Just because you’re a woman in an action film doesn’t mean you have to automatically fall into the Bond girl/love interest category. Sometimes the badass is the woman. Sometimes the one that has your back and comes in, bullets flying to save the day. Sometimes you even get to do that and act across the best Chris out there. We got a chance to talk to Extraction‘s Golshifteh Farahani about being a woman in an action film, dealing with guns, and just being a general badass. Check out the interview below!
1. Tell us a little bit about Nik, for those that haven’t watched Extraction yet?
Well, Nik is a typical badass. She’s a strong and powerful woman who is ambituous. This was written for a man and they turned the character into a woman. At the first place, which they don’t have it in the movie because they cut it out, she’s a gun dealer. So she deals with guns. And then she somehow has this friendship with Tyler. She somehow takes him for this job. She’s fun. She’s witty. She’s good with guns. It’s her obsessions. And she helps Tyler to do what he has to do.
2. How was it working with Chris Hemsworth?
It was amazing. Working with Chris, it was like…I always talk about this expression “creme and honey.” It’s like he’s such a present person in life. He’s not one of those actors that are constantly on his phone. He’s there, on set, talking with people and interacting. Watching things. The day before the shoot I flew in and I was fainting, feeling so weak and tired, and I was gonna die. And he saw it and gave me his own shake, the one that he has for lunch. He’s super kind, very open to new ideas and trying things. And very generous in the way that he works. For someone like him…and of course he’s gorgeous and tall.
3. What do you want people to take away from your character on Extraction?
I think I want them to take away loyalty and friendship from my character. That friendship is an important thing. She and Tyler, I think there’s a very deep bond between them. It’s a friendship. And she doesn’t leave him behind even though there is no money. Even though the job is fucked. And she asks him to leave the kid behind and he doesn’t. But at the same she’s there to do anything to get him out of this mess. Also, she’s a strong woman and that’s what we need the most, strong women in this world.
4. What does it mean to you that you were in an action movie and didn’t end with your character being the love interest?
We were very clear that they are partners and not lovers. They have a partnership and a very deep bond of friendship, but she’s not a James Bond girl. There’s no interest. It’s equality. And she has all these men working for her, basically. And it’s great. It’s one of the things that was really attractive and maybe the reason they thought of me to act this part. Also, this character was written to be played by a man, for an actor, and then they turned it into a woman. It does have the archetype of a woman. It’s not…I’m sure if they wrote it for a woman there would’ve been something else in it. But it’s supposed to be a man and I like it. She’s not seen by her sexuality. She’s just a character.
5. How were the action scenes, especially the one on the bridge that looked so intense?
We were 3 weeks on that bridge and it was so hot! And yeah, that bridge is somehow imprinted in our DNA now. It was hot. The guns and gear on us were really heavy, especially for me, my little body. At the same time, we got into a rhythm. And I remember, I was telling my friends that I was tired of killing people. Because we spent 3 weeks on that bridge. And it was a long time. And we had to do some reshoots. Some repeating things that seemed endless. At the same time, I’m very comfortable with guns, so for me it’s a very easy thing to work with guns.
6. What have you been doing during this time of quarantine and what would you say to fans under the same circumstances?
I wish everyone was in the circumstances that I am, in nature and big spaces where you can have a walk or workout. I wish really the whole world would live in the countryside and have a farm, chickens, and vegetable gardens. But at the same time I have so much empathy for people stuck in apartments with two or five kids. I can’t imagine how it is for them. But at the same time, this is the reason why I left cities. And I’m here now in the country side because I didn’t want to end up in any city, or any apartment in the air. I wanted to put my foot on the ground.
But what I think is, this is a good time for all of us to realize that whoever we’re with are the people we were meant to be stuck with. And there are things to sort out inside of us and in these relationships. And I, from the beginning, said I would have a goal and achieve that. So it’s good to have something to reach because it’s gonna help, because it gives the sense of purpose. And of course, we do a lot of meditation, a lot of dancing, and things good for the soul like art and music. So, a sense of purpose can help all of us.
Extraction is available on Netflix now.
