Fiercest vs. fairest: Charlize Theron, left, and Kristen Stewart wage a battle of evil vs. good, with Chris Hemsworth caught in the middle, in Snow White and the Huntsman, opening today. Here, the stars are photographed outside Arundel Castle in England.
Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who is the fairest of the three stars of Snow White and the Huntsman? Hard to say, since each of the main characters — as well as the actors who play them — embarks on an incredible journey during the film. Here are their stories.
SNOW WHITE
From cowering prisoner to sword-wielding warrior
"I know there was talk that we were making another Twilight film," says director Rupert Sanders, especially after Kristen Stewart — Bella Swan herself — was picked as the lead. But he had his reasons: "We met with known actors and unknowns. But then I saw this rebellious spirit who wears her heart on her sleeve, and is so raw and willful. She stands on her own two feet, even though she is so young and there is so much pressure on her — just like Snow White." Stewart, 22, appreciated the film's reimagining of Snow White, who is kept locked away in a tower as a child until she finds a way to escape and becomes a kind of Joan of Arc figure. "She is strong, yet remains a female. It is so on trend to be an empowered woman. I thought she was essentially me."
She is also glad for the respite from Twilight's world of vampires, werewolves and crazed fans. "I've been lucky to do a project in between each film in the series," she says of the successful franchise that wraps up with No. 5 this fall. "Otherwise, I would have gone nuts." One reason she signed on was the chance to match wits with Charlize Theron, who plays the evil queen. "There is a super-different energy when she walks into the room. She blows your hair back. It makes you want to impress her." The actress was even allowed to inject herself into the role, writing her own inspirational speech to the troops before they head into the final battle. "I related to her huge responsibility, and you have to feel why she was the one to take this weight on her shoulders."
Stewart had to overcome her own doubts and fears as well when it came to mounting a horse for the first time since she broke her elbow in a riding accident at age 9. But the scene where she has to take a swing at Chris Hemsworth's huntsman restored her confidence. Especially during one take when she accidentally knocked out the actor. "Honestly," says Stewart, "I punched out Thor."
THE QUEEN
A tragically cruel beauty who craves immortality. There was just one name that came to mind when producer Joe Roth and director Sanders discussed who should be Ravenna, the evil queen and stepmother of Snow White. "She can manipulate her beauty. She can do dark and tough very well but also has this amazing wounded quality to her," says Sanders of the Oscar winner for 2003's Monster who famously de-glammed herself to play a serial killer. Not that her queen doesn't have a sympathetic side. "She and Snow White run parallel to one another," says Sanders. "They were both born from the same beginning. They lose everything and are pushed into the world alone." Theron turned down a chance to be in Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar in order to wear Ravenna's spiky heavy-metal crown. "I think any actress would think this is a jackpot among roles," she says. "These kind of narratives allow us to experience the human condition to its fullest." She found a way into her character's twisted psyche by comparing her to a trapped creature. "When wild animals are caught in cages, they pace constantly," Theron says. "Nature must move and be free. The saddest thing is when a wild animal simply lies down and doesn't get up. They just stare. I tried not to blink." As a creepy bonus, "It caused my eyes to turn red naturally."
Has she found her own beauty to be a curse as well as a blessing when it comes to attracting substantial roles that require her to be more than just a pretty face? "We don't ask for the hand that is dealt us," says Theron. "I was lucky that I came from a place where I don't expect things to simply come your way. You work with what you have and don't whine about it." While Theron was nominated for a second Oscar for 2005's North Country, the actress has had only a handful of notable leads since then. Much like the queen, she is not letting others decide her fate. Roth says the 36-year-old actress is taking steps now to ensure she has a future in Hollywood even if her ingénue days are over. "She spent the last three years building her own production company," he says. Much like Ravenna, "she has an innate sense of survival."
THE HUNTSMAN
A man of constant sorrow — until a girl gives him hope. As Eric, a mercenary recruited by the queen to pluck Snow White's still-beating heart from her body so she can devour it, the immense Chris Hemsworth looks almost as intimidating as when he's suited up for his role as Thor, the Norse god of thunder, in The Avengers. But one look at the despondent expression on his face and the drunken haze in his eyes reveals he is more troubled soul than superhero. "I had apprehension about doing another fantasy film," says the 28-year-old Aussie. "But the huntsman is a real character with a real heart, an open wound. When I read the script, it caught me by surprise how grounded in reality he was. He is this incredibly flawed Western character, like something out of Unforgiven." But even though Eric's attitude begins to change once he is exposed to the inner goodness possessed by Snow White, their alliance goes beyond romance — especially since she has feelings for her childhood friend who is a prince. "This is by no means two guys fighting over a girl," he says. "The audience knows more about how they feel about each other than they do. She doesn't need to find a man and be rescued."
While the huntsman was originally conceived to be much older (at one point,Viggo Mortenson, 53, was in the running), the filmmakers were willing to tailor the role to fit Hemsworth. "Chris has a rogue-ish quality," says director Sanders. "He's not a heavy drinker but he might like a bit of argy-bargy at the pub after a few beers. I made him mortal and kept him dirty." Producer Roth describes his male lead this way: "When you meet him, he checks off all the boxes. He looks like a linebacker, he's a cross between Brad Pitt and David Beckham, he's a good actor whose first language is English, he has great character and he couldn't be nicer." Growing up in the Outback also proved to be good preparation to play an outdoorsman who swings a mean ax. "My brothers and I camped out a lot with our parents," Hemsworth says. "And I worked at a horticultural company where I split wood." Why does a tough guy find salvation in assisting this mere slip of a girl to rise up and meet her destiny as a leader? "He's intrigued by Snow White's naivete," Hemsworth says. "She's been locked up in a tower and hasn't been exposed to the horror in the world. She lacks cynicism. She clears his head and opens him up. Beneath all that bravado and drunkenness, she believes in him, and he is prepared to follow her in her selfless quest."
via USA Today
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