Eric Bana (Star Trek, Hanna) and Olivia Wilde (House, TRON: Legacy) co-star as siblings, Addison and Liza, in the new thriller Deadfall.
On the run from a casino heist gone wrong, Addison and Liza split up and make a run for the Canadian border in a near whiteout blizzard. Liza is picked up by ex-boxer Jay (Charlie Hunnam, Sons of Anarchy), who is en-route to a Thanksgiving dinner with his parents. It’s there that the siblings are reunited in a tense and thrilling showdown.
What was it about Addison that fascinated you?
Eric: I was immediately compelled by Addison.
I thought he was really interesting and I found him quite hilarious actually, which is one of the reasons I wanted to play him.
He’s a very complicated, screwed up guy.
Olivia, can you talk about the interesting dynamic your character Liza has going on with Addison and Jay in Deadfall?
Olivia: I think with Addison, Liza is child, she will always be his little Liza.
She’s very dependent on him.
She’s terrified of him, but also very drawn to him.
The romance between Jay and Liza allows her to be a woman, and you really see her coming into her own with him.
They’re very different relationships, and the writing did the work for me.
Can you talk about working in the snow for Deadfall?
Olivia: There was a moment when I was hanging upside down in the car in the snow bank -
Eric: – on your birthday -
Olivia: -yes, on my birthday, that was probably the most physically painful experience I’ve had. But it was also a chance to really win the respect of the crew.
I think after that they were like, ‘Alright, she’s tough.’
Eric: I’d so much rather be cold on a production that goes to the trouble of shooting in real snow than be comfortable traipsing around fake snow.
There is an unpredictability about Eric‘s character. Was that something palpable on the set of Deadfall?
Olivia: Yeah, the creepiest thing about Eric is that he can be laughing and affable and then a second later, when they call action, the most terrifying mother-fu-ker I’ve ever seen in my entire life.
I think the most terrifying villains are the really charming ones, and that’s what I loved so much about his performance and that character.
You could sense it on set that the unpredictability was making it very electric.
The sexual tension between Addison and Liza was kind of disturbing.
Olivia: The relationship between passion and rage is very close. There was a violence to Addison’s and Liza’s upbringing, and I think it very easily can cross over the line into sex.
It’s very subtle in the film, there are only one or two spots where it’s hinted at, and I’m glad we didn’t over explain it, because it does leave it a bit of a mystery.
But it adds so much to the story.
With Christmas coming up, both Eric and Olivia were asked about their most memorable Christmases. Click below to listen to their answers.
Deadfall is available now by video on demand and has have a limited theatrical in the US and Canada on December 7, 2012. We have no information about UK or Australia theatrical releases.
