The Mary Sue Interview: Self/Less‘ Natalie Martinez & Derek Luke on Genre Film and Effects of Gender, Race, and Class on Storytelling
In the sci-fi thriller, Self/Less, which is out today, Ben Kingsley plays Damian, an extremely wealthy man dying from cancer who undergoes a radical medical procedure called “shedding” that transfers his consciousness into the body of a healthy young man (Ryan Reynolds). Check out the trailer above! I had the chance to speak with Self/Less stars Natalie Martinez (End of Watch, Under the Dome) and Derek Luke (Captain America, Empire) about the film exclusively for The Mary Sue.
Natalie Martinez at The Four Seasons in L.A., 2015
Miami native Natalie Martinez has been making quite a name for herself in projects like the emotionally affecting End of Watch, and the TV adaptation of Stephen King’s Under the Dome. Now, she talks about her latest role as Madeline (Maddy) in Self/Less as well as where she thinks Hollywood is in terms of diversity.
Teresa Jusino (TMS): What attracted you to this script, and what attracted you to this character?
Natalie Martinez: I just thought it was aa really cool story. Just the thought of it is really interesting. To put your consciousness in another body and live forever…it made me think, what would you do? Imagine if Steve Jobs had more time, or something like that? And then again, you have the opposite – like, what if Hitler had more time? You know what I’m saying? It inspires those Would you rathers…? or What would you do…? It makes you leave the theater thinking, that interests me.
Maddy is a very strong person, which I’m usually attracted to roles like that – people who are strong and stand up, yet are emotional and have feelings. I knew it was going to be a tough shoot – it was a lot of intense stuff – but I like a challenge.
TMS: One of the things that drew us to wanting to cover this movie is that there are so many People of Color involved – an Indian director (Tarsem Singh), Spanish writers (brothers David and Alex Pastor), etc – and also, you’re the main female in the film as well. What do you think that women – and specifically, women of color – can bring to sci-fi.
Martinez: To tell you the truth, I feel that one thing I’m liking about how society and how the entertainment industry is moving now is that it doesn’t matter what you are. It’s about whether you believe the person in the situation. Look, I’m [Cuban], and I’m the female lead in this, but it’s not like Speak Spanish, or Have an accent, or Let’s focus on how Spanish you are! And those are the types of movies I respect and like, because I just so happen to be [Cuban], it just so happens that there are many people of color [involved]. I mean, our President just so happens to be African American! Nowadays, we’re starting to be recognized as just people on an individual basis rather than our color or our ethnicity, where we’re from, what we look like….it’s just, who can do the role, and can we believe it or not.
And, you know, being [Cuban], I do have that bit of strength, you know? [laughs] So, you can believe that I’m strong, and have a gun, and can take care of my family.
Being an ethnic woman in the business right now, I’m starting to see more and more roles – and I’ve actually been a part of them! Under the Dome, Secrets and Lies, Self/Less. I think End of Watch is the only thing that put me specifically in a Spanish culture, but that’s what the story entailed. But other than that, that’s proof in the pudding right there. We’re kinda just being. And it might be in the last name, too, but…
What I love is that ABC is doing this a lot – look at Scandal, look at How to Get Away With Murder. You ahve really strong black female leads, which is fucking badass. It’s great, and we are starting to get a lot more roles.
TMS: Is there anything type of role that you haven’t done yet that you’re dying to?
Martinez: I’m starting to! I did a pilot not too long ago, and there were stunts and wire work and action – it didn’t get picked up, but I started getting into that. Then I started realizing Oh my God, I freaking love this! Now I’m on a show called Kingdom on DirectTV, and I play an MMA fighter. Now, I’ve been boxing and doing Muay Thai on my own for five years. It’s just a hobby of mine. And I am very active. So, now that I get to do something as a hobby in my work – yeah, I love it! So, my goal now is I want action films! Put me in front of a green screen, hang me from wires and throw me across the room! That’s what I want right now.
TMS: How do you think the story of Self/Less would change if it were about a PoC, or a poorer person, or anyone other than a rich, white man?
