The recent release of Cloverfield was the culmination of months of hype and clever advertising. As the number of questions and speculation grew, so did the buzz. From the moment of its unleashing, J.J. Abrams' creature has enjoyed monstrous success, raking in a voracious $46.1 million over the Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend alone on a reputed $30 million budget.
In a recent conference call with recess' Braden Hendricks, three of Cloverfield's low-profile cast discussed the experience of shooting this pioneering film and the vision of J.J. Abrams. They are Mike Vogel (Jason), T.J. Miller (Hud) and Lizzy Caplan (Marlena).
Miss Caplan she agreed to do this film without really knowing what it was about. Mr. Vogel and Mr. Miller, did you guys likewise sign onto the film without knowing about it?
Mike Vogel: Well, keep in mind we're out there trying to work. There was, however, something about the ambiguity of this film. I think when we were all initially told it was a monster film; there was sort of a hesitation because it's been done badly a lot of times. I think what the saving grace of it is the vision of J.J. Abrams, the vision of Matt Reeves and those types of characters that make you feel safe in doing something like this.
How much of the dialogue in the film was adlibbing off the script? How much of an opportunity did you or the others have a chance to do that?
T.J. Miller: Every time you laugh at one of the lines that Hud says, I wrote that line. Every time you don't like something that I said, that's someone else's fault. Seriously, though, the skeleton of the script was fantastic. Drew Goddard [author of the screenplay] is really, really funny; really, really good at creating a character in a script. Also, Matt Reeves knows that I come from improvisation and that that's part of what I bring to every project that I do. So I did improvise a lot. And he let me improvise on my own and Lizzy and I improvised in the film a lot together. I'm the comedian that they brought in to make this part funny and have that aspect of the film be successful, so I hope that I did that. Plus, you know, that's what I want to do because I think some people react in the way that Mike Vogel does which is to be really, really hot and take charge. Other people who are kind of funny and awkward are going to react in a way that you would laugh at. It's funny. My whole thing with this movie is that I wanted to see a monster movie where people reacted like you really would. And I think that everybody in the film does that. Hud's a funny character and he's going to react in a funny way.
How was it to actually watch yourself on the big screen, being attacked, and how does it feel to see that?
Lizzy Caplan: The first time I saw the movie it was a rougher cut and I left and kind of had a mini-nervous breakdown because I really cannot stomach watching myself do anything on screen ever. It could have been a monster movie or a commercial for lollipops. I think I'm just super critical of myself and there's always ten better readings that I think I could have done. A friend of mine called me recently to calm me down and tell me that when I see myself on screen I think there is a 3% difference between what I think is good and what I think is absolutely terrible, and that nobody else even notices.
TJM: I think everybody was happy with their performance because it's such a different movie to make, and it's so hard to act in a film that is a style that you've never seen before. So we did the best we could because we, and by that I mean the director, the producers, all the actors, the crew, we were all figuring this out as we went along. That was a challenge. And I think we were successful in that sense. I think me more than anybody else.
What moments inspire you when choosing to participate in a particular film, selecting a film role?
MV: You know, I think it's a lot of things. Having to feed yourself and survive. Another one being the creative aspect of it and you hope that eventually those two worlds collide. I think for me what I set out to do in all this is just to not stay constant. I think of a boxer not staying in one place-constantly bobbing and weaving-you try and keep your resume as diversified as possible. There's definitely been some films I've done in the same genre but by and large I've been able to do things that are just different. And that's what I want to continue doing.
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