My favorite celebrities to talk to aren’t always the big A-list stars. I like talking to actors who are just on the verge of stardom and haven’t been tainted by the machine yet. They’re still having fun talking to journalists and that makes my job so much easier. So Teresa Palmer, who’s got her first lead role in THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE, fit that part perfectly.
Palmer has seen her share of hardship – she was recast in JUMPER just two weeks before filming and was rehearsing the planned JUSTICE LEAGUE movie when Warner Bros. pulled the plug – but it hasn’t slowed her down at all. She’s got the Michael Bay action-thriller I AM NUMBER FOUR coming up in addition to her role in SORCERER. We got to talking about a lot of those topics below in a chat we had recently on the phone…
Teresa Palmer
Have you been able to see the film with an audience yet?
I actually saw it with a lot of journalists… (laughs)
They’re the worst people to see a movie with.
I know! I was so scared because I’m thinking “They’re critiquing the movie!” Oh gosh, I was really nervous. It was not the ideal experience to have the first time you see it. But it was OK, I had Jay sitting next to me and he hadn’t seen it either so we kept squeezing each other and before [the famous FANTASIA scene] came on, we were like “Ohhh, here it goes!” We were really excited to see that.
What was it like seeing the film put together because I’d imagine as you’re filming, there’s a lot of times you’re acting to nothing.
You have no idea what they’re going to do in post-production with special effects. Basically we’re just acting to a green wall. Or one of the PAs who’s waving a wand in front of your face and you have to pretend it’s a huge fireball coming at your head. We each had our own idea of how this would come together and after I saw the movie, I realized I had no idea how much they were going to go to town on the effects. It’s a major film. It was really jaw-dropping some of the effects. Stuff I had never seen done on film before.
Had you seen FANTASIA before signing on to this movie?
Yeah I saw FANTASIA when I was a little girl so I had seen “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” when I was three or four. I remember listening to the music and dancing around the living room. All these memories came flooding back when I watched that scene in our movie and heard the music. I felt very nostalgic and had goosebumps.
Were you at all cautious about signing on to a movie that was remaking such a beloved property?
No. No way (laughs). I was just so psyched that someone would want me to audition for a movie like this with Jerry Bruckheimer and Nicolas Cage. I never really thought about that. I just wanted to get a job! Then I found out I got the movie and it’s in the hands of Jerry and I put my trust in him. He’s the guru at putting out these incredible epic films. I never had any doubts that it wasn’t going to work. I was just really excited to be a part of it.
Was Jay already involved in the film when you began your auditions?
I saw him, we were both in the waiting room at the very first audition. Then I saw him for the “chemistry read” when he’d already gotten the movie. That was about two weeks later. I came to the chemistry read and told him congratulations and he said, “Well now you have to get the movie too.” He was really great. He helped calm my nerves. It was a very daunting and scary experience. We knew each other beforehand so that helps.
Yeah you guys had worked together on that JUSTICE LEAGUE movie?
It was only a couple of weeks of hanging out in Australia, doing rehearsals and the cast getting to know each other. I knew him from that and cut to just over a year later and there I am auditioning with him and trying to win the role.
Was there almost an instant chemistry between you two?
Well I think Jay’s the kind of actor who commits to every role and puts 100% into everything he does. That’s the way he is. He’s a real professional and he’s very similar to Dave [the character in the movie] in real life. He’s got a lot of energy and he can be a goofball and he’s incredibly intelligent. He’s a little bit cooler than Dave though. He’s not quite as nerdy and fumbly around girls. He’s a bit of a charmer. I told him today, “I think all the girls are going to fall in love with you because of this movie.” He’s like, “Aww there’s no way.” Yeah they will, you watch.
So now you go from filming with Jerry Bruckheimer to working with Michael Bay on I AM NUMBER FOUR. Getting all the super-producers down in one year’s work.
Yeah but I haven’t even started filming yet! The movie has started but I’ve been doing stunt training for the last two months. I play an alien, Number 6, and she’s from planet Lorien and she’s this kick-butt alien who’s a martial artist, knows gymnastics, rides a Ducati, she shoots guns and has a sword…. She’s a highly skilled warrior and she’s fighting the enemy alien here on Earth. So it’s been a very physically challening role and something I’m really looking forward to. I’m really pushing myself! It’s been a great stretch.