Cast Q&A Interviews: I Am Number Four

Walt Disney Home Entertainment has provided Blu-ray.com with a series of Q&A interviews with I Am Number Four's young cast members: two lengthy discussions with Teresa Palmer and Callan McAuliffe, and two short chats with Alex Pettyfer and Dianna Agron.

The film tells the tale of an extraordinary, super-powered teen (Pettyfer) who hides his true identity to elude a deadly enemy sent to destroy him. Living with his guardian (Timothy Olyphant), John faces his fate with the help of his girlfriend Sarah (Agron), fellow alien Number Six (Palmer) and new ally Sam (McAuliffe). I Am Number Four arrives on Blu-ray on May 24th in a Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo pack.

In the course of the interviews, Palmer talks about preparing for her role and working with the cast and crew, Pettyfer discusses his character and living a normal life in Hollywood, Agron touches on her experiences moving from the small screen to the big screen, and McAuliffe elaborates on growing up in Australia, forging a career in film and dealing with the challenges of being a young actor.




Q&A Interview: Teresa Palmer

Did you enjoy playing a powerful female character?

Palmer: It was wonderful. It was very empowering to play such a strong character. I don't think that we often see female warriors like this on screen and she really is a bit of a hero. She's intimidating, but also I think she is alluring and charming and sassy. There's definitely something mysterious about her, too. I think when we're introduced to her, we don't really know if she's one of the good guys or one of the bad guys. And I like that about her. It was very refreshing.

Were you inspired by any female warriors from other films?

I actually referenced Angelina Jolie in this film, not so much her as a person but her performances in Tomb Raider and in Wanted. I think she's the perfect female warrior. There's something about Angie that's very intoxicating and intimidating all at the same time and Number Six has similar qualities. I just think Angelina is so phenomenal, there is something very mysterious about her too, so she is a great role model for me.

How would you describe Number Six?

I think she's a dark horse and she has complexities to her. She's used to living an isolated lifestyle, so there's a part of her that's quite lonely on the inside and she has vulnerabilities like anyone else. She wants to be loved and she wants to fit in, but she has a very tough exterior; you would not want to cross her and you can tell that she means business. I also think she's very calculated, which is quite funny because all those things are very different from who I am. It meant that I had to make a real transformation from myself to portray Number Six.

Where is the line between Teresa Palmer the person and Number Six the Lorien?

Well we do have a similar style in clothes. I'm a rocker, my wardrobe's all black, although today I'm dressed as girlie as possible so as to provide a contrast with my role in this movie. Number Six is a bad-ass chick wearing tight black jeans and a big belt and a chain dangling down. She has a tattoo and a skeleton ring and she is definitely out there. In general I'm a bubbly, jovial sort of girl. I am very open, I wear my heart on my sleeve and I don't really have a tough exterior at all like Number Six. I just am who I am and that's it. I still don't understand what they saw in me in the audition because I came in, I was super bubbly and I probably should have acted a little more tough, but I guess it ended up working because they cast me, which was great.

How did you prepare for a role with so much demanding action?

It was such a physical role so it meant that I was training for weeks and months. I learned martial arts, I worked with Peng Zhang, an amazing fight coordinator who specializes in martial arts. I became a stuntwoman, I had to learn how to fall and fight and use a sword and shoot a gun. I wanted to actually become the character, not to fake it. And then, of course, I had learn to ride the Ducati motorbike that you see me riding in the movie. That took a few weeks. I started learning on a little dirt bike and then I gradually worked my way up and then finally got up to the Ducati. But it was really difficult actually because I was riding one particular style of the Ducati in Los Angeles, then when I traveled out to Pittsburgh to start shooting, I had to get on a different bike so it was like starting again. I realized that the gas tank was now in front which meant that it changed my stance completely, so I had to be almost lying down while I was riding it. I had to learn how to balance in that position, which was very challenging.

What was it like working with director D.J.Caruso?

D.J. is wonderful. He's very supportive and he also gives you the freedom to find your own character, he told me to do what I wanted with the character, while making sure she's 'Angelina Jolie-ish' (laughs) but within that realm he let me do what I wanted to do. It was nice because he put his trust in me and that's very refreshing.

What was the atmosphere like on the set? Was it fun?

It was so much fun. We were shooting nights a lot of the time and that is always fun, when everyone else in the city is asleep and there's a little group of you who are awake. I think the energy of that atmosphere means that you become connected to each other on the set and it becomes just like a family. I loved that and we all hung out together when we were not working.




Does staying in shape come naturally to you?

Palmer: I love eating healthy food. I haven't always liked eating healthy though, only for the last few years. (laughs) I used to be obsessed with Burger King and eating a lot of meat and fries and I still love sweet potato fries, they are my favorite. I also love desserts like cheesecake. A while ago I found that I was feeling quite sluggish and so I decided to eliminate processed foods and all of a sudden I felt amazing. I've been feeling great ever since I cut out all the bad stuff in my diet. Now I am lucky 'touch wood', for the time being at least, because I don't really put on weight.

