What Nora Arnezeder Really Thinks Of Her Army Of The Dead And The Colony Characters - Exclusive
Fresh off the success of her role as Lilly, aka "The Coyote," in Zack Snyder's smash zombie heist "Army of the Dead," French actor Nora Arnezeder is playing a character facing insurmountable odds once again — this time on a decimated planet in "The Colony." The film — which is now in theaters and available in digital and video on demand — is Arnezeder's second physically demanding film to come out this year, and she couldn't be any more thrilled to take a deep dive into another heavy-duty role.
"To me, the roles that have the most obstacles are the best. I like being challenged, and I like to play different characters," Arnezeder told Looper in an exclusive interview. "I like to embody different characters and renew myself and discover myself or parts of myself through my characters."
Set in the distant future, "The Colony," which was released under the title "Tides" in Europe, begins with an astronaut, Blake (Arnezeder) and her colleagues crash landing on a return trip to Earth decades after several inhabitants fled the planet as a result of it becoming uninhabitable. However, since the remote planet that Earth colonized, Kepler-209, prevented procreation because of its atmosphere, Blake and her crew return home in a bid to save the future of humankind.
Nora Arnezeder says there are similarities between Blake and Lilly
Anyone who has seen "Army of the Dead" knows that Lilly is a badass zombie slayer to be sure and beneath her steely exterior is a loner — until it's revealed that she truly does care about the humans with whom she travels. Much in the same way, Blake is loner in "The Colony," but it becomes clear that she's fiercely protective of the vulnerable people around her. Arnezeder isn't quite sure if she's naturally drawn to role like Blake or Lilly but believes her beliefs in real life help inform her decisions to play them.
"I really believe we get offered roles that reflects on your life or roles that can actually make you grow as a human being. But yeah, I can see the similarities between the Blake and Lilly," Arnezeder shared. "In the beginning, they are kind of isolated from the rest of the world, and then they have to start working, team up with people and connect. And they're not necessarily used to that. So yeah, I definitely see the similarity."
As for the parallels to the roles to her own life, Arnezeder said making human connections is really what living is all about. "I feel we always need to connect in order to create," Arnezeder said. "We have an idea in our head in our head, and then we need to let go of our idea and connect. That's the essence of human being. If we don't connect, we're dying."
Nora Arnezeder says Sigourney Weaver and Scarlett Johansson roles informed her character in The Colony
After Blake lands on Earth in "The Colony," she examines an unusual looking creature on the planet, which is now largely submerged in water. Since the creature was slimy, had tentacles and bit at her, Arnezeder, at least for one scene, got to experience an Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) "Alien" kind of movie moment. "She's a great reference for sure. I had a picture of her on my phone, and I would look at the picture sometimes, yeah," Arnezeder said. "Actually, I didn't necessarily base my character on her, but I definitely loved her physicality. Her physicality was something that kind of inspired me, and she's great. She's fantastic."
If there was a more direct correlation to any film character, Arnezeder said Blake hearkened Scarlett Johansson's character in the 2013 sci-fi horror drama "Under the Skin." "Scarlett Johansson [was] very robotic, repressed her emotions completely and everything was internalized," Arnezeder said. "I actually got really inspired watching that movie and watching her performance."
Directed by Tim Fehlbaum, "The Colony" is playing in theaters, and is available on digital and video on demand.