Jovovich loved the experience of putting Violet’s story on screen. “The education I got on this movie, on a physical level as well as an emotional level, is really intense,” she says. “I’ve never been in this kind of shape before; I’ve never been as fluid in my life. I’ve always thought of myself as a big, clumsy oaf, so it’s amazing for me to learn and flip the swords and do these moves. I’m taking this with me for the rest of my life – I’d look at the screen after we were done with a scene and say, ‘Oh, my God. I did that. That’s me!’”
With Jovovich set for Violet, the filmmakers set out to cast the mysterious little boy character named Six. Wimmer auditioned hundreds of boys, but it was relative newcomer Cameron Bright who stood out. Bright had just completed two films, starring opposite Robert DeNiro in Godsend and Nicole Kidman in Birth, and it was the strength of his performances in those movies that convinced the filmmakers he could tackle the role.
“Cameron had the innocence needed to portray a 10-year-old who hasn’t ever been outside a four-walled white room and has had virtually no interaction with other people,” says Baldecchi. “The character doesn’t say a lot, so Cameron had to be able to express his emotions with just a look or a facial expression – and he does it beautifully. He has a wisdom beyond his years.”
Thankfully, there was an immediate connection between Jovovich and Bright that makes their onscreen pairing that much more effective. Having also started her career as a child, both modeling and acting, Jovovich empathized with Bright and understood how a childhood career can sometimes be difficult. “Cameron is smart as a whip,” Jovovich says, “and yet still a kid. We were always fighting and laughing. I tried to make it as fun for him as possible.”
For his part, Bright loved his new co-star. “Milla’s a great actor,” he says. “She’s very nice, cool, and funny – and you can talk to her about The Simpsons and stuff. She taught me a few things with kali sticks that she gave me, and her boyfriend gave me some guitar lessons.”
By choosing to help this mysterious child, Violet ends up with the government and the infected humans both desperate to stop her. She’s left with no allies but one: Garth. Played by William Fichtner, Garth is a member of this “new race” who lives in a traveling lab, desperately searching for a cure for the genetic mutation.
For Fichtner, director Wimmer was a main draw for his participation. “I’ve worked with Kurt before,” he says, “and if you know Kurt, you love to work with him. To really know him is to appreciate his intellect, because he’s absolutely one of the brightest people I know.”
Continuing to describe what appealed to him about the project, Fichtner says he was drawn by the action but it was the emotional core of the piece that really resonated for him. “It’s tremendous action, but to me what made it work ultimately is heart. Violet’s journey with Six – that’s what sucked me in.
“When you interject that sort of heart into a story,” he continues, “then you have something that’s worth telling and worth seeing.”
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