Do you have an intense work-out regime?

I worked out a lot for the film, seven days a week, because I really wanted to become a stuntwoman and prove I could do all the action. I didn't want them to treat me as though I was a fragile actress who couldn't do her own stunts. I said: 'pretend you've hired me to be a stuntwoman to play this role' and I just went in there and I was black and blue and bruised, but it was well worth it. Also, because of that I got in the best shape I've ever been in my life.

What have been the highlights in your career so far?

The film 2.37 was one of the best films that I've ever done, only because it was my very first film and it was all about getting my feet wet. I was thrown in at the deep end on that movie. I played a rape victim. That was definitely a highlight. Take Me Home Tonight was great too. It is an '80s comedy with Topher Grace and Anna Faris and it's exciting because we had so much fun shooting that film. It was fantastic to experience that '80s era while making the movie. I was born in '86 so I got to go back there and have the crazy hair and the fun outfits and all the make-up and that was a dream.

Do you think your success traces back to talent or does luck play a part?

I think it's a mixture of both. I think obviously luck comes into it, but I feel that destiny comes into the equation too. I believe that you have to have some sort of talent otherwise you wouldn't have longevity in your career. You may get cast in one film but it would not continue on after that. Hard work plays a huge part in it all too. When I first came out to LA, I was focused on the goal of getting jobs and I would work incredibly hard at my auditions and run around to different meetings and do dialect training and acting training and I was just so motivated to succeed. Recently though, I've become more relaxed in those areas and I do believe that maybe my career and success was already predestined; that I was supposed to do this. But who knows? You never know.

What has it been like moving to Hollywood from Australia?

Initially the transition was tough, moving from Adelaide, South Australia to Los Angeles. LA is so different from little old Adelaide. When I first moved to California I didn't know anyone and I wasn't working, so I had a tough year. That was in 2007 and I am proud that I stuck it out and I made some friends and then I finally became settled and now a few years later, I'm very happy living here.

What motivated you originally?

No, I came from very humble beginnings and I didn't ever really pursue acting actively. I never would have thought that I would be out in Los Angeles working in films right now. My mother still cannot believe it. She is a very religious woman and she always says that God answered her prayers (laughs), which is very endearing and sweet.

How did your film career get going?

I had some meetings with some agents and I met my manager and he believed in me straight away, even though I had only done very small roles in Australia. He said to me, ' I think you're going to have longevity and I want to be a part of your future and I want to help you' and he really did. He has been very nurturing. He actually brought me out here to LA and I was lucky. I came out here and I just started working. I was auditioning and I ended up booking that first role in 2:37, that come out at the Cannes Film Festival and since then my career has snowballed and I'm still here, so I feel very blessed.

What are your ambitions—other than work and career?

I would love to have children before I'm 30, at least to start having children before I'm 30. That has always been my dream and I really embrace that. I also want to start my own website dealing with parenting and healthy living. I've got so many big dreams, I don't just want to be an actress, I have interests in many different areas and I am excited about all of them.




Q&A Interview: Alex Pettyfer

What drew you to I Am Number Four?

Pettyfer: I was really excited to work on the movie for a number of reasons. First of all, I really wanted to work with the director, D.J. Caruso. He's incredible. Plus, I really liked the premise of the movie. It's been amazing.

What's your take on the film and your character?

I Am Number Four is an action-packed adventure entwined with a romantic story. I play the role of John Smith – John wants to be a normal kid, but he's from a different planet and has been given this destiny of becoming a warrior. John tries to find out who he is and what he wants to do with his life, but he has a bit of a tough time with it all. I think a lot of people are going to relate to what he goes through in the story because it's about an outsider trying to fit in. I think we've all been in that scenario where we've felt like we were alone or different. Everyone goes through that.

What was it like working with your castmates?

It was great. Dianna has an old-school movie star quality to her and I had an amazing time working with her, but I also had a great time working with the rest of the cast. Everyone on the set was amazing. Teresa Palmer is a young ball of energy, and Callan McAuliffe is great. Working with everyone on the movie was phenomenal. We all fit together really well.

Can you live a normal life in Hollywood?

You can live a very normal life here. Los Angeles is a very magical place when you take the entertainment industry out of it. You have beautiful beaches and amazing mountains here. I'm a big rock climber. I head out into the mountains whenever I have free time. It's amazing. There's so much to explore [in California] – and I love exploring. There are not many places in the world where you can get to the beach in an hour, the desert in two hours and snowboarding or skiing in three hours. You can do all that in California.

Did you enjoy tackling such a physical role?

