Interview by Rafy Mediavilla with Lionsgate’s “Plane”, Danielle Pendena, where we spoke about filming in Puerto Rico, getting into the mindset of a flight attendant, working with Gerard Butler, and how Faye Valentine (Cowboy Bebop) would have handled this situation.
In the white-knuckle action movie PLANE, pilot Brodie Torrance (Gerard Butler) saves his passengers from a lightning strike by making a risky landing on a war-torn island – only to find that surviving the landing was just the beginning. When most of the passengers are taken hostage by dangerous rebels, the only person Torrance can count on for help is Louis Gaspare (Mike Colter), an accused murderer who was being transported by the FBI. In order to rescue the passengers, Torrance will need Gaspare’s help and will learn there’s more to Gaspare than meets the eye.
Criticólogos:
I’m coming to you from San Juan, Puerto Rico, so I must ask, how did they treat you down here while you were filming in Puerto Rico? Did you have fun? Did you enjoy the food, the weather, and the culture?
Daniella Pineda:
Well, you know what’s so funny. (Puerto Rico) it’s one of my grandpa’s favorite places and he, I was supposed to go with him, and I had always wanted a reason to go to the island. And then this movie came along, and I was like, oh, perfect. And so, I got to spend three months there and it was beautiful.
I have no complaints. Our crew was lovely and professional, and you know, they shoot a lot of movies there, so it’s a seasoned crew. Many of the film’s actors are locals, and I’ve said this before, but for being a small island, the abundance of talent is crazy. It’s like witchcraft.
Criticólogos:
I want to talk about Bonnie, She’s the flight attendant, and I want to know if you have a newfound respect for that specific job, and how far did you go into doing research about what they do? Or did you just follow the script?
Daniella Pineda:
They do so much. First, it’s dangerous. Even a regular flight is dangerous and they’re risking themselves to get me a beverage, you know? So, um, sometimes I feel like, uh, they’re not honored and, and highlighted enough. Um, and especially after this film. Oh, I have a new appreciation for flight attendants.
When it comes to flying the plane, yes it’s the captain, but for everything else, all the safety protocols, the emergency landing, and what to do with the passengers, that is solely the responsibility of the flight attendants, and we had a couple of Captain’s who were consultants on the movie and there were so many times where they had the speaker on or speed dial one of the flight attendants for an answer to a question. They really are completely knowledgeable. So yes, after this film if I didn’t respect them before, more I beyond now.
Criticólogos:
This film screams nineties action film. I mean, we’re, we’re talking about, Air Force One, Die Hard, does types of action films. Were practical effects where a day-to-day job, know did you pre-prepare yourself physically to deal with these demanding physical scenes?
Daniella Pineda:
Yes. Well, um, I think it’s important just as a generality for actors to stay in shape because things change on the fly, and they rewrite things, and they have new ideas. And, you know, you can’t be out of shape and be an actor. You just can’t because you also just must protect yourself.
You must protect your back; you must protect all these things. And there were a lot of surprises that, that I wasn’t, necessarily prepared for. But we’re super fun, like sliding out of the plane. I had never done that before. I’ve worked on Gimbals before, but the gimbal that the plane was attached to and the movement was fun, but it was also like you really had to watch yourself because that plane really was jolting around. And Gerry had a moment where he hit his head on, uh, the side of, um, of one of the cabinets, uh, the overheads. And he was supposed to hit his head in the scene, but he really hit his head in the scene, and we had to stop and like he was bleeding and then, of course, it’s the French director was like, that’s the shot. We’re using that shot in the movie. And that is in fact the shot that they use in the film it was awesome. I’m a big lover of practical effects. Practical always wins. And I felt very fulfilled being a part of a movie that made me reminisce of the nineties.
Criticólogos:
If Faye Valentine (Cowboy Bebop) had to be in Bonnie’s shoes, how would you think she would handle the situation?
Daniella Pineda:
Oh my gosh. If Faye was on the plane, I don’t know. It would be an awesome disaster. She would, first be running ahead of Gerry and Mike and they’d be like, where are you going? And she’s like, I’m going to go do the thing you don’t want me to do. So, it would probably be a fantastic disaster.
See the interview below:
Trailer:
