This interview is just so darn adorable! Check out Mary’s appearance on “Attack of the Show” where she talks about handling a flame-thrower for The Thing and even mentions the short film she shot with her husband, Magnificat. New pics from the show are also in the gallery.
Check back later for premiere pics from The Thing!
In what appears to be part 3 of her interview with The Playlist, Mary reveals why it was necessary for her and the cast to do Thing reshoots and how she ultimately came on board to become part of the film. Click the link to read the full interview and below, are some excerpts.
Although Winstead was skeptical herself at first, the director and producers impressed her with their take on the material.
Though it boats the same title as Carpenter’s the film, this new version is actually a prequel of sorts and Winstead was encouraged by the respectful approach the filmmakers planned to take. “It was presented to me as a prequel,” Winstead told The Playlist. “They kind of described it to me as something taking place a few days before the Carpenter version. I didn’t really know what to think. Being a fan of that film, I was certainly a little worried as to what it was going to be. I read the script and really liked it. I met with the producers and with Matthijs and there was just such intelligence and passion and a respect for the Carpenter version. It went beyond what I expected. They were adamant about using practical effects and about character development and focusing on the paranoia and isolation and psychological elements that were so great about the Carpenter version. They really wanted to make something that was for a new generation but just as much for the fans of the Carpenter version; something both sides could get into, rather than what most remakes do which I think is just gloss over the original completely and just make something for a new group of kids. I was glad to hear that.”The much publicized reshoots were done to bring those unfamiliar with the Carpenter movie up to speed.
News of reshoots usually spells problems for any production. With the large skepticism already around “The Thing,” reshoot reports made an already cagey fanboy audience even more apprehensive, but Winstead offers an explanation. “We reshot a few scenes to kind of help guide the film along as far as exposition goes,” she told us. “When we shot the film, we had all seen the Carpenter version a billion times, so we were like, ‘We know what’s going on, we don’t need to explain it.’ When the cut came together, it became clear that we kind of unnecessarily glossed over some of those things and we had to go back and make things more clear as far as where we are in the film and what’s happening and what everyone was going and making it clear for people who don’t already know the story. And we did some additional things with the end sequence, making it bigger and crazier and more insane. So that was fun.”Winstead doesn’t worry about being pigeonholed. She just really likes horror movies.
After parts in “The Ring Two,” “Final Destination 3,” “The Thing” and the forthcoming “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” we asked Winstead if she’s a little worried about being forever pigeonholed as a scream queen. “You know, I’ve never really worried about it,” Winstead told us. “‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’ to me isn’t a horror film at all. It’s really more of an action adventure historical epic. I feel like with every role I take I just want to be challenged in some way. As long as I become a better actor and keep working, that’s really the goal. Just, you know, keep at it.”
The world premiere of “The Thing” is happening tonight, and tons of new interviews are coming out with Mary talking about the film. Speaking with Moviefanatic, Mary talks about what it was like working with her co-star Joel Edgerton, the type of research she did, how “The Thing” differs from her other horror films, and more. Check out some of the excerpts below and click on the link above to read the full interview:
Movie Fanatic: You’ve done a lot of horror movies. What, for you, makes this The Thing different from others you’ve worked on?
Mary Elizabeth Winstead: To me it evokes a time period of my favorite horror films which are from the ‘70s and ‘80s. I feel like it had a little bit more of that classic, slow burn. The first half of the film is really kind of slow and suspenseful and then when the terror kicks in, it kicks in and it doesn’t let go. It doesn’t feel so modern and slick to me and that’s one thing I was really excited about going into it. And also the character was just so refreshing that it was just a no-brainer. I had to do it.
Movie Fanatic: The Thing is more dramatic, and less jokey than a lot of horror films. Was that also an appeal?
Mary Elizabeth Winstead:I feel like it’s a horror film for adults and I don’t think we get a lot of those. Most horror films now are made for teenagers; they’re about teenagers. I’ve done a couple of those horror films so there’s nothing wrong with that but the older I get the more I starve for more adult material. So that was one of the things that I really liked about this film and the character. There was a real maturity about it, I felt.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead: He is! I’m very happy for him because he’s the most deserving person in the world. He’s so talented, smart, funny, easy to work with, relaxed and down to earth, not pretentious in the slightest bit, just a sweet, fun guy, and he’s Australian. He’s just great, I love Joel.
Movie Fanatic: How did you research the role of your character, a paleontologist?
Mary Elizabeth Winstead:I hung out with a paleontologist in Toronto a little bit and it was really fun. They have a really fun job and it’s really exciting. It was almost more like Indiana Jones than it was clinical. It was really relaxed and casual. There’s fossils hanging around and they’re picking them up and throwing them around, “Hey, catch this fossil.” It was really cool. So in that sense it would be a lot of fun… It was a lot of fun to be able to play a character as a woman in a movie that is that smart, that is strong, that is that put together, and not be neurotic or shrill or sexy or whatever the thing that women usually are in movies.
Check out these adorable shots of Mary Elizabeth in the November issue of Elle magazine! In it, Mary shows us some of her favorite hot spots in Los Angeles. I totally love the shot of her sitting at the Arclight munching on popcorn. For some reason, I get a very Audrey Hepburn feel from it. Thanks to kroqjock for posting these.
