IN 2003 Kate Beckinsale captivated audiences as the werewolf-slaying vampire Selene in Underworld. An unexpected hit, the film spawned two sequels, Underworld: Evolution (2006) and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009), chronicling a secret battle fought over the course of centuries between the vampires and their sworn enemies, the werewolf-like Lycans.
In Underworld Awakening (the first 3D film in the franchise), Beckinsale returns to her sexy signature role. Here, her vampire warrior escapes imprisonment—only to find herself in a world where humans have discovered the existence of the two supernatural clans and are conducting an all-out war to eradicate them both.
Born and raised in the UK, Beckinsale (married to director and Underworld series co-creator Len Wiseman) made her initial mark in British and US independent films (Kenneth Branagh’s Much Ado About Nothing; Cold Comfort Farm for John Schlesinger, and Whit Stillman’s The Last Days of Disco) before taking Hollywood by storm. We caught up with her at The Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles as Underworld Awakening readied for its world premiere.
It’s been nearly nine years since the first Underworld film. Why do you think the series has proved so popular?
I think people really like it when a female-driven action movie works because it’s so unusual that it does. I remember loving Alien because of how empowering it was to see Sigourney Weaver actually do all that. Every TV show, every movie, every book has got vampires and werewolves in it now, which is weird. I remember when Len (Beckinsale’s husband and Underworld co-creator, Len Wiseman) first sent the script he was saying, “We’ve had vampire movies, we’ve had werewolf movies, but we haven’t had a mainstream movie with both of them in it.” It seems amazing that somebody could ever have said that given the climate we’re in now.
What are we in store for this time around?
Well, it’s pretty different. In the previous films the humans weren’t really aware of all this going on, whereas in this movie it’s become almost recognized as a kind of plague. Now they’re being purged. By the time I wake from my 12 year cryo-freeze, the whole world has changed. So I’m starting the movie kind of like the audience is, going, “What the hell is going on here?”
Will those who are unfamiliar with the franchise be able to jump in? And at the same time, how do you keep...
...the fans happy?
Yeah, I mean I think that was something we definitely talked about. All the characters basically, apart from me, are new. So the fans of the series are meeting them for the first time, just as much as people who’ve never seen it before. So I think it should work on both levels.
What was it like putting on the costume again?
It was actually a bit funny. You put anything on that you first put on nine years before and you kind of go, “Bloody hell, I hope it fits!” (Laughs)...I was rather relieved that it was fine. But it was a bit of a time-travel moment.
What initially attracted you to the role?
Selene’s got these warrior skills and everything, but she’s still very much female. She was kind of a lone wolf, rebellious and yet very passionate. She had a lot of good stuff. I just felt there was a lot there that was rather endearing in an odd way. And certainly for me, just in terms of my career, I was sort of frustrated at finding that every time I went for a movie where the character was a cop or something, they’d say, “Well, she’s very soft and British...We sort of think of her more in a period movie.” So for me it was really a question of seeing if I could pull it off or if they were right.
How has the character changed over the years?
Selene definitely started out as someone who was very sure of who was a good guy, who was a bad guy, and what her position was. Over the course of various betrayals and surprises, she’s a little less like that. Given that she’s learned that “all is not as it seems,” she’s a little bit more guarded than she initially was.
And you yourself?
Probably quite similar to be honest (laughs)...How have I changed since then? I don’t know...I much prefer being the age I am now. I’m happier, very happily married, and I definitely feel that my shock absorbers are a bit better these days than they were when I was younger.
You’re constantly ranked among the most beautiful actresses working today. What do you do to look your best? Any tips for aspiring vampire warriors?
Don’t go out in the sun or you’ll burst into flames (laughs)...What do I do? Let’s see. I do take the makeup off at night, every night. I very much like this serum by Dr. Sebagh, because it doesn’t give me pimples (laughs)...And of course, plenty of sleep and drinking lots of water. It’s true, it works.
This is the first film in the series to be shot in 3D. What does that bring to it and what was its impact on the production itself?
I actually really like 3D. I loved Harry Potter so much—that last movie—I thought it was brilliant. But I do notice that the movies where I enjoy it tend to have been shot in 3D, rather than converted later. So I was very glad when I learned that that was how we were going to do this, not having any idea how that would actually affect us on set. And it didn’t, really, apart from having a little bit more time waiting around, just because the cameras are so extremely sensitive and sometimes have to be tinkered with.
Did you do any special training for the film?
It’s interesting...On the first movie I had a lot of preparation, a lot of training, because I’d never done anything like it. I was completely hopeless, physically, with everything. I really had to be trained how to run, let alone shoot or fight...But there is a kind of muscle memory to it. My body remembers how to actually do this stuff. So this time I only had two weeks for particular set pieces and stunts, you know, practicing the knee slide, the jumps, and the various fights.
And so it all worked out well?
Yes, apart from the scarred ankles from the knee-slide! I didn’t have long enough socks on. They’ll be with me for life, those scars (laughs)...
What was the biggest challenge on set?
We did some underwater stuff. And I found swimming in the corset was a little bit...It’s very hard when you’ve got a corset on to take a big enough breath to actually be underwater for very long. So that was kind of tough. But, it was a pretty smooth shoot, I have to say.
So unlike your character you don’t have super-human lung capacity.
Not in a corset. I’m not bad without a corset (laughs)...But the corset is a bit of an impediment.
Tell us about the two directors on this film and what it was like working with them?
Two Swedish guys, Mans (Marlind) and Björn (Stein). They’d done a film called Shelter together (starring Julianne Moore; 2010). They’re also very good friends and have this incredible system where they take turns behind the camera on alternate days. On Monday it’s Mans and Björn is silent, and then on Tuesday it’s Björn and Mans is silent. And you think, “How are they going to keep that up?” But they do.... There are so many peripheral things involved in being a director than what you’re actually shooting. It can be frustrating. You’ve either got someone coming up and asking what you want for a shot in three-weeks time or it’s “Can you come into the edit and have a look at something.” The way they work, the one who’s not directing can do all that stuff so that the person who’s directing can be completely present.
Looking back, what were your expectations when you made the first film? Did you foresee the series continuing this long?
(Laughs) For me it was an experiment to see if anyone including myself would actually buy me doing this stuff. So the thought of it going on to two, three, or four films was very much contingent on whether it worked. So, no, not at all. And I certainly didn’t think it would become one of the things that was most associated with me, because it was probably the movie I did that was the most far removed from myself.
It was a big career changer for you as well.
It was and I think I was a bit late to the game of realizing quite how much. I was, what, 28 when I did it? And I’d been solidly working for a good 10 years before that. Now all of a sudden you’re “action girl”. I had to fight so hard to actually be in Underworld. Then, suddenly, I was so bought as that character it was almost like the other stuff never happened. It did open up an awful lot of stuff to me that had not been available to me before, so I was very grateful for that. But it’s strange to become much more famous for something that’s so far away from your sensibility. It’s not bad. It’s just weird.
What’s next for you?
There’s Contraband (co-starring Mark Wahlberg), that’s coming out first. Then there’s Underworld. And I’ve just finished Total Recall with Colin Farrell, Jessica Biel and Bryan Cranston (for director Len Wiseman). I literally just finished that a few weeks ago. Three movies back to back, I think, is plenty for this year. (Laughs)
And what’s next for Selene and Underworld?
Oh God, I don’t know! I’m sure they’ve thought of possibly doing another one, but I have no idea. We literally just finished this one!
***Opening across the Philippines on Friday, January 20, Underworld Awakening is distributed by Columbia Pictures.
