Exclusive: Rachel Nichols Talks Pandemic and the Inside Remake
Staci Layne Wilson
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Pandemic is set in the near future, where a virus of epic proportions has overtaken the planet. Rachel Nichols plays Lauren, a doctor who transfers from New York to Los Angeles to lead a team to rescue uninfected survivors… but of course, the infected survivors are more like zombies and it’s the doctors who wind up needing rescue!
Dread Central: This is one of the few POV movies that’s all from one character’s perspective – in this case, yours. So we don’t see you from anyone else’s viewpoint. What was it like shooting in that manner?
Rachel Nichols: First of all, it was a really interesting experience; it was very different. But I have to give a lot of credit to our main camera operator, Amanda, because she had to wear this rig that they built for her; and this was not a light thing. She wasn’t just wearing a GoPro; she was wearing a helmet with a camera attached, and when she was doing all the bits like crawling around on the ground, they actually had to have another person holding her head up because it was too darn heavy for her to be doing all of that work herself so I have to give her huge props for the outstanding work that she did. When you’re watching the film, it’s very action-packed; and when you think about it, a lot of that action is from the first-person point of view so if you see Missi [Pyle] talking to me and it’s my point of view and the camera’s pointing at Missi, I’m standing behind the camera operator and doing my lines while Missi is looking directly at Amanda.
DC: I saw the movie, but for those who haven’t yet, can you describe the look of Pandemic (review)?
RN: All the angles that are used in the movie are from the four main characters, [who] are wearing hazmat suits the entire movie… on the helmets of the hazmat suits there are cameras, so we used those point of view cameras, and we also used surveillance cameras for other points of view, and then there’s a surveillance camera in the bus we’re driving… obviously technology is getting better and better, but we did make this movie like a year and a half ago so I think they wanted to build this rig to try out something new and different, and Amanda was down for it so that made it possible.
DC: What would you have to say to those who are “zombied out” and maybe on the fence about watching Pandemic?
RN: [My sister and I] started watching “The Walking Dead,” and we both said we’re not really zombie people but we’ll give it a try. Then we became completely obsessed by it because yes, it’s a show that involves zombies, but it’s not a zombie show. It’s so well-acted and so well-written; that’s what I like about Pandemic. It’s really actually a very character-driven piece that yes, does involve some sort of creatures taking over the world and potentially bringing about the zombie apocalypse, so to speak. I liked the characters; I liked how they were all developed, how they were all on a journey. I have a history of playing some really strong, kick-ass women, and Dr. Lauren was one of those women. I thought this was a really cool idea, the concept was cool, it was really well written. I liked the character and [did] Skype meetings with John Suits, our director, and I thought he was pretty cool; we got along immediately. I liked his ideas, his being gung ho for collaboration, and I got a cool vibe from him. I thought, “Yeah, let’s do it. I want to do this!” And I’m so happy that I did. The cast is so great, and you know, we didn’t have a huge budget so they did a lot with the money that they had. I was really impressed.
DC: We remember talking to you at the P2 junket, another movie where you were in peril…
RN: I’m working with my coach on the next film I’m doing, Inside, which I’m going to shoot in Barcelona, and she said to me yesterday, “Wow, you are always in peril!” I don’t know what it is; I think I am drawn to the dramatic. I’m a huge fan of the horror/thriller genre; I always have been. I’ll never forget reading Stephen King’s It and all of his books growing up; being from Maine, it’s kind of a prerequisite. I’ve always found there’s an energy to it when you’re in a perilous situation. I am drawn to it. I can’t exactly pinpoint why, but I like the strong woman in the face of adversity, and a lot of times that comes in the horror genre.
DC: What can you tell us lovers of the original Inside about the remake?
RN: Wellll… I’m the pregnant woman in that one. Again, I read the script, and I liked the idea. The director [is] Miguel Vivas; I‘d seen some of his work, and I really liked it. I thought he was really perceptive and has an interesting eye. I had a Skype session with him, and English is not a first language with him. We’re shooting in Barcelona, and my Spanish is terrible so that’s going to be an adventure.
DC: Does it pretty much follow the same scenario as the original?
RN: It’s the story of this woman trying to save her child from a crazy, deranged woman who’s coming after her, and I was in peril of course. I was just drawn to it because of the way that it’s written and just the story of these two women. It’s going to be a difficult shoot. It’s all nights and I’m going to have a pregnancy belly for most of it so there’s that, but I think yeah, it’s going to be another interesting adventure.
With Pandemic, you never know what you’re going to get, you just never know. It doesn’t matter what the film is, who’s in the film, who’s making the film… you never quite know what you’re going to get so I was so thrilled at the way Pandemic turned out. I’m really, really proud of it. So yeah, I’m heading off to give Barcelona a shot, basically playing another woman in peril except this time she’s pregnant.
DC: Who’s playing your nemesis?
RN: I’m not a hundred percent sure who… the deal is not done yet so I can’t say. I don’t want to be fired before I get to Barcelona! But it is going to be a woman who, given the script, has to be the same age as my mother so I’m cautiously optimistic the person I’ve mentioned is going to do the film, and that’s all I can say.
Pandemic features non-stop action from a first-person shooter perspective (FPS), putting the audience in the middle of every fight while feeling in control of every punch thrown and shot fired. It’s a new model of action thriller for the video game generation.
The cast includes Rachel Nichols (Star Trek, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra), Mekhi Phifer (Insurgent, Divergent, 8 Mile), Missi Pyle (The Artist, Gone Girl, Big Fish), Alfie Allen (John Wick, Atonement, “Game of Thrones”), Danielle Rose Russell (A Walk Among the Tombstones), Paul Guilfoyle (L.A. Confidential, Air Force One, “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”), and Pat Healy (Cheap Thrills, The Innkeepers).
Synopsis:
Pandemic is set in the near future, where a virus of epic proportions has overtaken the planet. There are more infected than uninfected, and humanity is losing its grip on survival. Its only hope is finding a cure and keeping the infected contained. Lauren (Rachel Nichols) is a doctor, who, after the fall of New York, comes to Los Angeles to lead the charge in the hunt for uninfected civilian survivors.
Lauren’s objective is simple – lead her team into the field and rescue survivors. Lauren and her team, Gunner (tactical command), Denise (navigation), and Wheeler (driver), put on their anti-contamination suits, complete with cameras so their experiences can be used for research, and leave the compound. But nothing could have prepared them for the mayhem they are about to walk into.
Categorized:News