Martinez: I don’t think it would change too much. I mean, money doesn’t really have a color besides green. But they don’t just do it for anybody, either. It’s not just that ‘anyone with money’ can come up. The shedding company that allows this process to happen want to do this for people that will better humanity. They have something to contribute to society and to the world. Those are they type of people they’re targeting. And this man basically created buildings and built up the city from nothing. Those kinds of minds. And I don’t think color has anything to do with that. Color, to me, doesn’t change much. It’s just the person, how they’re raised, and what their beliefs are.
Derek Luke at The Four Seasons in L.A., 2015
Empire‘s Derek Luke plays Anton, a friend to Damian who appears after Damian has gotten into his new body. And, as with most people in thrillers, Anton isn’t what he seems. Before I could even ask Luke about the film, when I mentioned that I loved that so many People of Color were involved with this sci-fi project, he launched into how working with Singh was an eye-opening experience.
Derek Luke: I love seeing [Singh] run the set. For me, there was a whole other world that he was coming from. And I didn’t know anything about him, or what was going on culturally, but I saw that he has a strong mental… I really admired that about him. I saw that he was the only person that looked like him on set, but he was a general. And I thought, That, I can admire.
TMS: What drew you to Self/Less and to playing the character of Anton?
Luke: What’s cool about this genre is that, if I could go see a movie, I would see action, drama, comedy – I think it would happen in that order. So, I was talking to Tarsem and I thanked him for letting me be in the film. Then we started talking about how I love movies like The Fugitive… but I’ve never, ever focused in that direction! So, it’s interesting to be in an action/thriller, because I love them! So I wanted to be in that space, I wanted to be in a space that required fighting, that was very athletic, very physical… For me, if there was one scene I wanted to be in in the movie – it was the fighting scene! I’m serious! And I notice how much I don’t get to fight in movies. So, that was for me!
TMS: Now, our audience knows you were in Captain America. And the Howling Commandos were in Agent Carter, and I noticed you were not there! Is there a chance for Season 2? Are we going to see you?
[Note: He gave me a side-eye look!]
Luke: You know what? I think I was about to get ready to do Empire, and I was shooting…
TMS: Yeah, so that probably kept you really busy…
Luke: And you know what….? That’s all I’m gonna say. [chuckles]
TMS: And you know what? Hit show kept you busy. So that’s OK!
[Note: On The Americans, Luke played a character named Gregory, an American communist sympathizer who had both a political and a romantic relationship with Keri Russell’s KGB agent.]
Well, I’m also a fan of yours from The Americans – I loved your character on that – and I remember how interesting it was that, in the 1980s, of course you’d see a black man supporting the communists, because If this country’s not gonna support me? You know? So, to relate that back to Self/Less, I wonder how you think the story would change if it were a rich person of color? Like, let’s say someone as creative as the family on Empire – someone with that kind of money and access and talent who’s not a rich older white man?
Luke: I think when you’re talking in that area, I think it grounds it. Not even just if you’re a person of color. But if you see so much of one thing, and you start seeing other layers and colors? You can be white and can be just… Like, the way people respond to Denzel [Washington]. They’ll be like Man, I just love Denzel!
One of the things for me in doing this movie – the genres in PoC’s movies…they’re always concentrated in these hard stories. And sometimes when you get past a certain point, it’s not that you’re not connecting [anymore], but you’re like I like this! I like that! So, that’s what this movie meant for me. It wasn’t necessarily the length of the dialogue, it was the genre. It was that a guy from something like Empire could be in something like this.
TMS: What type of role would you like to play that you haven’t had a chance to play yet?
Luke: A hero. A hero that has to fight his way to survival, or for his family, his country, and he has special, unique skills. A guy that you’d employ for specific situations. Man on Fire meets Bourne Identity meets Enemy of the State.
But I’m actually still buzzing off your last question! [about the possibilities if we make the lead a PoC] A lot of times, the imagination is what you feed it. You’re trying to feed your creative self. I know what I see when I see Denzel, or Michael Pena doing stuff, and I’ll think I never went out for that role, because my imagination wasn’t there.
We then proceeded to talk more about race in film, and that I should write stuff, and that if I pitched the stuff I was mentioning to Terrence Howard, that he’d love it. [PS – Terrence Howard, you can call me any time!] So, you all go see Self/Less, and I’ll figure out writing an action screenplay starring Derek Luke. Coming soon to an imaginary movie theater near you!
(images our own)
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