The film stars Oscar winner Russell Crowe (‘Gladiator’), Aaron Paul (‘Breaking Bad’), Nina Dobrev (‘XXX: Return of Xander Cage’), Teresa Palmer (‘The Fall Guy’), and Luke Evans (‘Fast & Furious 6’).

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Nina Dobrev about her work on ‘The Get Out’, her first reaction to the screenplay, her approach to her character, her comedic dynamic with Aaron Paul, why she’s never seen ‘Point Break’, collaborating with director Derrick Borte and what it was like working with the legendary Russell Crowe.

Related Article: The 25 Best Russell Crowe Movies of All Time!

(L to R) Nina Dobrev and Aaron Paul in ‘The Get Out’. Photo: Vertical.

Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and the way it balanced action and comedy?

Nina Dobrev: When I first read it, Russell was already attached, and I believe Teresa Palmer may have also been attached at that point. I was a fan of Derrick Borte, the director. He did another movie with Russell called ‘Unhinged’ that I thought was well-made, especially because that film was entirely set in a vehicle. So, making that interesting was no small fee, and I thought he did a really great job. I read the script, and I loved the character immediately because it’s something that I haven’t done before. I’ve done the genre before, but this unhinged crazy character was new for me. So, I was excited to sink my teeth into something new.

MF: Can you talk about your approach to playing your character?

ND: I really wanted to ground her as much as possible and make sure that in her world that she is justified in everything that she does and that everything is genuine with the knowledge that objectively, the decisions she makes are not of sound mind to me as a person or in the context of reality. I thought the dynamic both on the page and ultimately on screen between Aaron’s character and I, him being so high-strung and Carrie being so aloof and yet calculated. But also, she’s very honest with what she wants and doesn’t really take no for an answer. She’s sort of youthful, I guess. The paradox is interesting because she is calculated and very smart and yet also very aloof at the same time.

Russell Crowe in ‘The Get Out’. Photo: Vertical.

MF: Can you talk about the relationship between your character and Aaron Paul’s character and what it was like creating that comedic dynamic with him on screen?

ND: Aaron and I have been friends for so long that we had recently, right before we did this movie together, talked about how strange it was that we hadn’t collaborated yet. Then this fell into our lap a couple months after that conversation. So, I think we were both excited to do something together and partner. We talked a little bit about what our dynamic would be, but not too much. He’s so talented. He’s such an incredible actor and brings so much to every role that he plays, this one not being an exception to that. We just reacted and played off each other. I felt safe to be a crazy out-there version of myself. I don’t know if I would’ve had the confidence to do that had I not done it with him specifically because having that built-in relationship and knowing that I can take some big swings and risks, that I’m in a safe place to do so between him and Derrick and the whole ensemble, the environment was really primed for that. So, I think it helped a lot to have that built-in friendship and long-lasting relationship with him.

MF: Did you and Aaron improvise a lot on set?

ND: Yeah, we did. We did the scripted lines and then Derrick was open to collaboration and improvisation and really letting us do our things. That whole scene at the end of me at the police office station, that was almost entirely improved.

(L to R): Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze in ‘Point Break.’ Photo: 20th Century Fox.

MF: Your character references the movie ‘Point Break’ several times during the film. Are you a ‘Point Break’ fan?

ND: I’ll be honest, I had never seen the movie until I read the script. Yeah, I know. Well, I’m not a 14-year-old boy. To be honest, I haven’t seen a lot of those classic movies. I had not seen a lot of those classic movies because I was born in Bulgaria, my parents immigrated. So, learning English was the priority for our family. Any movie past 1992, I’ve seen, but anything before that, I’m slowly chipping away at. So, I read the script, I obviously signed on and after that watched it probably fifteen times and proceeded to become obsessed with it. Just to be clear, we’re talking about the original, not the remake. I don’t think I’ve seen the remake, but it is ironic that Teresa Palmer is in the remake. We had a lot of laughs on set. She was telling me all about that experience. So, for her to be in the remake and then be in a movie that references the original movie, it’s very meta.

MF: What was it like collaborating with director Derrick Borte on set?

ND: What’s great about Derrick is that he commands the set in a very confident way, but also, he has a calm presence. So, it never felt stressful. It didn’t feel like things were left to the last minute. Everything was prepared. He knew what he wanted and so much so that it allowed for us to have the freedom to play in a way that feels rare when you’re on set. We did a lot of prep and talked about the characters and rehearsed. But once we got on set, there was a calm energy and he’s wonderful. He let us do our thing and we did the script, but then we improved, and that felt nice.

(L to R) Russell Crowe and Teresa Palmer in ‘The Get Out’. Photo: Vertical.

MF: Was there one scene in particular that was challenging to shoot?

ND: Yeah, there’s a scene at the end, when Aaron and I are in the car, and I start to have a conscience suddenly. That scene went through a few iterations up until the day of. Aaron and I both bumped on the original concept, and we made some changes. We were driving on the wrong side of the road in Australia, and the cameras were mounted on the cars. I think it was 3am and we were a little bit delirious trying to make sure that the integrity of our characters and the overall storyline stayed consistent in that moment. So, making those decisions at 3am with a massive time change was probably our biggest challenge, but it worked out in the end. I think it turned out well.

MF: Finally, what was it like being on set with Russell Crowe and watching the specific way he works as an actor?

ND: I took a lot from working with him. He’s so wonderful and really brings so much to the role and makes it come to life in a way and adds details and backstory that make it feel like he’s a full-fledged person. He really added a lot. He was not Albanian in the script. He added that on his own. He based the character off someone that he knows. I’m a huge fan of his. I don’t know anyone of my generation that isn’t. He’s prolific and his resume speaks for itself. I was very excited to collaborate with him, even if my face is never on-screen with his at the same time.

Russell Crowe in ‘The Get Out’. Photo: Vertical.

What is the plot of ‘The Get Out’?

The robbery of a club owner’s establishment derails his (Russell Crowe) plans for a quiet life in retirement.

Who is in the cast of ‘The Get Away’?

• Russell Crowe as Marco Kapak
• Luke Evans as Joe Carver
• Teresa Palmer as Sunny
• Danny Zovatto as Rodriguez
• Josh McConville as Slosser
• Nina Dobrev as Carrie
• Aaron Paul as Jeff
• Kartiah Vergara as Irena

‘The Get Out’ opens in select theaters on June 26th and On Digital and On Demand June 30th.

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