This past week at Infamous Horrors we got to interview the stars of the new science fiction film ‘Wifelike’ starring Jonathon Rhys Meyers( From Paris With Love & Match Point) also we got to chat with Elena Kampouris( Interview is on our YouTube channel) as well as the director James Bird. Hope you enjoy our interview with Jonathon as we talk about where we’re going with Artificial Intelligence and favorite genre films which he mentions Stalker, which I loved him mentioning that.
AJ Friar: First off, what drew your interest in Wifelike? Was there anything that stood out in the script?
JRM: AI is one of the most prevalent questions in the scientific world. Is it coming? Yes. Is it in human form? So far no, but Ex Machina touched on what is going to happen in the future. But of course, it will be seen as a consumer product, not necessarily as a benefit to humanity. And the reason why it’s Wifelike and not Manlike or Humanlike is because women have the ability to procreate and men do not. They have hacked the procreation system though…
AJ: You have always chosen interesting roles, I remember seeing From Paris With Love in theaters and being blown away by how you stood your own against Travolta, then Yakuza Princess last year. Do you always look for a role that will challenge you?
JRM: All actors look for roles that challenge them. I wanted to work with Luc Besson, and I wanted to work with John Travolta and Pierre Morel. What actor doesn’t want to make a film in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Paris?
AJ: Elena Kampouris was phenomenal in Wifelike as well, how was it like acting opposite of her?
JRM: Elena has been acting most of her life. She is a very intelligent, humorous, and very easy girl to work with.
What did you enjoy the most about working with James Bird on this film? Would you work with him again on another project?
I had a good relationship with him. Our sons are the same age. It was my first time working with an Ojibwe director. I think there is a great future for first generation filmmakers. Films made by First Nations people… They have a lot of stories and a lot of very interesting talent that has yet to be tapped into.
One of my favorite things about genre films like Wifelike is that you can sort of feed people vegetables while they eat their desserts with multiple meanings in the subplots of these films. Have you been a fan of science fiction and horror films and if so what are some of your favorites?
Alien. 2001: A Space Odyssey for Stanley Kubrick’s extraordinary vision, his use of the camera. That has to stand out as one of the greatest. If I had to choose a science fiction movie that surpasses all other ones, for me, it would be the adaptation of the book Roadside Picnic, Stalker by Andrei Tarkovsky — the greatest director, I think, of the 20th century.
