'Hounds of War' Exclusive Interview: Rhona Mitra

Moviefone speaks with Rhona Mitra about 'Hounds of War'. "I love fight sequences, and I knew I'd be working with a really good stunt team," she said.

Rhona Mitra as “Selina” in the action/thriller/war film, 'Hounds of War', an XYZ Films release. Photo courtesy of XYZ Films.

Available on digital beginning September 20th is the new action film ‘Hounds of War’, which was directed by Isaac Florentine ('211'), and stars Frank Grillo (‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’, ‘The Purge: Anarchy’), Robert Patrick (‘Terminator 2: Judgement Day,’ ‘Peacemaker’), and Rhona Mitra (‘Doomsday,’ ‘Underworld: Rise of the Lycans’).

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with actress Rhona Mitra about her work on ‘Hounds of War’, her first reaction to the screenplay, her character, working with Frank Grillo, shooting the action sequences, and collaborating with director Isaac Florentine, as well as looking back on her work on the classic action movie ‘Doomsday’.

(L to R) Frank Grillo as “Ryder” and Rhona Mitra as “Selina” in the action/thriller/war film, 'Hounds of War', an XYZ Films release. Photo courtesy of XYZ Films.

Moviefone: To begin with, what was your first reaction to the screenplay and why did you want to make this movie?

Rhona Mitra: Well, this came in pretty hard and fast, and the turnaround was very quick, so I didn't have too much time to chew on it. When a script and a project like this comes in, you got to get on a plane within 24 hours, so I need to make sure that I'll be able to walk on set and do the character justice and not feel like a goofball. That's literally an actor's nightmare to walk on the set and feel like you're unprepared. I knew Frank, so that was a bonus. I knew what I was dealing with there. All my scenes are with Frank, so that was a no-brainer. It was shooting in Malta, which doesn't hurt at all. That's pretty much all I needed because at the end of the day, it's a job. There's fighting and I love fighting. I love fight sequences, and I knew I'd be working with a good stunt team.

MF: How would you describe your character and your approach to playing her?

RM: I mean, she's a woman who's come from a life which has been hard. I think that I've obviously played characters in my life where these women who end up in these very male dominated environments doing incredibly dangerous stuff with a lot of men. I've played so many women who have done this now. Something that I draw on is always trying to find where's the little girl before all of this happened and how does she get on this trajectory? She's in this very dangerous world, and there's a point where she just pulls herself out of it, which I think that we all get to that point when we hit about our 40s, where we have this “come to Jesus” moment and go, "Hang on a second. Where am I? Who am I? How the hell did I get here?" Either you take yourself off the boil for a while and do some serious reassessing, or you carry on a trajectory which may or may not serve you, and most likely it won't. I think we all must have that point where we kind of step back and become the architects from the ground up again. She created a sanctuary. She stepped away from this world, she took care of herself. When it comes back knocking on her doorstep in the form of somebody who obviously she has very fond feelings for, she goes back into it because of her connection to the person rather than the addiction of being part of that world. I think that's something that's really appealing to me is how do we engage with this violent world that we're living in and not abandon the softness of our true essence? I know that's way deeper than anything this film is saying, but that's what I liked about it. That's what I related to, if that makes sense.

Frank Grillo in 'Hounds of War'. Photo courtesy of XYZ Films.

MF: Can you talk about Selina’s history with Ryder and why she decides to help him?

RM: Because he is like a family member. There are some people in our lives that you just feel so deeply loyal to. You often find in anything that's kind of military, whether it's legal or not, it doesn't matter if it's sort of corrupt or legit, it's all corrupt. All of it is naughty. But there is this bond that is formed, and I've worked with so many different people, whether it's SAS or Navy SEALs, there's an orphanage of misfits that get recruited into this kind of world where you form a family that is beyond anything that you can ever really put words to because you do or die with them. The way that Frank and I discussed this and what he and I both know, and we believe in, is that that love, which is not a romantic love, is a connection which is so beautiful because they will die for each other and it's not romantic. I find that much more interesting than romantic love. It's a loyalty, which is a very beautiful thing, that exists between people in service.

