India Wadsworth talks about her mysterious role in The Dark Knight Rises
Another mysterious character is "The Warlord's Daughter," played by British actress India Wadsworth, especially since we don't even know who the "Warlord" is. There is speculation that she may in fact play Talia al Ghul, or her mother, but we won't know for sure until The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters July 20. Earlier today, I had the chance to speak with the up and coming young actress. Although she would not reveal her character's true identity, she did offer up some intriguing tidbits about her time on the set. Take a look at what she had to say.
(Director) Christopher Nolan is quite well known for his level of secrecy on his projects. I was wondering if that secrecy transfers over to the audition process. Can you talk about how that panned out?
India Wadsworth: I did audition, through my agent, in London. It was under a different name, and the audition sides were completely different from what I ended up doing. There is secrecy from the very beginning. I had no idea what I was going in for. The audition was fairly normal, and I wasn't aware of the scale of it until they offered me the role.
How long of a process was that, when you didn't know what you were going out for?
India Wadsworth: I found out what I was doing the morning I was filming.
There isn't any information about "The Warlord's Daughter." Can you talk about how she fits into the story?
India Wadsworth: I wish I could, but I can't really confirm anything. I don't really know the story myself, the little bit I did. I wish I could tell you more, but I really can't.
Can you say who the Warlord is?
India Wadsworth: No, I can't even say that (Laughs). I don't even know.
Can you talk about how long you were actually on the set for?
India Wadsworth: I was on set for a total of about 10 days, and filming for four of them. I did some stunt training, and it was such a big production, you never know who's going to be on set, and when. I'd say about 10 days in total, but I was only filming for a few of them.
Do you have a lot of action then? Fight scenes?
India Wadsworth: There was some exciting stuff that I was doing, and yeah, we'll see if it's in the movie.
At this point, are you really not sure what will be in or not?
India Wadsworth: Yeah, I have no idea. I wish I did, but I'm excited about seeing it July 20. I know nothing. There was one copy of the full script, that was locked in a safe somewhere, and that's it.
Can you talk a bit about working with Chris (Nolan) in general? Is there anything that really stuck out, for you, about how he directs?
India Wadsworth: His attention to detail, on such a huge set and such a huge production, making sure every tiny thing was right, I thought was fascinating to put that much attention to it. He's such an incredible director. I don't think I ever saw him sit down. He works very hard. He's a hard-working man.
Can you talk about who you're acting alongside then?
India Wadsworth: I worked with Tom Hardy, who is awesome. He's a really cool guy. I met some of the other cast members, but I worked with Hardy.
There was a bit of controversy about Bane's voice, how people can't really understand him. Can you talk a bit about that aspect of him, and how you think people will react to this jumbled dialogue?
India Wadsworth: Yeah. I think we're going to have to wait and see how it comes out. I'm fascinated to see how they've done it, but Tom Hardy is such a great actor, and he has such an incredible body. His body shows what he's doing as well. Whether we hear him speak or not, he'll be able to convey the character very well.
From everything I've seen so far, he looks like such a raw presence.
India Wadsworth: Yeah, it's great because it's so subtle, it's not in your face.
Is there anything you can say about being on the set in general, and what a production of this scale is like on a day-to-day basis?
India Wadsworth: It's very different to what I've done before, because everything is so secretive. I didn't know when I was coming or going. I was just waiting for the phone call saying, 'OK, you're on set now.' It was quite daunting for me, because it was such a big production, but, at the same time, everyone was very welcoming and lovely. I met some really cool people. It was just on a big, big scale. It was hard to get my head around it, and how many people were involved, when you went in to have lunch and saw hundreds of people. It was just awesome.
Have you shot anything since then, and did it alter your perceptions a bit after working on something this big?
