Lost alumna Maggie Grace talks to Earl Dittman about her role as Liam Neeson’s daughter in the hit thriller, Taken (out today on DVD), and about her experiences playing the Ginger on the Gilligan’s Island of the modern era. Plus: this week’s DVDs and Blu-Rays, all after the jump.
In Taken, an adrenalin-fueled action thriller and a surprise box office hit, actress Maggie Grace, a former castaway on the cult television series Lost, portrays 17-year-old Kim, the daughter of Brian Mills (Liam Neeson), a former secret agent. Kim convinces her dad to let her go with a friend on the trip to Europe, but in Paris, the pair are victims of a disturbing break-in, and are abducted by an Albanian criminal organization. The action begins when daddy Brian must dust off his old spy skills, with only 96 hours to find his daughter before she disappears forever.
What was it about Taken that made you excited to be a part of the project?
“First of all, I was beyond just excited about working with (director) Pierre Morel, (screenwriter) Luc Besson and especially Liam Neeson. I have always been a big admirer and fan of Liam’s work, so that was a big plus. Once I got the script, read it and found out that Liam was our gracious leader and action hero, I couldn’t wait to be in it. It was such a tight script, and even more so, the final product was so well-edited it’s one of the most exciting thrillers I’ve ever seen. I’m proud to be a part of it.”
What was it like working with Liam Neeson as your dad in the film?
“He is such a gracious and talented man. I found that with the more career-accomplished people I’ve worked with, that professionally, they don’t have any more fears about the roles they take on. And, I think that enables them to be more gracious, friendly and fearless. Once an accomplished actor or actress has been doing this for a while, and has been successful, they can do the films they like instead of the movies they have to do to pay the bills. It allows them to be more giving to everyone around them.”
His wife’s (Natasha Richardson) tragic skiing accident must have come as a shock to everyone.
“It did. It’s still hard to even talk about. I met Natasha, and she was such a wonderful person. It was so tragic. My heart goes to Liam and the whole family.”
Did you spend a lot of time in Paris shooting Taken or was that all on a L.A. backlot?
“We did spend about a month in L.A. and then we flew to Paris for the rest of the film. So, I spend about six weeks in Paris.”
Too bad.
[Laughs] “I know, it was absolutely surreal, to the point where I was calling my family and my grandmother trying to explain to them, ‘I am living in a castle in Paris.’ I don’t know how this happened. It was like one of those Disney movies where you wake up and find out that you are the princess, because I am living in probably the most gorgeous castles in Europe. I actually have a couple of good Parisian friends who showed me the local side of the city.”
Did you have to go through any special training to play your role, like boot camp…
“Or kidnap school? [Laughs] No, my character is really innocent and is ill-prepared for what happens to her. So, I think that any kind or preparation I did for it would have not served me well.”
What do you hope people will take from Taken?
“I think that it is very relatable in the sense that if they are a parent, they know what it’s like about doing anything to protect their children. But, more than anything, I hope that they are entertained. It’s a fun, really tight international thriller that I think will keep viewers entertained. There was a difficulty with my role knowing that sex trafficking, while it is just a story-point in the film, is very real, big problem. It’s a billion-dollar industry that is just horrific.”
Of course, most people know you from your two years on Lost as Shannon. With so many flashbacks and people rising from the dead this season, will we be seeing you and Shannon in the season or before the series ends?
“I don’t know? It’s anyone’s guess now.”
Have you been contacted by the Lost folks?
“I can’t comment on that.”
It’s gotten to the point that anything can happen on Lost.
“That’s what I hear. Or maybe I could just play a really cool, undead zombie.” [Laughs]
Is there any one thing that you took from your experience of making Lost that surprised or made such a big impression on you that you’ll never forget it?
“To me, it really proved the point to me that it was worth it to invest emotionally in things, even if you know that they are going to change. I just jumped in head first with it, and we didn’t even know if we were going to get picked up, let alone shoot the whole first season. But once we got off to a running start, it was pretty apparent that this show was going to be around for a while, because it really found its audience quick. It was such a great group of people to be with in Hawaii. We were all so close that it made it really hard when my character was killed and I had to return to the Mainland. It really felt like a little community. You even got a chance to watch many of their kids grow up a bit. It was hard to leave after two years, but it was worth it.”
