What appealed to you about this film?
I enjoyed this film very much, because I felt it was not just a science fiction film. When I first read it, I felt like it was a lot of things, and more emotional than any science fiction film I’d ever seen. There was a lot of genuine emotion and I would put it up there with the great science fiction that really brought that level of heart and emotion. I think it’s fragile in so many ways; it’s such a fragile movie. You walk out of the film asking so many questions, because the characters are so fragile. I really liked that about it.
This was your first leading role. What was that like in terms of the responsibility?
It was a great, great adventure. You never do anything by yourself. I feel like Andrew was there all the way and, quite honestly, I felt like Amanda was, too. The second half of the film is really about the two of us and our chemistry and our journey together – the characters’ journey together – and in a lot of ways her character arc is bigger than mine; she comes from a place and goes a complete 180 and my character has the same ideals throughout, just finds a way to follow through with them. This was also the most personal experience I’ve had with a character, and I think it was because it was a leading role and I accessed a lot more of myself to play it.
Do you think it deals with real-world themes?
I think that all great science fiction films have a way of turning a mirror on society using an idea of the future to metaphorically speak about the present. So, yes, I think there’s more than one idea to this. I think there’s a metaphor about class system, how a class system can revolve around how rich or poor you are. I think there’s an underlying theme about our economy as it exists right now and I think there’s an underlying theme about the never-ending search to stay young forever. The Fountain of Youth and how everyone is constantly searching for that.
If you had the opportunity, would you want to look young for the rest of my life?
My younger days I looked ridiculous [laughs], so, no, I like myself more now than I ever have. I think it’s because you get to a point where age becomes attractive to you in a way. When you accept the inevitability that you are aging, that you are getting older, it becomes a thing you settle in to. So I have no desire to be young again. I still feel very young and I always will, but I’m excited to progress.
In Time is in cinemas nationwide now.
