NO GOOD DEED Stars Idris Elba & Taraji P. Henson On Playing Victim Vs Villain
- Details
- Category: Interviews
- Created: Tuesday, 02 September 2014 00:16
- Published: Tuesday, 02 September 2014 07:46
- Written by Ethan Falk
Ladies, if a good-looking guy with washboard abs and a friendly smile came knocking at your door on a rainy night, would you answer it and let him in for a cup of tea? You may want to rethink your answer after seeing the upcoming film noir thriller, NO GOOD DEED starring Idris Elba(Thor) and Taraji P. Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button). Cinemovie got to sit down and chat with the two accomplished actors from the new film, Idris’s trip to Guillermo Del Toro’s wacky house, and whether or not we can expect to see Heimdall in an upcoming Avengers movie!
NO GOOD DEED, directed by Sam Miller, will make you question ever helping out a stranger despite how innocent and attractive they appear to be. Idris Elba who’s proving to be one of Hollywood’s most versatile actors, will scare the living hell out of you as he portrays Colin, a sadistic yet intelligent convict who doesn’t have any problem getting blood on his hands. On a stormy night after escaping a prison van, he finds his way to the doorsteps of suburban mother Terry (Henson) who gets charmed by the charismatic stranger and lets him inside the house to use the phone. A deadly cat and mouse game ensues, demonstrating to Terry that NO GOOD DEED goes unpunished.
Unlike her character, Taraji Henson told us there was no way she would ever answer the door for a stranger even if he were good looking.
“I’m not coming downstairs. I don’t care how fine you are. I don’t like unexpected guests anyways so I’m like, why are you ringing my doorbell; do you see all the other houses on the block?“
Henson was ecstatic to embark on her first thriller especially since it was packed with “girl power.” Throughout the film, her character Terry had to fight back not just physically, but with her wit and instincts. According to Henson, she wouldn’t answer the door for a hunky stranger because she possesses womanly intuition, a quality she told us guys at the roundtable we don’t have.
“Instinct and intuition are different. Intuition is something you guys don’t have. You have instinct, all humans have instinct, but women, we have intuition. I don’t think she would have ever opened that door if she wasn’t expecting her friend.”
Henson was the first actor signed onto the script but she also took on a role as one of the producers. Initially the film was supposed to have a white lead playing opposite Henson, but she knew she needed Idris Elba for the part.
“I threatened Idris’s life. I cried. Getting him to do the movie, I had to talk him into it….. Idris was huge over at Screen Gem, so it was a no brainer. It took a lot of effort and work to get him. I played the single mama card?"
Cinemovie put her on the hot seat and asked how she got in the headspace where she had to be afraid of the good-looking ladies man.
“He’s not that fine. And that accent is stupid, I can’t even understand anything he’s saying,” Henson said jokingly.
As Idris Elba took a seat at the round table, he declared that his interview would probably be a lot less animated than Henson’s was. That wasn’t the case. He did a killer impression of Guillermo Del Toro that blew us away! According to Elba, as a child he was always the kid who would tell stories in front of his family and do all the aunties and uncles voices and dances. He told Cinemovie that he likes to mix it up for every role and play with audience’s expectations of him as an actor.
“I definitely want a challenge and ask my audience not to fall in love with one character or type of character. Everyone wanted me to play gangsters and I didn’t want to keep playing gangsters, so I try to mix it up.”
Elba also took the time to study up on real life criminals like Colin to dive into the mindset of the character. He attributes his work ethic to some legendary film actors.
“I remember as a kid I was influenced by Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman; these method actors that would step into the arena and blow you away. That ideology is something that I keep.”
Elba also took some time to talk about his experience working with the masterful director Guillermo Del Toro on Pacific Rim. Before production began, Del Toro invited Elba over to his house to meet for the first time. As Elba rolled up to his house, he recalls seeing these big monster cars with giant wings and dark windows. On the inside of his house, Elba mentioned that it felt like a shrine to every monster movie he’s ever seen.
“There were huge monsters and toys everywhere. There were all these toys looking at me. Some would sporadically move; it was terrifying, and that’s his office. It was great working with him. I’d like to direct at some point and watching him direct was incredible.”
As the interview concluded, us nerdy journalists wanted to press him about his potential future involvement in the Marvel Universe and unfortunately, he didn’t give us too much!
Q: Is there going to be a Heimdall spinoff?
Idris: I doubt it, I don’t think so.
Q: Are you trying to get yourself into the next Avengers movies?
Idris: I cant tell you.
Well…It was worth a try!
NO GOOD DEED hits theaters September 12th!