Blumhouse's Fantasy Island arrives in UK Cinemas on March 6th, and we recently had the opportunity to talk to the cast of Sony and Blumhouse's new horror movie. In this big screen reimagining of the classic TV series, the enigmatic Mr. Roarke (this time played by
Ant-Man star Michael Peña) makes the secret dreams of his lucky guests come true at a luxurious but remote tropical resort.
However, when the fantasies turn into nightmares, the guests are forced to solve the island's mystery in order to escape with their lives. One of those guests is Maggie Q's Gwen, a women looking to recapture a lost love who just so happens to also be hiding a dark secret.
The actress is known for her work in
Nikita,
The Divergent Series, and
Mission: Impossible III, and her standout performance in
Fantasy Island left us with plenty to discuss. As well as taking a deep dive into the character she plays here, we also delve into whether Maggie would be interested in bringing her action skills to a big screen superhero franchise.
We obviously want to extend a huge thank you to her for taking the time to talk to us about
Blumhouse's Fantasy Island, and keep checking back here all week for much more on the movie!
What can you tell our readers about your Gwen's story arc in Fantasy Island?
She's interesting because we start out with her thinking her biggest regret was her relationship, and as we grow with her, we realise that the root of her regret is not what she gave up, it's why she gave it up. We see the reason she needed a new fantasy, and they're so much deeper and the consequences so much graver than giving up on her engagement.
It feels like Gwen grounds the movie in many ways as she wants something she's lost rather than revenge or anything too over the top, so did that make it easier for you to relate to her as a character?
First of all, thank you. That's so kind of you to say. And yes it did, because I think you have so many different characters in this film, and the different levels of what they desire are always interesting. You have these young guys who think having it all means partying with girls in bikinis, and a guy who wants to know his father, and a girl who just wants revenge on a bully. You have all these different people come for different things because different situations hurt us in a very particular ways as individuals. With Gwen, it's really not something she wants, it's about something she wishes she could change because the consequences of what she did was a person's life, and that's not something she can live with. When you talk about the grounding, it's really not about her, it's about wanting to bring back the life that was lost because of her.
Were you a fan of the original series before joining the film, and did you feel the need to revisit that at all or were you happier going in completely fresh?
[Laughs] I like to think I went in fresh, but it was more Michael Peña who is the only existing character brought back from the original series. The rest of us were able to create our own characters in this world. Michael did a lot of work with that and saw what Ricardo Montalbán did on the show as Mr. Roark, so there were a lot of different things he included as a throwback to the original character and audience members who were fans of the show. For me, it was very different because I loved the show and was a fan, but because my character was new, I looked at what Michael needed to do to pay homage to what Ricardo was, and support him in that because Michael and I have a lot of scenes together. We talked a lot about that.
The island in the movie looks amazing -
And it really did look like that. That's not even movie magic! That's just pure truth [Laughs].
- so what was it like to film on location and how much does it benefit you as an actor to film somewhere like that rather than in a studio or in front of green screen?
It's so true. We all say, the cast, director, and everybody, that it felt like a dream because there was something so serene about being completely isolated. The island where the Fantasy Island hotel lives is isolated, private, and owned by one person. No one has access to it aside from the people who lived there and us, the people who rented it for the film. When we were there, it was isolation and really like we were the only ones there. Because you can't stay on the island, we were all living on a cruise ship and would go to work on these little dingies, and it was just silent besides the odd stray dog and falling coconuts (literally by the way; we had to be careful of them). It was complete isolation which, as you quite rightly say, is a tool that you can't get if you're not there. It's something you'd really have to dig deep for, but we had it and it is its own character in the film.
It must have also been very unique to be in those surroundings for the film when that's not something you would expect from the horror genre?
It's true, and I think that juxtaposition was exactly what we were going for. You get there and see these beauty shots of the island with the approach as the plane comes in, and you're like, 'Are you kidding me?' It's a nice metaphor for life and anything that's far from good. There's a lot of that that goes on with people and places and opportunities. All of it becomes a metaphor for wanting something, but knowing there's a price.
It's great that horror movies now have proper female leads rather than those who are just victims, and with a film like Fantasy Island, is that important to you when you sign up to a project like this?
Thank you, and 100%. When I spoke to director Jeff Wadlow, I had read the script and said 'I admire that you did this, and thank you for creating her at the centre and heart of the film.' And she's the strength of the film really in that it's really Gwen who says, 'We've got to do something, we've got to figure something out, and get off this island.' She's got that galvanising personality, and it could have easily been one of the men, but I think it was important to the director and writers to have the most broken character pick up the pieces and say I'm going to find my strength in these moments. When it's a women, it's very empowering, and I really hope people respond to it.
Is a role in the Marvel or DC Universe in a live-action setting something that would be of interest?
I think the ones that are done well are done very well. I admire that. It's not something I've ever really thought about, to be honest, but I don't think there's anybody who wouldn't like that opportunity. The film I'm on now incorporates elements from something like that. It's a bit more grounded, but a big action blowout with Martin Campbell directing, so we're kind of up that alley now which is great.
Finally, as this movie came out on Valentine's Day in the States, what about Fantasy Island would you say makes it a perfect date night film?
Well, because there is a supernatural thriller element, so if you're free on Valentine's Day and you've got a date you're excited about but nothing is official, it would be nice to be taken by that person or take them, because you might get some scares and some good affection out of it! [Laughs]