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August 30, 2017 The Skanner Page 7 Arts & Entertainment Elodie Yung: ‘The Hitman’s Bodyguard & The Defenders’ Interview ing a week in the South of France. She went to Provence for a wedding. EY: Oh, it’s beautiful in Provence. Have you been there? By Kam Williams For The Skanner News A fter earning a law degree in France where she was born and raised, Elodie Yung realized that she wanted to pursue her lifelong passion of acting instead. That led her to study theater and earn a degree from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. Elodie booked work right out of school, first, as a recurring character in the serial drama La Vie Devant Nous and, then, in the highly-re- garded drama “Frag- ile(s),” which premiered at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. That led to what would be her breakout roles as Laura Maurier in the French TV series “Les Bleus,” and as the fe- male lead in the feature film “District 13 Ultima- tum”where she show- cased her extensive mar- tial arts skills. Elodie subsequently set her sights on Hollywood, where she was tapped by director David Fincher to play Miriam Wu in “The Girl with the Dragon Tat- too.” Next, she landed the KW: No, unfortunate- ly. But enough about me. What interested you in playing Amelia? EY: First of all, I want- ed to do this comedy be- cause Ryan [Reynolds] and Sam [Jackson] were attached to it, and Salma Hayek as well. And when Gary Oldman joined the cast, I felt that I just had lead role of Jinx in “GI Joe 2: Retaliation” opposite Dwayne Johnson. More recently, she starred in “Gods Of Egypt,” an ad- venture fantasy about a common thief who joins a mythical god on an epic quest. On TV, Elodie starred as the superhero ‘Elek- tra’ in the second season of the Emmy-nominated Netflix series “Daredev- il.” And she is currently reprising that role in The Defenders, a spinoff se- ries which premiered on Netflix Aug. 18. Here, Elodie talks about both that show and her new film, “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” where she plays Interpol Agent ‘Amelia Roussel’ opposite Samuel L. Jack- son and Ryan Reynolds. Kam Williams: Hi Elodie, I’m honored to have this opportunity to speak with you. Elodie Yung: No, it’s my pleasure, Kam. KW: Your accent re- minds me that my wife just got back after spend- ! e t a d e h t e v a S F oundation 32nd annual MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. “ I think it’s a true love story, so I’d say: Love out! to be a part of the project filled with people that I really admire. I also liked the script which I found to be a very clever com- edy in the way they re- versed the male-female dynamic. There are no damsels in distress in this movie. Instead, Sal- ma’s character is shout- ing at Sam’s all the time. And I’m giving Ryan lots of directions and telling him what to do. I love that aspect of the movie, and I thought it was an in- spired idea to pair Ryan and Sam. They had great chemistry and were real- ly funny together. KW: How did you pre- pare to play Amelia? EY: Since she’s an In- terpol agent, I had to make sure I knew how to handle a weapon. And to make sure it looked re- alistic, we had someone on the set to make sure I held the gun correctly. I’d been working on TV series [Daredevil] where I did a lot of action, so I just needed to stay in shape by running and go- ing to the gym every day, but nothing too crazy. KW: Editor/Legist Pa- tricia Turnier would like to know: What message you want people to take away from the movie? EY: I think it’s a true love story, so I’d say: Love out! KW: You have an in- triguing background in that you not only stud- ied acting and law but earned a black belt in ka- rate. How do you explain that mix? EY: Well, karate was something I did as a kid, because I grew up in a part of France that wasn’t so nice. My father sug- gested I try it, and I really enjoyed it and the compe- tition. Later, when I stud- ied law at the university, I didn’t have much time for anything else. And acting happened sort of randomly, because I needed to make money. I didn’t really want to be an actress, at first, but I stuck with it because I re- ally liked it. KW: Tell me a little about reprising the role of Elektra on the new, Netflix spinoff series, “The Defenders.” Didn’t your character die on the old series, “Daredevil”? EY: Yes, but Alexan- dra, played by Sigourney Weaver, brings me back to life. This time, I’m ba- sically teaming up with some other superheroes to save New York from a threat. KW: You’ve been very successful in action See INTERVIEW on page 11 –NEW– LOCAT ION JAN. 15 2018 8:30AM-10:30AM Breakfast RED LION ON THE RIVER – JANZTEN BEACH 909 N HAYDEN ISLAND DR, PORTLAND, OR Tickets Sales and Guest Speaker will be announced on TheSkanner.com
