Based on Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel comes a big-screen action adventure update of ‘The Three Musketeers,’ conceived and shot in state-of-the-art 3D. They are known as Porthos (Ray Stevenson), Athos (Matthew Macfadyen), and Aramis (Luke Evans) – three elite warriors who serve the King of France as his best Musketeers. After discovering an evil conspiracy to overthrow the King, the Musketeers come across a young, aspiring hero – D’Artagnan (Logan Lerman) – and take him under their wing. Together, the four embark on a dangerous mission to foil the plot that not only threatens the Crown, but the future of Europe itself. Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, ‘The Three Musketeers’ also stars Milla Jovovich, Mads Mikkelson, Gabriella Wilde, Juno Temple, Orlando Bloom and Christoph Waltz. The film is released in cinemas October 12th in the UK, and October 21st in the US. Look out for more in-depth interviews closer to the films release date.
How do you think the original story lends itself to an action film?
Milla Jovovich: For me ‘The Three Musketeers’ was always the classic action-packed book that you can’t stop reading once you start, its a page turner. Alexandre Dumas was really that type of writer where every chapter leaves you hanging and you want to know what happens next. It’s very classical literature, it’s something we study at school – but at the same time there’s nothing boring about it. It’s one of my favourite books because of the nature of it. When it came out as a book back in its day it was pretty much what an action movie is today.
Milady de Winter is complex and mysterious.
Milla Jovovich: Milady de Winter, I look at her as one of the most modern women in literature. She’s incredibly smart, she’s single, she’s living in a mans world, dealing with men – yet she’s respectable. She can go in and out of different worlds, different societies – and she gets away with it. It takes a very smart strong women to be able to navigate a mans world, especially in the 17th century, in days when men could pretty much put away their wives if they spoke back to them, they could put them in a Lunatic Asylum. To be a women that is smart enough and strong enough to manipulate these men and be on their level – even better than they are (laughs), it takes a lot of accomplishment. I have a lot of respect for her.
This film tells this classic story in a more modern fashion….
Milla Jovovich: Our ‘The Three Musketeers’ really has, I think, the soul of the book. Then of course we make it funner and bigger. We kind of take it up a notch when it comes to the action, the scenery, the epic landscapes and backgrounds. It goes in its own direction as a movie, it definitely brings its own things to the table – so it’s not like, ‘Why are we making this?’ We’re making this because it really is something new, something that people haven’t seen before. This is a definitely a version of ‘The Three Musketeers’ that isn’t your parents version, your grandparents version, it really is the new generation of ‘The Three Musketeers.’ It takes the spirit of the book but then it takes the imagination of the writer and the director. Putting it in 3D, it’s a real spectacle, a real rollercoaster ride.
Your known for doing much of your own stunts, what was that like on an action-packed film like ‘The Three Musketeers’?
Milla Jovovich: The important thing about stunt sequences is that the audience gets to see your face while you’re doing them. If we can shoot the sequence to see my face I’m gonna do the stunt myself, if there’s no way you can see my face because it’s so fast and rolling and moving, there’s no point in me doing it and potentially risking hurting myself or something dangerous. So we work it out, we see how it is. I love to do my own stunts and that’s something I’m very known for, something my fans love about watching my movies. I do as much as I can on my own.
How was it being involved with the costume, hair and makeup for this character?
Milla Jovovich: Costumes are something I’m always very involved with for myself. Coming from a background in the fashion industry it’s something I love, it’s a big interest of mine. Design is something I’ve always been very fascinated with, but also costumes for characters are really important for me because that’s when your character really comes to life – through the costumes, through the hair and makeup. I think with that it’s all a team effort, we had such talented people making the costumes, doing our hair and make-up, you kind of just work together as a team to make the best thing you can possibly do.