Michelle Rodriguez on what would've made her turn down Dungeons & Dragons
Rodriguez and Regé-Jean Page spoke exclusively with RadioTimes.com about the new film.
New fantasy adventure film Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves is now in UK cinemas, after a long road towards getting it made.
A version of a film based on table-top role playing game Dungeons & Dragons has been in works since 2013, after a previous film trilogy was poorly received. Now, one of the film's stars Michelle Rodriguez, who used to play the game, has admitted to what it was about this script that made her come on board – and what would have stopped her from doing so.
Speaking exclusively with RadioTimes.com, Rodriguez said: "I used to play when I was a teen, but I hadn't played for like 20 years. And then John [Francis Daley, co-director] and Jonathan [Goldstein, co-director] approached me with the script and I saw the passion that they had for storytelling.
"And I was like, 'That's where you start with the D&D movie.' You start with just the passion from wanting to tell a story about what it would be like in someone's head as they're playing the game.
"And like the suspension of disbelief of that, turning it into a feature. And I'm like, 'I’m in. You got me bro.' Because that's the way to approach it – not the other way around. 'Look, 50 years of free advertising, let's make a movie about it, make tonnes of money!' I'm like, 'No, thank you.' I would say no to that."
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Meanwhile, Rodriguez's co-star Regé-Jean Page revealed that while he had heard of Dungeons & Dragons he had never played it before, meaning his first game was with the film's cast – something he called "pretty awesome".
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He said: "It's a pretty natural place for actors to hang out. It's essentially a game of improv just playing 'Yes, and?', just thinking of the wildest, craziest, most magical thing you can think of – very occasionally heroic, but that's no fun – and then you just pass that ball on to the other actors.
"And if those actors are like Michelle Rodriguez, then what a privilege, something chaotic happens that no one saw coming."
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Rodiguez added that "we're always pushing the limits", to which Page said: "That’s it, we found the way to push our boundaries, push our limits, and kind of find that sense of play, and then made a movie about that."
Rodriguez and Page also told RadioTimes.com about their influences when making the film, with Page citing "Monty Python, Princess Bride, The Goonies, just kind of that whole vibe of just like really fun playful adventure movies" as the team's inspiration, and saying they "brought spectacle to it".
Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves is in UK cinemas now. If you’re looking for something to watch tonight, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide or visit our Film hub for all the latest news.
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