Your character in Breaking Dawn is an ancient Romanian vampire. What was your approach to the character of Vladimir when you auditioned?
I read the book, re-watched the movies. I watched some other vampire movies and really tried to immerse myself in the Twilight world and this idea of being so ancient. I play a vampire that’s very old.
It seems as though this kind of character would offer a new challenge especially to a young actor, in that you get to play a very, very old soul. Vladimir has been around for centuries and has even ruled the vampire world.
Again, the script was done in a really great way, and Stephenie [Meyer] wrote the characters in a great way so that they are quite different from the rest of the vampires we’ve seen. They come from a much more vicious, kind of ruthless period of time. He’s been a lot of fun to play.
Vladimir has a Romanian vampire buddy, Stefan. Is it fair to call them hetero vampire life partners, a la Jay and Silent Bob?
Yes! Well, they’re kind of brothers in arms, that’s how I would describe it. They’re the only two remaining Romanian vampires left, I believe, so they are kind of brothers in their need for vengeance and that’s what keeps us going.
Your character, Vladimir, interacts a bit with the Renesmee character in Breaking Dawn, who’s played by Mackenzie Foy —
Who is awesome, by the way. She is fantastic. She’s just a beautiful little soul, and she’s going to be awesome. I can’t wait for everyone to get to meet her.
Was green screen or CG involved in your scenes together?
I can’t tell you. My lips are sealed! I wish I could. You call me back in a year and I’ll tell you all about it.
Fair enough. What’s Bill Condon like to work with, and how do his sensibilities as a director mesh with the material?
I think it’s a perfect fit. Bill Condon is obviously just an amazingly talented director and working with him has really been… I don’t want to be tacky, but it is very much an awe-inspiring experience. He’s got this massive cast and he is so energized and so loving what he’s doing. He will take time; if you don’t have a single line in the scene, he is so happy to take time and talk with you about where your character’s at and what’s going on. He’s really happy to be doing what he’s doing, and that’s one of the greatest things. I think that’s the mark of a good director, in a lot of ways. It was the same with Jonathan Liebesman on Battle: Los Angeles. He’s just a big kid, but the movie is very much like a bunch of kids getting to play. It’s a bunch of guys running around in Marines costumes with rifles and stuff, and it’s like the games you played as a 12-year-old boy but with way, way better props.
Be Safe/Ronja