I spent months preparing for the stunts in the movie. It was a really physical role, but it was also a lot of fun. We practiced and practiced and practiced – but it was still a very nerve-wracking experience. I loved every minute of it. I jumped off a cliff backwards too, which was pretty cool. I'd never done that before. It took seven takes from different angles and luckily there were no injuries. I came close, though. My head nearly hit the rock at one point. The cliff was 60 feet high and it was extremely memorable. You know what? I'm a big kid at heart. Not many guys get to experience what I've experienced. I get to run around a movie set with guns and I get to jump off cliffs. It's amazing. I had the time of my life shooting the movie.




Q&A Interview: Dianna Agron

Was it fun to leave the Glee gang behind for some big-screen action?

Agron: It was a lot of fun to try something new, but I knew I was going back to Glee after we finished filming I Am Number Four. It was only a brief change for me, but it was great to step into a whole new world.

When did you discover that you clicked so well with Alex Pettyfer?

When I was cast, I hadn't met Alex. I had dinner with D.J. Caruso, a couple of nights before our first table read with the big studio executives, and that's when D.J. said to me, "Perhaps you should meet Alex before the table read?" I thought that was a really good idea.

Alex has described you as an actress with an old-school movie star quality.

That's very nice of him. It's pretty hard to accept that compliment because I grew up watching and loving old-school actresses like Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren and Katharine Hepburn. They were always effortless to watch, but I'm growing and trying to challenge myself to get to that place. If I do get to where they are it would be amazing. That's my goal.

Sarah is very romantic. Are you?

I think so. I really love the character of Sarah because there are a lot of similarities to how I was at school. Sarah loves photography, and so do I. I really started to get into it at school. I have about 10 cameras now and they all have different purposes.

What else do you like to get up to in your spare time?

I love cooking. In fact, my favorite thing to do on a weekend is to have friends over and cook dinner. We'll sit around, talk and play board games. I love doing things like that, although I also love to be outside and travel. I have such wanderlust. I try to go somewhere new for every vacation and there are so many places that I have yet to visit. Computers are not a huge part of my life. I write, so I use a computer daily for that – but I'm not a big web surfer. I surf the internet every now and then, but it's not like a two-hour a day, three-hour a day obsession of mine. And I love clothes. I like all the classic designers, but then I also love new, youthful and creative styles. I love it all.

How would you describe your personal sense of style?

It's very eclectic. When I go to award shows and things like that, I think it's okay to take risks – but I don't like to go too crazy with it. On a day-to-day basis, I love vintage clothes, but I also love dressing however I feel that day. One day, I might want to dress like a boy. Another day I might want to put on a pretty, vintage, girly teacup dress. I think you can express so much of yourself through the way you dress and I am very much a girl in that sense.

What kind of girl were you at school?

At school, I was a nerd in some ways and pretty average in other ways. I was always the nice girl, so I had friends in many different areas. That worked well for me. I loved school. That doesn't mean I never fell asleep in a class, but it interested me and at the same time, I knew where I wanted to end up. Towards the end of school I was always thinking, 'Oh, I'm so close to being able to move out of the house and go to the next step.' But you have to try and enjoy everything you can while you're there because you're never going to have that lack of responsibility again. At school, you don't have to pay bills and you don't have to think about things like that. You can just be a kid.




Q&A Interview: Callan McAuliffe

How did you get the role of Sam in I Am Number Four?

McAuliffe: I was in America as I had been working and I did one audition for the movie. I didn't think I'd got the job because they were looking for an 18 year old so I thought I was too young. My mother and I were about to fly back to Australia when we got the call and they said "you got the role." I said: "wow great" and so instead of flying home we immediately flew to Pittsburgh where the film was being shot and that was that. It was amazing, so exciting. It was a once in a lifetime experience and I felt so privileged and so excited. It was definitely fantastic.

How you see Sam? Do you and your character have anything in common?

Sam is an average American kid who gets picked on by the more popular crowd at school. People call him Spaceman and torment him because of his interest in aliens. His father studied close encounters. For me Sam is like the comic relief in the film. He is the third wheel character. He and I don't really have much in common. I was always in the middle ground in terms of the high school hierarchy. There are the really popular kids and the nerdy kids and then there are the guys in the middle who don't care and that was me.

What were the highlights of D.J. Caruso's set?

My character gets to shoot an alien and that was one of the highlights for me. There was one really embarrassing moment. We were all running away from this giant scary monster on a football field and I fell over and rolled a few times, pulled myself back up and then fell over again. D.J. called everyone over to the monitor and we all watched me falling over in slow motion. That was kind of embarrassing.

What stood out for you about Caruso?

D.J. was amazing. He has a great personality and he just had a powerful presence on set. As soon as he called action, everyone became professional and did their work. Then as soon as he called cut, everyone would be having fun and throwing stuff at each other and making jokes. He made it such a fantastic atmosphere, it was a great set.

What was it like working with the cast he assembled?

They are amazing. We did a table read and I could tell immediately, even before we started filming, that everyone was going to be friends. Alex was one of the funniest guys I've ever met and because he's British and I'm Australian we share the same sense of humor, so I could understand all his jokes and he was fantastic. He's a great actor as well. It was great having Teresa Palmer there because she is also Australian. Teresa was amazing, so friendly and she helped me through the shoot. Dianna Agron is definitely one of the most wonderful people I've ever met, in terms of her warm aura. Also she's such a beautiful person to be around. I had not seen Glee prior to filming the movie. After I had met Diana, I did watch it out of respect and I really enjoyed it. I don't religiously watch any shows on TV but I do enjoy Glee now.

Did the actors hang out together?

Most of the hanging out was done on set because we had really long hours working. Sometimes we'd have to sit around for a long time in between shooting and that's when all the bonding was done. When we finished filming it was often three O'Clock in the morning and we'd all just go to sleep. So really when we did hang out together it was usually on set. The set was very calm and friendly and enjoyable for me.

What do you think of the film?

The story is really good. It's not a generic story at all, it is completely new and fresh and different. Just look at the names involved: Steven Spielberg, D.J. Caruso and Michael Bay. It's fantastic and all the cast members are great and of course all the aliens are great, especially Kevin Durand who plays such an amazing character in the film (the Mogadorian Commander). When you meet him he's just this really big friendly guy but when you see him in the film, it is amazing, he is a really freaky alien.

Do you believe in aliens?

I think there's got to be something out there, be it microscopic bacteria on a floating rock or something more developed. I am not certain that we're going to find any big green men anytime soon but there's got to be something.

What was it like working with the effects?

That was pretty cool because you have the green screen and that sort of stuff and you have to act and bounce off something that's not actually there. It can be kind of tough sometimes not having an actor to react to. I much prefer working with an actual actor beside me, but it was great fun. While you are filming, you never really know how it's going to turn out in terms of the green screen but when I saw the final results on screen it blew me away.




I believe you went on a rigorous survival course in Australia. Was that life-changing?

McAuliffe: Of course it was. I was privileged enough to go to a fantastic private school and for around half a year you go out into the outback of Australia, camping and hiking. That was fantastic because I'm really into camping and the outdoors. I love wildlife and the course involved becoming one with nature, getting out of the city for a little bit and doing some outdoor activities. I loved it. I probably wouldn't have done that had they not organized it for me and it was great to be able to go out there for a while, because that area is stereotypical Australia, how people imagine Australia. There are literally kangaroos hopping around your tent and wombats everywhere.

No, I'm doing what's called 'long distance education' now. A school in Canberra sends me a huge pile of work and I basically work through that at my own pace so that I can work around whatever I'm doing in my acting career. But I don't have a teacher with me. I do have someone who comes in every Thursday to check out how I'm doing. You really just have to focus and you have to know that if you don't focus it's not going to work out well. So I have to keep up with the work.

What were your passions as a child in Australia?

I was a singer before my voice broke but I don't do much of that anymore. When I'm not working or doing schoolwork, I'm asleep. Growing up, everything was focused on school work and of course sport. Coming from Australia, sport is a very, very hot topic over there.

Did you grow up as a little kid knowing that you wanted to be an actor?

I never wanted to be an actor in my entire life. No it was not a dream. It always looked like such a painful job, it looked horrible to me, but actually now it has happened I am having a great time. Actually I always envisioned myself doing something in the field of biology, or marine biology. But I started acting and just kept doing auditions. And now that I am on this path, I'm happy with where it is going.

What kind of parts would you like to play in the future?

I'm open for anything. Work is work for me. I love the work, I'm having a great time so anything goes really. I'll ride the ride as long as the wheels stay on.

How did you get your start in film?

I did a lot of commercials and short films in Australia and that's how I got my start. Then I was somehow recommended to my current American manager and he said 'hey, why don't you come over and we can talk'. So I came over and the first American audition that I did was for Flipped. I got the job and that was a complete fluke. I was extremely lucky for that to happen because I am Australian and I thought they would want an American for the role. If I hadn't done one commercial my manager wouldn't have been recommended to me and I probably wouldn't have come here to Los Angeles and I wouldn't have done that audition and I wouldn't have got the role and I wouldn't be sitting here (laughs).

It sounds like you have that refreshing Australian self-deprecating humility.

Well, I'm not going to stand here and tell you I'm the best in the world. That would be kind of stupid but I do honestly think that it does come down to luck and just looking right for the role. The best actor in the world is probably waiting tables right now because it really comes down to being in the right place. You have to have talent. You have to have some skill, but really if you don't look the part, you won't get the part. And that is the truth.