Against The Wild Stars CJ Adams and Erin Pitt Interview

Feb 24, 2014

CJ Adams and Erin Pitt star as a brother and sister who test their survival skills when they get lost in the wilderness and are forced to trust their instincts to find their way home in Against The Wild - we caught up with CJ and Erin to find out more!

CJ plays Zach WadeCourtesy of Starz Media

KW: You're in a new movie, Against the Wild, can you tell us what it's about?

CJ: This movie is targeted for kids around my age, like 7 to 16, it's an adventure about how a family gets reunited - wait I don't want to give anything away, but it's about family and friendship mostly.

KW: What attracted you to the role?

CJ: Basically what I liked about the movie is that it was a family adventure and I did like the dog too and the animals in it.

Erin: Well I really liked it because there was a dog in the movie and I've never actually had a dog as my own in a movie, and I really liked the storyline and the characters and everything.

KW: Are you guys both animal lovers?

CJ: Yeah, I am.

Erin: Yeah.

KW: Do either of you have a dog at home?

Erin: Yeah I have a yorkie so it's a lot smaller than the dog in the movie.

CJ: I had two fish that died about two years ago!

KW: Oh no! Have either of you worked on a movie with animals before?

CJ: This is my first time working with animals.

Erin: Actually I did another movie, my very first movie, called You Lucky Dog with Natasha Henstridge, and there was a dog in the movie who saves everyone from a forest fire, but he wasn't my dog in the movie so he was only on set for like 4 days. But I got to work with "Chinook" [an Alaskan Malamute named Houston in real life] almost every day for this movie.

Erin and CJ with Houston, an Alaskan MalamuteCourtesy of Starz Media

KW: Did you like working with Chinook as a cast member?

Erin: Yes I did, but sometimes Chinook was a little crazy. One time she just ran off for an hour chasing squirrels. And another time we couldn't find Houston and we ended up taking Chinook out of the scene and then CJ pointed out, like "Hey! Isn't that Houston!"

KW: What was the most memorable part of filming?

CJ: Well definitely when the dog ran away for an hour and a half.

Erin: Probably when we had to do the water scene, and it was really cold, and it's something I would never forget. It wasn't that bad, but it was in the middle of October.

KW: Where did you film it?

Erin: We filmed in Parry Sound, Ontario, actually really close to where my family cottage is. So it was cool to kind of go up there for such a long time and not have to go home, it's really beautiful up there and the resort we stayed at was really nice, and every night CJ and I would just hang out and do our lines together. It's a place that I love, the wilderness and the lake is really beautiful.

KW: This movie has a lot of amazing scenery in it, you can tell even from the start of the trailer when you're in the small plane going over the trees and everything. Are you nature-lovers?

CJ: Oh yeah, and that has to be one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to.

Erin: Yes.

KW: You guys play a brother and sister, what was it like getting into those parts? Have you worked together before?

Erin: We hit it off really well.

CJ: We actually haven't. We practiced a lot in the cabins and got comfortable with each other acting and everything.

KW: Do you still keep in touch now that the movie is over?

Emily: Yes!

KW: Can you describe a bit about your characters in the film?

CJ: Zach is really caring but he likes to goof off with his sister a lot and he has a good heart and cares for her a lot.

Erin: Hannah is a young character, so I played a little younger, she's a sweet girl, very sensitive and very smart and she knows all this information about dogs reacting - she learns a lot of things from TV, she always says 'I learned it from TV". She loves her family - when she finds out her parents are separating she loves her family being together with her dog and her brother.

Against The Wild Box ArtCourtesy of Starz Media

KW: What did you like most about the story?

CJ: There's a part where there's a small cliff and they had this matt on the bottom and I liked juming off onto it, and I loved seeing all the wilderness

Erin: I love the two siblings pulling together and protecting each other against all odds.

KW: Are you in anything upcoming fans should know about?

CJ: I'm in a couple episodes of Chicago Fire and the new Godzilla is coming out May 14th - I'm in that!

Erin: At the beginning of the summer I filmed An American Girl: Blanche movie and I played the lead Isabelle and I'm pretty sure it's out around July.