Check out the new scans in the gallery!
This makes you realize how quickly time flies! A year ago today, Mary Elizabeth Winstead finally wed her boyfriend of several years, writer/director Riley Stearns. Here at Miss-Winstead.com, Melanie and myself wanted to wish you both the happiest of wedding anniversaries and hope you two enjoy not only your first anniversary as husband and wife, but enjoy creating new memories and remembering old ones.
Mary, we can’t say how much we absolutely love you not only as an actress, but as a regular, down-to-earth person.
I could ramble on about how fantastic you are as an actress, how much me and Melanie love your films, and how we both think you and Riley are totally adorable together, but I’ll keep this message short, and wish you both tons and tons of success in both your personal lives and your professional lives and we can’t wait to see what the future will bring for the both of you.
Congrats on finding your Ramona Flowers, Riley and we’re looking forward to Magnificat and any other projects you decide to do with Mary and once again, have an amazing time celebrating your anniversary!
Click HERE to see Mary’s stunning bridal portraits from her wedding and click HERE to see her wedding photos.
Mary’s been nominated in Portrait Magazine’s Top 30 Under 30. Here’s how they describe the nomination:
Top 30 is about the young celebs who you loved in 2011. Who do you think was the most talented, charismatic, generous and all around awesome?
You can vote as many times as you like. Your favorite needs to remain in the Top 30 of this poll to proceed to the next round of voting.
Last year Mary was also nominated in this category, but she didn’t win. Let’s try to get her in the #1 spot this year.
Head over to Portrait Magazine & vote as many times as you like & tell your friends!
Two days ago, Mary talked a little about Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and in part 2 of her interview with The Playlist, Mary reveals more about ALVH, Smashed and Die Hard 5. Click on the Playlist link above to read the full interview, where she talks more about Smashed and her rumored role in The F-Word.
On Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter:
“When it starts out, we’re very young and just dating and courting and it takes it right up to the presidency and the assassination and everything. So I got to span the life of someone from 19 to 46 and really go from this feisty young woman into this sort of force of nature who’s helping her husband fight along with the country. It was a really fun role to play.”
Aside from the vampires of course, ‘Lincoln’ will be a largely historically accurate telling of the president’s life. “It’s our real history of America [as if] we really did have vampires amongst us. Abraham Lincoln, during his presidency and fights against slavery, was also fighting against these vampires and the evil that was existing in our country. It’s sort of this wild action/adventure period piece,” she added.
On Die Hard 5:
I’m assuming I will not be [in that] because I have not heard anything,” Winstead laughs. “But it’s cool, all the updates and everything. I’m excited to see what happens with it.”
About Smashed:
“[Aaron Paul and I] play a married couple who are both alcoholics. It’s a really great script. Basically my character hits rock bottom really hard and decides to get sober, but he has no interest in getting sober. And it’s just about how our relationship kind of disintegrates because of it,” she elaborated.
In a new interview with Comic Book Resources, while talking about “The Thing”, Mary’s co-star Eric Christian Olsen discussed about working with Mary a little and said nothing but kind things about her:
While Akinnuoye-Agbaje had nothing but positive things to say about Edgerton, Olsen praised star Mary Elizabeth Winstead, telling reporters that working with her was the highlight of the movie for him.
“She’s a rock star. She’s amazing. I mean, she’s our Ripley. She’s the toughest character in the movie,” he said. As quick to praise Edgerton, Olsen continued, “Joel Edgerton is, I think, one of the most talented actors of my generation. … When they got Mary I was ecstatic, and when they got Joel I went, ‘Oh, this is the type of movie they’re trying to make, they are hiring actors. That philosophy was across the board.”
Meanwhile, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, caps from various interviews and the latest clips have been added. See all the latest pics in the gallery.
The Daily Verdict Interview:
“The Discovery” Clip 3:
Trailer Addict interview:
Clip 4– “Storage Room”
Yahoo! Movies posted a small featurette of Mary and her co-stars talking about “The Thing” and how it ties into the John Carpenter 1982 film. See for yourself in the new interview clip below:
& the best part of this interview? A trailer will be out in February! During the press junket for “The Thing”, Mary spoke with The Playlist where she gave us an update about Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Here are some of the highlights:
“I haven’t seen any [footage], but I know they’ve been editing and I know that they’re really excited about it,” Winstead said. “I know there’s going to be a trailer out in like February, or something, so I’m really excited about that. But I wasn’t a part of most of the action stuff in that movie, which I liked that, because I kind of needed a little bit of a break [laughs]. So I’m going to be like an audience member when it comes to that stuff, because I have no idea.”
Meanwhile, Winstead said the sequences that she shot featured a more traditional look, making those set pieces an even sharper contrast for viewers. “I know that it’s going to look really cool,” she said. “I know that the stuff we did looks so beautiful, just like a classic period piece, so I think it’s going to be so cool to have that meld with these crazy action sequences.”
In spite of the fact that the film is a mash-up of real-life characters and fictional creatures, Winstead said that she and her fellow cast members put a lot of work into making sure as much of the story as possible was historically accurate. “We definitely spent a lot of time on the history,” she explained.
Read the FULL interview when you click on the link up top.