Interview: Rhona Mitra
New Blood
The Underworld prequel, Rise of the Lycans, takes us back to a time before Kate Beckinsale was even a glint in her Vampire mama’s cold blue eyes. Who was the hottest bloodsucker in those early days? Meet Rhona Mitra
By Kevin Williamson
When Kate Beckinsale announced she was retiring her black latex, the Underworld franchise needed new blood to survive.
Enter gorgeous Rhona Mitra, who’s no stranger to fanboys, having last starred in 2007’s science-fiction thriller Doomsday. Other gigs include roles in 2000’s Hollow Man and on TV’s Party of Five, The Practice, its spin-off Boston Legal and Nip/Tuck.
Off-screen, the 32-year-old British actor is also famed for being the original live-action model for Lara Croft of the Tomb Raider videogame franchise; years before Angelina Jolie took a crack at the character on the big screen. Yet it is Mitra’s role in Underworld: Rise of the Lycans — in which she is introduced as new character Sonja — which promises to showcase her to her largest audience to date.
Co-starring Bill Nighy and Michael Sheen of Frost/Nixon, it’s a prequel that delves into the origins of the blood feud between the Vampires and the werewolfish Lycans.
Mitra was in San Diego to promote the new movie at Comic-Con when we spoke.
Were you hesitant about joining a franchise that’s so closely identified with Kate Beckinsale?
“Well, I think my hesitation was the hesitation of the fans. I thought what they were offering was the opportunity to take over from Kate and play the role of Selene. I didn’t even bother having the conversation. I just said it’s not a conversation to be had. It’s suicide really. And I think everyone would agree with that. It would be a foolish thing to do. She’s British, I’m British, there’s no way you try to fill the shoes of something like that. Or the costume, the latex, all of it.”
What changed your mind?
“I sat down and had a meeting with them, and [producer] Len Wiseman and Gary Lucchesi, the head of Lakeshore Entertainment, explained to me that it was a prequel, much like, I suppose, Batman Begins, which I think was far and away the best Batman. What it does is give the opportunity to breathe new life into it and have a rebirth of sorts…. Plus there was Bill Nighy and Michael Sheen. To find major actors like that at a level like this in the third installment is unusual…. You do need people who have that certain weight and set it apart from something that could be quite flimsy.”
You mention the Batman franchise, which is directed by a Brit, Christopher Nolan, and stars Christian Bale, Michael Caine and Gary Oldman. And of course you’re in Underworld now with Michael Sheen and Bill Nighy. What is it about the British that makes them such a good fit for horror, comic books and sci-fi?
“It’s darkness. I just had a discussion about this with my brother, who’s got a large collection of comic books, and we were talking about which movies manage to pull it off — whether it’s Watchmen, which is coming up, or Wanted or Iron Man. The people involved who are at the helm have to have an understanding of the darkness that’s involved, and striking that right balance. I’m not sure whether it’s innate in who [the British] are because even our comedy is a bit twisted and a bit dark. Comedy always has a blackness to it.”
Rhona Mitra in Underworld: Rise
of the Lycans
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Do you divide your time equally between London and Los Angeles?
“I try to more. I have a family. It’s simple. You dedicate a certain amount of time and energy to your career and it makes sense to be present in Los Angeles as much as possible. But I think there’s a point in everyone’s life where you stand back and decide if you’ve struck a balance.”
A lot of people come to L.A. and lose all perspective. You never did?
“Thank goodness, I didn’t. I thank the Lord I didn’t because I know exactly what you’re talking about. It’s a wonderful thing when, whatever walk of life you’re in, that you realize the things that make you happiest are the simplest. It’s a really wonderful realization. You are either seduced by the dark side — quite literally because it is — or you’re not.”
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When did you realize you didn’t need the celebrity machine to fulfill you?
“In the last few years. I had a lot of big things happen. Major things, couple of deaths — that will do it. Then suddenly you look at your life and just weigh it up. I’m not saying anything profound, but I have to feel like I’m being authentic and if I’m not being authentic then I’ve got to figure out what it is that makes me feel authentic. And what that is for me is real life for real people and real heart. If you’re constantly living off the same source, which is Los Angeles, it’s like mad cow disease.”
Are you signed for more Underworld sequels/prequels?
“I think this is a one-time deal, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to don some vampire fangs and blue eyes and a sword.”
But you’re not done with the action genre?
“It’s my niche at the moment, so I’m getting a lot of offers to do more action stuff, which is fine by me. I love it, I absolutely love it. And I have a nephew who thinks it’s the best thing ever, which amuses me.”
Kevin Williamson is a Calgary-based movie columnist for Sun Media.
Understanding Underworld
Can’t recall why the Lycans (werewolves) and Vampires of the Underworld films hate each other so much? Here’s a handy look at the history of their universe.
Some 1,500 years ago, Hungarian warlord Alexander Corvinus survives a plague and becomes an immortal. Alexander has twin sons, Marcus and William. Marcus is bitten by a bat and becomes the first Vampire, William is bitten by a wolf and becomes the first Lycan.
The two species become bitter enemies and fight a war in which the Vampires prevail. The Vampires make the Lycans their slaves. (This is the time period in which Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is set.)
The Lycans rebel and go into hiding. Over the centuries the Lycans evolve to the point where they look human and can transform into their Lycan selves at any moment.
After the Lycan rebellion, a special group of Vampires, called “Death Dealers,” are assigned the task of hunting down each and every Lycan, a practice that continues to the present day.
—Ingrid Randoja