'Resident Evil: Afterlife' Set Visit - Ali Larter Interview.

It’s the last day of shooting on Resident Evil: Afterlife, the fourth film in the popular franchise, and actress Ali Larter brought in cupcakes. There were none left for the journalists, but with a grueling shoot in late-fall Toronto and the added complication of still-new 3D technology, the crew deserved every last crumb. We managed to steal a few minutes with the actress to talk about working with the same 3D technology as Avatar and how close Resident Evil: Afterlife mirrors the Resident Evil games, before she dashed back to the warmth of Los Angeles, blonde hair, and her “day job.”


Need more patience than usual?

Absolutely. One of the exciting things about this movie is that we really are in the forefront of technology when it comes to filming in 3D. When filming something new and innovative, you have to have patience. A lot of our crew have worked with the PACE system on Avatar, but it is really learn-as-you-go, like building rigs. They’ve never flown these cameras 80 feet in the air, so our wire guy is building all these new contraptions. It’s really exciting, but yeah, you really do just have to wait your turn. You or the camera.
Tell us a bit about Claire in this installment.

One of the great things with Claire is that, in the video game she shows the human component. People can relate to someone who doesn’t have “powers” dealing with a situation like this. Alice is like this mythic, god-like figure, so Claire is the human component. I think that gives people a way to live out their fantasies of an apocalypse.
In this film, Claire has been stripped down to her barest survival instincts, in the most primal of ways. One of the things that Paul really brought into this film is the family dynamic. I think people are really going to love and respond to that.
Did the RE4 schedule conflict at all with Heroes?

They were amazing. It used to be that you could do one or the other: television or film. Heroes has been incredible in that they let me out for seven episodes so I could come up here and shoot this. I fly back to LA tomorrow, head straight for the hair salon to go back to blonde, and I become Tracy Strauss the next day. I feel really lucky that they allowed me to come out and do this movie.
What was the attraction to this role?

I shot the last one, but I was excited to come back because Paul was directing. He didn’t direct the last one, and to me, he really brought back the fire to this franchise. This is the biggest budget of all the Resident Evil films, and they are bringing in the 3D cameras. He got me excited about the arc he was building for Claire in this one, and the journey she would go on. And I was excited to work with Milla again.
I think this installment of Resident Evil is the most directly connected to the video games. I’m wearing Claire’s outfit. We have the Axe Man, and different characters from the video game are throughout this movie. I think that will really excite the fans.
You and Milla have a similar background, both leaving home at a young age to work. Do you discuss that a lot?

We don’t really discuss it, but I think we have a really great chemistry. We get along really well and I think it reads on screen. You don’t see two women who are competing against each other; they are women who work together to survive. Claire and Alice can also be the fiercest of creatures, but the most sensitive. Our characters have lost so many people in their lives that creates a solidarity.
Do you enjoy the stunt work?

I love it! They just showed us the teaser reel - it was exciting. I have scars and bruises all over from the stunts. I got torn up in this movie, but I loved doing it. I have an amazing sequence with the Axe Man that was directly from the video game. We are inside and there is water gushing everywhere, and we are sliding and flipping on walls... it’s really exciting.
What kind of training did you have to do?

When I approach a movie, there are different tools I use, depending on the movie. With this, the physicality was so important, so it is really about being in shape. A lot of times we are running, doing stunts, doing fight sequences. I did that on the last Resident Evil film, and I do a lot of that on Heroes, so it is fun for me.
Did the 3D make you more aware of body positioning and things like that?

Absolutely. When shooting in 3D, you can’t be an inch off your mark - and I’m not the best at blocking. I used a couple sandbags to keep me in place. But we have learned as we went along. The look of the movie, and the tone, is so important that we just have to be patient, and bring that live energy - even if we have been sitting around for three or four hours.
Have you learned to kick zombie ass a little more efficiently in this movie?

I think you learn as you go along! Claire is fiercer than ever, but there is also a greater depth to her than we’ve seen before because of the experiences she’s had and the challenges she faces in this movie.
Claire kind of went off in her own direction at the end of the third one. Can you talk about that a little?

She’s still alone in body and spirit.

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