India Wadsworth: Yeah, it's funny. I did a film where I got to travel around Scotland. It was really small crew, maybe six of us. We did this road trip with the director, who was also the camera man at the same time. It was nice to see everything work on such a small scale, and then to compare it to this big thing. There are still so many similarities. It's all about being creative and inspiring and communicating. You can compare and contrast each type of movie, but when you watch it, you're still sucked into that world. I really liked that comparison. It's all about the story, and the story that was created from these comic books. It's the same with the other one, it's all about the story. It doesn't matter if there are hundreds of people working for you, or six, if you can get lost in the movie, then it's a good one.
Christopher always tries to get as much in camera as possible. Can you talk about the number of physical sets as opposed to green screen that you saw on the set?
India Wadsworth: Yeah, that was one of the most awesome things about it. I didn't see any green screens. It's all real, it's all there. They created these incredible sets that they spent months building and then filming in for a few weeks. I think that's what's so genius about Nolan. When you watch the movie, it's just there, but when you do think about it, it's like, 'Oh, that wasn't a green screen. It's just there, really built.' I didn't see any green screens when I was working, yeah.
Audiences are getting to a point now where they're sophisticated enough to tell, but you might not even notice it if it's done well.
India Wadsworth: That's a hallmark of a good movie. If you don't notice it, and it's just there, it's a sign they've done it really well.
You talked about being excited to see this on July 20. Are you going to try and see it earlier, or would you rather see it in front of an audience?
India Wadsworth: Yeah, I would like to see it with an audience. I remember I went when the last Harry Potter came out, there was a commercial for this film, and everyone was cheering and clapping, and then we got to see another awesome film. It was really cool to be in a movie theater with that many people, because you definitely react off everyone's reactions and excitement and energy in the room. I'd love to see it with a big group of people.
What would you like to say to the 8 billion people who are going to see this in a few weeks about what they can expect?
India Wadsworth: Oh, God. That's scary when you put it that way, 8 billion people (Laughs). I'm just really excited, and we'll see what happens.
Excellent. Thank you so much for talking to me. It was a real pleasure.
India Wadsworth: Thank you. Have a great day.
You can watch India Wadsworth as "The Warlord's Daughter" (or maybe Talia al Ghul... or maybe Mama al Ghul...) when The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters across the country July 20.
The Dark Knight Rises was released July 20th, 2012 and stars Tom Hardy, Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Liam Neeson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard, Morgan Freeman. The film is directed by Christopher Nolan.
Comments (9)
To leave a comment, please sign in or use
Facebook or Twitter
empath86
i believe they also said that bane was older than he seems, so it would fit that she could be his daughter, maybe the daughter of the guy they capture in the prologue? i hope its bane's daughter.
11 months agoby @empath86Flag
the Narrator
She seems really courteous and professional, as well as level headed if her "audience" comment is anything to go by. Warlord's daughter or not, I'll find out soon enough when the film's released. For now, I'm sold on her. :P
11 months agoby @narratorFlag
mosorwvlad
She will be in the movie for about 4 minutes i think :D
11 months agoby @mosorwvladFlag
Kill-Bill
Ra's Al Ghul has a decoy in Batman Begins. I think she is the decoy of Talia Al Ghul/Miranda Tate
11 months agoby @Kill-BillFlag
Sean
I wonder who she will play in the Dark Knight Rises.
11 months agoby @themoviefanaticFlag
skywise
Who ever she is playing it must be very secretive (obviously) because its not even listed on IMDB yet.
11 months agoby @skywiseFlag
red_ruddy
The Warlord has to be either Bane or Ra's
But I know it won't be either
Chris won't make something that obvious
But we do know she's in a scene(s) with Bane
11 months agoby @red-ruddyFlag
Joker926
I've been tracking news on the franchise for nearly 6 years now, and I have not even HEARD of this India person in the film. If I were to make a guess, I'm thinking stunt double or decoy for Tate.
11 months agoby @joker926Flag
Laura Low
tbh she well could be catwomans stunt double or posion ivy lol
11 months agoby @Laura-LowFlag