What else are you working on?
“I have a British film that I did called Malice In Wonderland that will be out later this year. It’s this really fun, off-beat, British indie that’s a modern take on the Alice In Wonderland tale. I play Alice, so it was great opportunity for me. But, I was the only American in the production, so I had to struggle to keep my American accent. When you are there, since their accents sound so much better, you start to pick up the accent. I was sounding British without even trying. I start to sound like Gwyneth Paltrow. I totally sympathize with her, I really do.”
What are your hopes for the future?
“I just hope to have a career that extends beyond just being an ingénue. That’s what I’m working towards.”
Taken Extended Cut DVD/BD: Bonus Features: Audio Commentaries by the director, writer and cinematographers, exclusive behind-the-scenes Making-Of featurette, action packed side-by-side comparisons, Black OPS Field Manual and the Avant Premiere.
THE BEST ON BLU-RAY + DVD:
Donnie Darko
This edgy, psychological thriller from 2001, which has garnered an enormous cult following since its original release on DVD, features a career-making performance from Jake Gyllenhaal as Donnie Darko, a delusional high school student visited by a demonic rabbit with eerie visions of the pasts. He also harbours deadly predictions about the future. This Blu-Ray debut features both the Original and 2004 Director’s Cut of the film, Audio Commentary with Director Richard Kelly and members of the cast and crew, a Darkomentary featurette, Story-to-screen, and original theatrical trailer.
S. Darko
The Darko story continues through the eyes of Donnie’s little sister, Samantha Darko. Daveigh Chase stars in S. Darko in this riveting continuation to the smash cult hit Donnie Darko. Seven years after her brother’s death, the now 18-year-old Darko sibling is on the run from her shattered home, from her bizarre past, and even from herself. When she and her friend are stranded in a desert town, they witness a meteorite crash that fractures time and begins a countdown to the end of the world. On DVD and BD, S. Darko includes such bonuses as Audio Commentary, a Making-Of featurette and deleted scenes.
Penn & Teller: Bullshit!
The Complete Sixth Season
Same show, new bull. In the sixth season of this award-winning series (on 2-disc DVD) feature master showmen Penn & Teller, as the hilarious pair offers up viewers an aggressive, humorous exposé of taboo topics, using the duo’s trademark humour, knowledge of carnival tricks as well as hidden cameras and blatant confrontation.
Seth MacFarlane’s
Calvalcade of Cartoon Comedy
Prepare for raw and brazen laughs with the bleeping hilarious series from the creator of Family Guy and American Dad — Seth MacFarlane. Featuring exclusive new episodes too outrageous for television, the DVD and Blu-Ray are packed with 50 shorts in total, and highlights all-new classic characters and pop culture parodies of Jesus Christ, Bob Dylan, Ted Nugent, Quentin Tarantino, Super Mario and Jeff Goldbum. The irreverent animated shorts that originally aired on YouTube and SethComedy.com are also included, but now re completely unedited and uncensored. The DVD/BD includes such bonus materials as The Red Carpet Premiere and Still Galleries.
The Old Curiosity Shop
A perennial favorite, The Old Curiosity Shop is a gripping adaptation one of Charles Dickens most beloved novels, about a young girl and her grandfather who flee a life of secrets, shame and debt. It’s a stunning and poignant BBC production with an ensemble cast that includes Sir Derek Jacobi, Gina McKee, Toby Jones, Zoe Wanamaker, Martin Freeman and Sophie Vavasseur.
License to Kill •
The Man with the Golden Gun
Calling these two 007 installments ‘classics’ is a stretch, to say the least. But Bond completists will be pleased to hear they are available now on Blu-Ray, fully-loaded with a dossier of top-secret extras, including declassified featurettes and exclusive interactive guides.
