An article by Jamie Stuart
It’s nice for me to see Danny Boyle’s 28
Days Later, a film that I championed early on, doing well. For a small
British film shot on mini-DV at a budget of $8.5 million, it’s already grossed
$28.5 million in its first three weeks of release. I think people have really
responded to its ideas and the fact that it’s much more than a horror film –
an unconventional film that entertains and also makes you think.
I sat down recently with actress Naomie Harris, who played the machete-wielding
Selena in 28 Days Later. This was her first feature film shot just 9
months out of drama school – and contrary to her role in 28 Days Later,
she claims to be more interested in doing a Jane Austen adaptation than anything
else.
After watching her hack people to death without a moment of thought, it’s
amusing to hear her admit: “I’ve never seen a horror movie. The scariest
thing I’ve seen is Jaws.”
“I think it’s much more than a zombie movie. I think it’s much more
interesting. It’s got a lot more to say,” begins Naomie. “Danny talks a
lot about it being a reflection of social rage. That rage we’re all
experiencing – air rage, supermarket rage – sort of a reflection back on
where we’re going, in terms of that. I look at it as an exploration of what
happens when you remove the social structures on man, an individual, and
what’s left after that. You’re left with quite a base individual who’s
quite lost and destructive. I think I find that’s what the movie’s about.”
In keeping with this concept, she didn’t watch any prior zombie films like Dawn
of the Dead. Instead, her preparation came from the same reality that
inspired the rage virus in the film. She explains, “We had soldiers come in
and talk to us who’d been in the Bosnian war. They talked to us about what
it’s like in a war-torn country. What that does to your psyche. They told us
really horrific stories. People being killed. Children being murdered. Really
disgusting things. Read The Hot Zone as well, which is about the ebola
virus. Watched footage of riots and things like that.”
Danny Boyle was determined to keep the production unconventional, both in how it
was shot and how it tackled its subject. According to Naomie, “Danny didn’t
want it to be like a zombie movie. He didn’t want it to be based like that. In
London, one of the critics was like, This is a genre-busting movie. I think
that’s what it is. Danny was determined not to base it solely on Night of
the Living Dead or anything like that.”
As for shooting digitally, “It’s fantastic, because you can do a lot more
takes. You can do as many takes as you like, which is fantastic. The camera
itself is a lot less imposing, which is great. There’s a lot less time spent
on lighting, which is another fantastic opportunity. You get to spend more time
in front of the camera instead of in your trailer waiting around. As a
performer, you want to be working all the time. The more time you spend in your
trailer the more draining that is for you. It was great.”
Naomie even credits the film’s lack of convention as the reason she was cast.
“I was 9 months out of drama school when I got the role. I spent most of the
time after drama school unemployed, cause it’s really tough to get started as
a new actress. Over here as well as in England, it’s about people willing to
take a risk on a newcomer. And nobody really wants to do that. Everybody’s job
is on the line. The great thing about somebody like Danny Boyle is that he has
the guts to take the risk on a newcomer. He was like, ‘She hasn’t done
anything, but I like her and want her in my movie.’”
She continues, “Actually, what he did after my second audition was he
coached me. For my final audition he told me, ‘I want you to say it like this.
I want you to do that.’ It’s amazing for a director to do that.”
Amen. After I saw 28 Days Later at the press screening two months ago I
remained high on it till I went to sleep that night. If you haven’t seen it
yet, stop reading this and go look up your local showtimes.
-Copyright 2003 by Jamie Stuart