WARM BODIES Production Notes - Visual Hollywood

WARM BODIES (2013)PRODUCTION NOTESthe other zombies in the airport, even though they've got nothing to really say to him and can't evensay their names. He wants to connect with Julie and to feel alive. That's one of the most human instinctsever—to want to feel a part of something and to connect with another human."One of the challenges of the role was the fact that, at least initially, R cannot speak in words—acondition that gradually changes as the story progresses."A lot of the time I had to communicate just through movement, my eyes, the things I do, or therecords R plays for Julie," Hoult says. "The idea of not being able to say what you're thinking wassomething that was exciting for me. It makes you think in a slightly different way than you normallywould."For the role of R's human love interest, Julie Grigio, the filmmakers chose Australian-born TeresaPalmer (I Am Number Four) from a shortlist of five actresses who made it through to read withHoult."There's something about Australian actresses, a confidence and strength," says Papandrea, who isan Aussie herself. "It's a very hands-on approach over there, a little different from America. It's difficultto find a girl who is young, very beautiful and has vulnerability, but also is such a fireball."Those qualities perfectly equipped Palmer to play the role of Julie."She's a warrior," Palmer says of her character. "She's strong and has an amazing energy. She'sbubbly; she's got a big spirit and a good heart. Things have really been dimmed for her since hermother was killed by one of the zombies. She's unhappy. Then she meets R. He breathes life backinto her. They fall for each other and she's reminded of what life can be like and starts to hopeagain, which is a really beautiful thing. "But it wasn't love at first sight for Julie and R, who meet under the most violent of circumstances.When R saves Julie from the other zombies and takes her back to his lair in an old airplane at theabandoned airport, Julie figures he's just storing her as a snack for later. But she begins to softenwhen R starts to look after her by bringing her blankets and food. And so the seeds of their unlikelyromance are sown.Although Marion insists the film is not "Romeo and Juliet" with zombies, he admits that the Shakespeareclassic informs some of the film's subtext. There's even a balcony scene and—in what issurely a first in the genre—a romantic kiss between the zombie R and his human object of desire,Julie.Levine admits the balcony scene is a nod to "Romeo and Juliet" and says it was fun to shoot—eventhough he had doubts about it: "It was a scene I wasn't always sure about, to be honest, because itkind of comes at this point in the script when we're transitioning from the first to the second half ofthe movie, which is a little broader. It was always a tonal shift that concerned me. But I watch itnow and I'm really happy with it."For the role of General Grigio, Julie's cold, dogmatic father and the leader of the human survivors,the filmmakers were thrilled to land landed John Malkovich (Dangerous Liaisons, Being JohnMalkovich). "It's a smaller role in the context of the other roles in the movie but it's incredibly important,"says Papandrea. "We really needed someone who immediately came on the scene and hadgravitas. I honestly could not imagine else who could play that role."© 2013 Summit Entertainment5