The newest J.J. Abrams-produced movie, ”Overlord,” is not only action-packed, but full of heart, humor, and some shocking twists.
When American paratroopers land in a Nazi-occupied French village, they discover there is much more going on behind enemy lines.
Wyatt Russell plays Ford, a seasoned Colonel who will stop at nothing to complete his mission. Jovan Adepo plays Boyce, a green private with a big heart. Russell and Adepo sat down to talk the whirlwind that is Overlord.
The Knockturnal: So this is a super intense movie. Did it feel that way when you were filming it? I know Director Julius Avery likes things to feel real.
Jovan Adepo: It felt intense the whole time. Everyday. Nonstop. Go, action.
Wyatt Russell: It was. The movie takes place over the course of 6 hours, but you are shooting it in 3 and a half months. Every day, you come to work, and [in the film] it’s only ten minutes later. You have to keep the energy level high, and that can be tough.
The Knockturnal: Was it hard to wind down after leaving set?
Adepo: No, we would just get a beer. You’re so tired by the end of the day. There is no winding down. You are exhausted and you want to just hang out.
Russell: Everyone was a pretty mellow person.
The Knockturnal: Everyone was in the same mindset.
Adepo: Pretty much.
The Knockturnal: I know you guys did a boot camp to physically prepare but did you do anything to mentally prepare to be in the mindset for three and a half months?
Adepo: I think it was included with that boot camp experience. There was a time when we were doing “Fire Watch.” That’s when all the guys take turns taking different shifts so that the others can sleep. Nobody got to sleep 3 to 4 hours, maybe you get 2 or 2 and a half hours of sleep, but then you have to sit in front of the fire and watch the camp. That was a lot of time you got to spend thinking about the experience. And it was also cold. It was a lot of mental preparation that went along with the boot camp.
The Knockturnal: Did you do World War II research as well?
Russell: One of the things to remember about this movie is that it isn’t a World War II movie. It’s set in World War II but it’s like an alternate universe. I’d run on the treadmill or one of those machines, and watch World War II documentaries to see how people reacted and what they were like. That was how deep I went.
The Knockturnal: Did you see anything that stuck with you as you went into this film?
Adepo: Just the young men being away at war. What it is like to be on your own and trying to survive. That was the through-line that I, and I think most of the guys were trying to convey with their characters. We all had specific personalities, but it’s that through-line of trying to survive the night.
Russell: How oddly people react in different situations. Some people laugh, most of the time you aren’t living in total utter fear. You have defense mechanisms, and you shove it away for the time being. It was interesting watching different people’s reactions to different situations.
The Knockturnal: What characters were you excited about? That maybe you haven’t seen in war movies.
Adepo: One of the characters I reacted to the most, performance wise, was Chase. The interaction between Chase and Ford, and then Chase and Tibbet [played by John Magaro] is so funny. He’s very funny.
Russell: It was fun watching other people find their characters. Iain did a fantastic job playing Chase.
The Knockturnal: That scene with Chase is crazy.
Russell: Yeah
Adepo: [laughs] Yeah, it’s intense.
The film hits theaters this Friday.
