By: Lynn Barker
In the 2017 version of The Mummy, the lead character is a woman and a hot one too, although she can look pretty frightening at times. The betrayed Egyptian princess Ahmanet (played by beautiful Sofia Boutella who played cool alien Jaylah in the Star Trek Beyond movie) is accidentally unearthed by an antiquities thief played by Tom Cruise. He has no idea what scary wrath he has unleased on the world.
Nick Morton (Tom Cruise) and Chris Vail (Jake Johnson)Courtesy of Universal Studios
Both actors are monster movie fans and revealed in this interview that they hope you will be on the edge of your seat during the film. Hey, Tom is just like most of you. He wants to be scared while watching a scary movie….so he made one. Check it out.
Q: We understand that you love being scared during a monster movie. Is that right?
- Tom: I want to see a monster movie now. I love movies. I go to the theater to watch films. I’ll watch a movie a day and I am hungry as an audience member to see a film like this. I want to be scared and entertained. I want it in a way that it’s thrilling and puts me on the edge of my seat.
The Mummy gathers her powersCourtesy of Universal Studios
Q: Will this Mummy movie be different? What will it offer?
- Tom: We’ve really been pushing the edges of storytelling. This film will have obviously, great action and real thrills and scares and wonderful character humor, that I love, within it. It has a very dark humor that I want from this kind of film. It’s exciting when people come together with this kind of project and we go “Okay, let’s go make a movie!” and that’s how you feel even though it’s massive in scale but there is also that sense of joy in creating something that I love. I love this genre and this universe.
The dangerous mummy is chainedCourtesy of Universal Studios
Q: Just who is your character Nick Morton?
- Tom: Nick Morton is a thief. He is stealing these old relics and selling them on the Black Market for money. He works for the Army and uses his position in the Army to scout and go ahead and work the various sides of the Black Market with his partner Vail (Jake Johnson) and he is definitely not interested in history and has no real understanding of what he deals in and he gets caught up in this terrifying adventure.
Tom as Nick Morton inside the mummy's tombCourtesy of Universal Studios
Q: Do you think Sofia Boutella is well-cast as Ahmanet, the mummy?
- Tom: I think Sofia is perfectly cast as the Mummy. She brings to it a real exotic charm. There is an exotic energy and a commanding performance (from her).
Q: It’s cool that you have Russell Crowe playing a big part.
- Tom: Russell is a very powerful actor. He’s a brilliant actor and to have him play this character, I was excited when he said that he wanted to be part of it. I was very interested in him playing the character of Jekyll. It was really fun watching him create it. Having that dynamic between the two of us in the film and also with all the other cast (was great).
Nick Morton (Tom Cruise) talks with Dr. Jekyll (Russell Crowe)Courtesy of Universal Studios
Q: There is a neat Zero-Gravity sequence in the film. Talk about that.
- Tom: I’d had this idea for creating a Zero-G sequence for a long time. Alex (Kurtzman) had come up with the idea of a plane crash in the script. I said “Listen, I think this is the way to approach it”. I was pleased to hear how excited he was about it to create something that is visceral and terrifying for the audience was really the goal. How do we put them on the edge of their seat is always my goal.
Tom talks with director/producer Alex Kurtzman on setCourtesy of Universal Studios
Sofia Boutella
Q: Sofia, talk about how you approached playing the betrayed Egyptian Princess Ahmanet. She’s got a reason to be well, pissed off.
- Sofia: It was important to me to get into the psychology of the character and understand why she did what she did because she had to and to have people feel for her and that was the goal. It’s too easy to make it obvious that she’s just mean or hateful.
Princess Ahmanet before she was a mummyCourtesy of Universal Studios
Q: How was working with Tom and then also with Russell Crowe?
- Sofia: Oh Tom, I love him. I love being on set with him. I think he’s fantastic and amazing. I remember getting to set and I’m like “I’m on set with Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe at the same time!” I was just basically observing them, watching those guys. They are so good at what they do and they’ve been doing it for such a long time. I’m still very green and new to this craft and I’m learning every single day.
- Talking about film and cinema and moviemaking with Tom is such a blessing. He’s so good at it. Anabelle (Wallis who plays Jenny) is lovely and funny. Everybody is great on this movie.
Archeologist Jenny Halsey (Anabelle Wallis) in the Mummy's tombCourtesy of Universal Studios
Q: The film has some impressive sets. Which was your fave?
- Sofia: The most impressive set I walked on was the Crusader’s Chamber because of the size and scale of it all; the walls, the rocks.. the feel, the energy. It was even humid in there and there was this echo. You felt that you were really there. It was so realistic and nicely done. You feel it instantaneously. You’re inspired.
The weird eyes of Princess AhmanetCourtesy of Universal Studios
Q: What do you hope the audience gets out of the movie?
- Sofia: I think the audience should expect to be transported, to travel not only in space but in time. They can expect to be entertained and amused and have a laugh while hopefully being excruciatingly terrified!
The Mummy PosterCourtesy of Universal Studios
You can see The Mummy in theaters now!
Have Your Say
Have you seen other Mummy films? Do you think it’s cool that this mummy is a woman? Leave your thoughts below with a comment!
