I Am Number Four, a film based on the novel by Pittacus Lore, tells the story of a small group of aliens sent to Earth to protect it from invasion by another evil alien race. Recess’ Andrew O’Rourke participated in a conference call with director D.J. Caruso and lead actors Alex Pettyfer and Dianna Agron.
What were your creative inspirations for this film?
Caruso: Well, I really felt that there was this wonderful Rebel Without A Cause, disenfranchised-youth element of the human story and this sort of Close Encounter-y Starman element of this love story of this alien falling in love. Then you did have this real kinetic action element of these guys using the powers, which kind of harkens back to the Superman element where basically you have this hero [who] is unaware or not really sure about his past and powers. Ultimately, unlike the Superman story, our character, John, really decides and becomes a warrior by the end of the move once he and Number Six team up.
Are there plans for simply a sequel, a whole trilogy or more, and how much work has been done on future chapters of the series?
Caruso: I had read the manuscript for book one and saw the outline for book number two and I know there’s a series of, I believe, five or six books that are ultimately planned. But, as far as the film goes, if we’re fortunate enough to have some success, I know that is something everyone’s been [saying]—we’d love to follow it up. The second book is called The Powers of Six.
What was the deciding factor in making this novel into a movie?
Caruso: DreamWorks had bought the book for Michael [Bay] to direct, and then he got bogged down on Transformers 3, so I was fortunate to be someone that they considered to direct this. The interesting aspect about this is we were out there making the movie before the book even came out. So, unlike some of the other successful book franchises where you already have this following, we [didn’t] really have a following.
[To Agron] Your characters in both Glee and I Am Number Four begin as a stereotypical cheerleader and/or popular girl before developing somewhat of a social conscience. How did you identify yourself during your high school career, and have you ever felt the pressures of being placed on a pedestal like Quinn or Sarah?
Agron: I was a well-liked kid because I was nice to people and I didn’t particularly lie in one type of group or clique. You know, I was on the yearbook and I was in honors classes in school because it was really important to me. I love to learn and I didn’t have a group of people that I wouldn’t speak to. So in some ways, you could say that that might be a popular kid, but it didn’t feel the way that it’s depicted in movies. It wasn’t like I was walking down hallways cool, strutting my stuff and some high heels with a light shining on me. I felt very normal and at the same time I was trying to explore what I really liked and what I was most passionate about. So, I always kind of felt awkward, but I still feel awkward, which I think is wonderful.
[To Pettyfer] When you first read the script for I Am Number Four, did you really connect with Number Four and in what ways can you relate to him?
Pettyfer: I did and I didn’t. When I read the script, I went in for the audition, and I bailed on it. I didn’t even read any lines. I just told D. J. and everyone in the room, “I can’t play this part.” Because he’s such a vulnerable character, you want to root for him, and I didn’t feel like anyone would root for me to play this guy. This guy has been given this essential power to save what he now calls home, Earth, and I just didn’t feel like I could make that believable. It was D. J., the director, who convinced me I could. At a certain point, [everyone has] to choose what they want to do, and I think my choice was either between school or trying to follow something [unattainable], you know, but I love acting.
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