MF: What was it like working with Frank Grillo again?

RM: I've worked with Frank before. So, I knew him. Working with Frank is like working with a sibling. I just know him, and we know each other. So, we know how to move around each other, and we can just about push each other's buttons enough to get all the right elements out. We have a good dance with each other. We both know where to tread, and that's important. This movie is Frank, and he must do his thing. Creating the environment where Frank can do his thing while also doing your thing, because you must be able to go toe-to-toe with Frank Grillo. You've got to be able to hold your own. So, I think I can do that with him.

Frank Grillo as “Ryder” in the action/thriller/war film, 'Hounds of War', an XYZ Films release. Photo courtesy of XYZ Films.

MF: Can you talk about shooting the action sequences and working with the stunt team?

RM: They're always my favorite part of any production. Stunt people are unequivocally the most respectful, the most dedicated, and the most creative in so many ways because they're creating a language that's not even on the page. So, while you're saying, "Okay, we need to have this happen." The stunt choreographer is basically creating a whole dance that isn't even written, that doesn't even have notes, that doesn't even have melody. Ten you get together with them, and they show you this. I love it because it's so violently poetic and it's so cathartic that every single time you do a take or you get it right, you see that it's such a great team feeling. That I love, because you created something with a team that everyone is proud of. Ultimately, for me, it puts me in my most humble state because I must do right by the stunt team. They're so much better than me that all I want is to get a good report card from them. All I want is to make sure when they see that take, they're like, "Girl, done good." I feel like I always want to show up and do the best job for them. I don't really care what anyone else says. If the stunt coordinator or the partner I'm doing the fight with looks at me with the nod of respect, I go home a happy girl.

MF: What was it like collaborating with director Isaac Florentine on set?

RM: He's a lovely, lovely man. He's a very gentle person. He knows his fight world so well. So, to be able to see somebody kind of conduct that world the way that he does was a very new experience for me. It's a collaboration because character and nuances of the characters that we are being charged to bring to life is a different balance because he's not about character, he's about the dance. There are different types of directors, so that's where the collaboration comes in. So, him trusting us, me to shape and form the dance to Selina’s way of moving is a trust. It's a mutual trust. I hope he felt okay about handing that over. He's so bloody good at what he does, but hopefully he was happy with what I did with the character.

Rhona Mitra in 'Doomsday'. Photo: Universal Pictures.

MF: Finally, 2008’s ‘Doomsday’ has grown a big cult following since its release, do you have fond memories of making that movie?

RM: I do have a lot of fond memories of making that film. For me, it was one of the greatest bonds that I ever made with a crew. The crew on that film, I feel like I went to war with for seven months. I feel like that was a real labor of love and tenacity and trying to make something work. There's a lot of difficult elements in that production as they are with a lot. But the best part of it was, again, it was the stunts and crew, they're always my favorite part. We had the best crew. We shot in South Africa. We got amazing shots that should never have happened, virtually with no time, with very little money. We worked hard. I mean, it's a lot of fun. Again, I just want to make sure that I'm playing a character plausibly. I'm only five foot six, and so I'm having to go up against these big giants and make it look plausible. I take that seriously. So, I was in training twice a day and I was with the stunt team who became brothers to me. We were always practicing our fight sequences. I did horse riding. I did a 180 handbrake turn in a Bentley Continental. I managed to do that. I learned so much stuff that was, for me, the off-camera stuff was probably the most enjoyable. That and ‘Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, I'd have to say I love them both deeply, the process of making those films.

What is the plot of ‘Hounds of War’?

Frank Grillo, Robert Patrick and Rhona Mitra star in ‘Hounds of War’ about the best military mercenaries that money can buy. Known as ‘The Hounds’, they are sent on a final mission by their creator: a carefully planned trap set up to destroy them.