How Rebel Moon 'Changed The Game' For Stars Ray Fisher, Cleopatra Coleman & E. Duffy - Exclusive Interview
Much like he did for his action film classics "300," "Watchmen," "Army of the Dead," and his definitive director's cut version of "Justice League," Zack Snyder shot for the moon, quite literally, by assembling a massive ensemble cast for his latest film, the gritty space epic "Rebel Moon: Part One — A Child of Fire."
Among the talented group of performers in the cast are Ray Fisher, Cleopatra Coleman, and E. Duffy, who play Darrian Bloodaxe, Devra Bloodaxe, and Milius, respectively. The three characters are among the warriors Kora (Sofia Boutella) has recruited to defend the distant moon of Veldt against a militaristic operation from the domineering planet called the Motherworld. Led by the menacing Regent Balisarius (Fra Free) and his sadistic right hand, Admiral Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein), the Motherworld's tyrants threaten to enslave the residents of a farming settlement on Veldt, until Kora employs her lethal fighting skills — a move that exposes her dark past.
Fisher starred in "Zack Snyder's Justice League" having played the pivotal character of Cyborg in the DC superhero extravaganza. With a career dating back to 2004, Coleman is the veteran of the trio with roles in such hit TV series as "The Last Man on Earth," the acclaimed limited series "Dopesick," recently, the riveting horror thriller "Infinity Pool." Duffy, on the other hand, makes their feature film debut in "Rebel Moon."
In an exclusive interview, Fisher, Coleman, and Duffy discussed with Looper their work with Snyder on "Rebel Moon," the fun of working on a space epic, and more.
Fisher was ecstatic to work with Snyder again
Ray, you had the great benefit of working with Zack Snyder on the brilliant Snyder Cut of "Justice League," the proper cut. How thrilling was it to get a call from Zack again, for "Rebel Moon"?
Ray Fisher: I was ecstatic. I told him, "Sign me up!" Zack and I have a really awesome shorthand and I've admired his work. Even prior to getting to work with him, I've admired his work for years, and being able to jump into the saddle with him in this brand-new IP, this brand-new world, the brand-new universe — not even a world — a universe that he's bringing to life, it's amazing.
E. and Cleopatra, did Ray share the excitement of how great it is to work with Zack ahead of time?
Cleopatra Coleman: Yes, he did. Ray and I had coffee early on to get to know each other, because we were going to be playing siblings, and it was really cool to get an insider's opinion on what it's like to work with Zack and be on one of his sets.
What about you, E.? Did Zack live up to the expectations that Ray presented to you?
E. Duffy: Yeah, absolutely. Ray shares the spirit of Zack, which is super passionate, super good at what he does, and really welcoming. A total leader. I felt so lucky when we met each other in the gym, and I felt quite guided by Ray the whole time.
Fisher, Coleman & Duffy say Snyder takes things to the next level with Rebel Moon
Ray and Cleopatra, you have this kick-ass surname, Bloodaxe. It merely must take looking at the script and saying, "I'm playing somebody named Bloodaxe? I'm in!" Was it something like that?
Coleman: Pretty much!
Fisher: You nailed it!
E., did you say, "Hey, where's my kick-ass surname here?"
Duffy: I got a kick-ass costume, so I'm not mad about it!
Apart from the opportunity of working with Zack, how much did the fact of this story originating as a "Star Wars" type of story impact you and your decision to do this? It's not often that you can get an opportunity to do an epic space fantasy that's as gritty as this is. It really is its own animal.
Fisher: Very much like I said, it's its own beast. Knowing Zack, whatever genre he chooses to tackle, he always elevates it to such a degree that anything that's come before it, you really can't. It's like apples to oranges. He did what he did with the zombie genre with "Dawn of the Dead" and "Army of the Dead," the same thing with the superhero genre, and this sci-fi space opera will be no different. I said it before, and I'll say it again, "Rebel Moon" definitely changes the game.
Duffy: Zack is such a visionary, and I couldn't wait to be a part of anything he was going to do.
Coleman: You know it's going to be massive and really exciting, and as a fan of the genre, it was such an exciting opportunity. It was a "pinch me" moment. There were so many moments coming to set being like, "Wow, I've been acting for 20 years, but still, this is so exciting."
The Rebel trio says Boutella is a 'total leader'
Your group of Rebels is being led by Sofia Boutella's Kora, who is such an ass kicker. How electrifying was it to be around her on set? She owns that character. She gives off this leadership vibe, and that makes you want to get behind her in battle.
Duffy: Sofia is amazing. She was a total leader. It's great that translates to the film. She's so dedicated to what she does, and her energy was always so high no matter how long we'd been shooting for. She kept morale high for all of us, and I couldn't imagine a better person to be at the helms of this thing.
What about for you, Ray and Cleo?
Fisher: For sure. It's very much like what E. said. Sofia is definitely the person that you'd want as your number one on the call sheet. Between her and Zack, I don't think there was ever a dull moment on set, which is important for those really long hours where we're not shooting, waiting for setups, those sorts of things, but also a really kind and lovely and compassionate human being in general. Being able to talk about any and everything with these folks and with Sofia, specifically, is a blessing.
Coleman: Yeah, she's great. She has a really specific skillset which comes into play in this film. She's doing her own stunts. She's acting in every scene. She kills it.
Also starring Charlie Hunnam, Michiel Huisman, Doona Bae, Staz Nair, and Djimon Hounsou, "Rebel Moon: Part One — A Child of Fire" begins streaming exclusively on Netflix this evening.
This interview was edited for clarity.