God, help me please! PN: Was it as uncomfortable as it looked? KC: It was quite warm and it’s really fun for about half an hour and then after that it starts to get to you a little bit. And the stuff got everywhere, I mean we were pretty well kitted out but it still got everywhere you could possibly imagine, and it was three days of it almost. And unfortunately Rios does suffer from claustrophobia which doesn’t really bode well for tunnels and darkness so she’s had a little bit of hyperventilation here and there. PN: Can you say a little about the scene you’ve been shooting today without giving too much away? KC: Without giving too much away? Well, there’s bound to be death in this film and (pauses) I don’t know how to say without giving too much away… PN: Okay, so how about the crawlers, did you actually get to meet them before you did a scene together or did they purposefully keep them away from you? KC: I met them in civvies, well I met one, and then I asked because I’d spoken to Neil about it and I’d spoken to Shauna about it – I mean I’ve met most of the other girls as well – and I knew that they hadn’t seen them before their scenes so I said very specifically to everyone that I do not under any circumstances want to see a crawler until the day, and I’m telling you man, I nearly shit myself because they’re just horrible (shivers). I mean they’re amazingly fit men, but they’re not men, not like that. Yeah, they’re pretty cool; it’s amazing what they can do. PN: And how’s it been working with Gavan (O’Herlihy) who plays your superior in the film? KC: He’s a legend, he’s a fucking legend … I’m sorry, am I allowed to say that? He’s a God amongst men, I’m honoured, truly, and privileged, I used to have a tragic crush on him … but we try not to tell him that too much! No, he’s amazing, he’s brilliant and I’ve personally learned so much from everybody that’s been in the film. I don’t know if you’ve seen any other clips with any of our other characters yet? PN: No, not yet. KC: (Excitedly) Ooh, this is gonna be fun! Everyone has been brilliant, the crew, the director Jon – he’s going to have a huge future, seriously. I mean it’s amazing to shoot with a director who’s got editor’s eyes and senses… It’s him sitting all these years in an editing suite thinking God, if they’d only just done this then I could make it like that, so it should be exciting. PN: I’m also hearing whispers that this could become a trilogy? KC: It might be far too early to say but there are vicious rumours. PN: Are you keeping your fingers crossed? KC: I sure am, I really am. I can’t even fathom where it could go but it has possibilities, definitely, there have been jokes about it. PN: Is this something you’d like to do more of now; has this film really given you the acting bug? KC: Yes definitely, I mean I’ve done a lot of acting in the past but I haven’t really done a film and most of the films I’ve been up for have been horrors PN: That’s something you’re really into, yes? KC: Yeah, I’m a huge fan of horror and sci-fi so I don’t know if I’d want to stereotype myself into being like a ‘Scream Queen’ but I guess I wouldn’t mind if that’s what it’s going to be. PN: So what are your favourite horror films or is that too difficult to say? KC: Ooh I mean, that depends if we’re talking sci-fi horror or like psychological horror (thinks)... PN: It’s hard isn’t it? I had the same conversation earlier with James (Watkins)... KC: Oh, James the guy who wrote this? Well, one of my favourite films is actually My Little Eye – which he also co-wrote – which is so obscure but I loved that film and there’s so many people who you go My Little Eye, you know, and they don’t know what you’re talking about. PN: It’s really intense towards the end isn’t it? KC: My favourite bit though is when they’re on the couch (shouting) it’s so freaky, it’s so brilliant! That’s recent … Erm, I really liked the original Carrie and that’s sometimes who Shauna reminds me of a little bit, I mean obviously there are loads of comparisons. There’s so many, it’s a really tough question. Can I make you a list and get them to send it to you, like my Top 20 of all time? It’s like asking for my favourite tunes, I just don’t know. I had a huge argument one night with a bunch of mates where we had to come up with what was the best tune ever and we came up with Silent Night and it’s like that’s not the best tune but that’s all we could basically agree on! The Descent is still one of my favourites, definitely in my top five and not just because I’m working here, just because I love it. I think it’s fucking awesome. PN: The claustrophobia element gets me every time I watch it, is that something that terrifies you? KC: Me personally? No, but spending that amount of time… I mean, it’s no joke, it’s not like we’re in a gigantic space and we’re pretending when we are in a teeny-tiny space. I don’t know if you’ve seen any of the sets? PN: Yes, I saw one of the passages earlier and it was really tight. KC: And I spent some time in there, I spent about two and a half hours in there, and after a while you really do start to get into a bit of a panic. PN: What does scare you? KC: Erm ... spiders would bother me. You know what it is? It’s not really big spiders, it’s the teeny-tiny ones, they’re the ones that really bother me because you can’t tell. I always think Black Widow in the back of my mind all of the time. Snakes don’t bother me; I’m okay with them. Underwater is a little bit scary. PN: Ah yes, have you had your underwater scenes yet or are they coming up? KC: Yes, they’re coming up soon although since I’ve got past the shit pits I don’t think it’s really going to be a problem now. And we’ve had some special guest stars, as in small furry types which are hmmmmm... PN: Rats? KC: Mmmm, they’re alright actually. They’re really cute but then when they’re right in your face they really weren’t, not so nice (laughs). I’m not really scared of heights either which we’ve been dealing with today but I am scared of heights when there’s somebody behind me that I’m not sure of, who could, by accident, knock me over because I’m small. I’m giant on the screen but I’m teeny-tiny in real life. Thanks to Krysten for taking the time to chat with us and being so energetic about the sequel! Be sure to hit our Descent 2 database to check out the rest of our interviews with its cast & crew, as well as our extensive set report! The Descent 2 will be released in 2009; keep it on Dread Central for all the updates!