THE SHALLOWS may very well end up being one of the sleeper hits of the summer, and a large portion of the credit must go to Blake Lively. Playing a woman stranded on a rock and hunted by a ruthless shark, the actress gives a performance that is not only compelling, but pretty darn believable considering about 90% of the film was shot in a studio – no ocean, no shark. Lively’s convincing bouts of fear, anguish and persistence are that much more striking when you think about how she’s doing all of that in a tank of water surrounded by a green screen. THE SHALLOWS should be the movie that makes Blake Lively a star.
I sat down with Blake to talk about how physically uncomfortable she was while making the film, as well as her relationship with sharks and the prospects for a sequel (her idea on that might surprise you). First we needed to talk about my shirt a little.