Ariana Greenblatt Enjoys The Chaos Of Sci-Fi Beings Trying To Kill Her In Roles Like 65 - Exclusive
Ariana Greenblatt is a pro at escaping the wrath of ruthless sci-fi monsters. Whether she's playing the adopted daughter of megalomaniac Thanos as Young Gamora in the MCU, navigating a post-apocalyptic, monster-filled wasteland with Dylan O'Brien in "Love and Monsters," or sparring with dinosaurs alongside Adam Driver in "65," something is always trying to kill Greenblatt's characters. And the young actor wouldn't have it any other way.
It's always a good time when a movie turns the tables on the expected and adds an unconventional component to a story. "65" does just that by throwing advanced humans from highly developed planets straight into a Mesozoic Earth in the age of dinosaurs — and these aren't your father's "Jurassic Park" dinosaurs. The "65" dinos are brutal, bloodthirsty, and terrifying at times. The movie really highlights the brutality of wild animals having to fend for themselves in a less-than-cushy environment. It's also fun to see high-tech spacecraft meld with the sights and sounds of a prehistoric Earth.
Of course, Driver's character Mills and Greenblatt's Koa have to escape Earth in quite a rush — because what comes after the dinosaurs is even scarier than the gnarly beasts themselves. Looper spoke to Greenblatt for an exclusive interview where she discussed her track record of playing sci-fi characters who need to escape certain death.
A revolving door of sci-fi threats
We asked Ariana Greenblatt what draws her to these sci-fi stories where her character is escaping under extraordinary circumstances, and she said, "Something about my face or how I walk and talk and move makes people want to put me in a situation where there's some extraterrestrial being trying to kill me. I guess it's a pattern in what people are drawn towards me for, and I'm like, 'Okay, great.'" Greenblatt is ready for anything, though, and she's more than up to the high stakes of sci-fi battles. She added, "If it's a challenge, I'm up for it. Whatever it might be, put me in it."
The great thing about the sci-fi genre is the epic possibilities for extraordinary worlds. However, Greenblatt's roles tend to focus more on a few characters and the human condition of escaping than a slew of characters that get lost in a larger-than-life world.
"It's fun to play around with your environment and what you're facing. There [are] so many different ways you can portray a person that's trying to survive," Greenblatt explained. "They're either human, or they're alien and they have so many other layers going on with them. My favorite part is, through the chaos of surviving or the chaos of whatever you might be going through, trying to personalize and individualize the character to either have a bond or get to know the character's important aspect." And if there's one thing a dinosaur movie always promises, it's some pure, unadulterated chaos — so she had plenty to play with in "65."
"65" is now playing exclusively in theaters.