Snake Eyes follows the classic G.I. Joe character, a tenacious loner who is welcomed into an ancient Japanese clan called the Arashikage after saving the life of their heir apparent. Upon arrival in Japan, the Arashikage teach Snake Eyes the ways of the ninja warrior while also providing something he’s been longing for: a home. But, when secrets from his past are revealed, Snake Eyes’ honour and allegiance will be tested...even if that means losing the trust of those closest to him.
The movie arrives exclusively in UK cinemas this Wednesday (it also arrives early on Digital in the U.S. starting tomorrow), and a little earlier this summer, we caught up with The Baroness herself: Úrsula Corberó. The actress, best known for Money Heist, makes her Hollywood debut with the action blockbuster playing one of the most iconic villains from the entire G.I. Joe franchise.
In this exclusive video interview, we get Corberó's thoughts on that, what it was like to bring The Baroness to life in this project, her relationship with characters like Snake Eyes and Scarlett, and even her reaction to getting an action figure based on her appearance in the upcoming movie.
Watch our conversation with Úrsula about Snake Eyes and The Baroness in the player below:
With this being your first major blockbuster, it must be very exciting to join a franchise as huge as G.I. Joe?
Amazing, yes! Everything has been such an adventure these last three years of my life. I don’t want to say career because it’s bigger than that. Yeah, this is my first project in Hollywood and my first time travelling so far away from home by myself with this amazing international cast. I was living everything as a little girl saying, ‘Wow, this is amazing...look at this!’ [Laughs] I was able to go to Vancouver, then Japan for the first time. That blew my mind. It was mind-blowing. I enjoyed it.
Playing a villain like The Baroness with such a distinct appearance with her costume, hair, and glasses all so iconic...it must have also been a lot of fun to tackle that side of things?
Yes! Actually, it’s the first villain in my career. Now, I just want to do villains! They’re so much fun and so funny. It’s all about feeling the power, and you’re allowed to do anything you want because there are no rules. I had these conversations with Robert [Schwentke], the director, and we were talking about keeping her sense of humour and keeping this Baroness very playful. It was really funny.
What can you tease about how The Baroness’ relationship with Scarlett plays out in the film? Fans of the comics and cartoons will know they have quite the rivalry, but what about in Snake Eyes?
Okay, so they go way back. They used to be close friends at school when they were younger and they drifted apart, ending up on opposite sides of the law. Now, they are frenemies [Laughs] but I think there is still some love between them which is cool and cute.
In the comics, The Baroness has a feud with him over her brother’s death and it gets quite personal, but is that something we can expect to see explored here or is this very much just an introduction for your character?
Yes, I don’t want to give any spoilers, but all I can say is that she is going to cause trouble for Snake Eyes! Never underestimate The Baroness’ power [Laughs]. That’s all I’m allowed to say, I think, but she’s always having fun with everything even in the hardest moments. I was a little worried about how to build this relationship between The Baroness and Snake Eyes because they have very different priorities. He has this dark past and she’s just the opposite. She looks like everything is super funny all the time, but I think it worked and I feel very proud about that.
Awesome. Well, thank you so much for your time and congratulations getting your own action figure for the film!
[Laughs] Thank you! I’m very excited about that. It’s so cute. Have you seen it? It’s pretty cool.
Snake Eyes is exclusively in cinemas from Wednesday 18th August