On the day I was scheduled to talk to both Lena Headey and Eva Green about their work in “300: Rise Of An Empire,” there was also a morning screening of “Mr. Peabody & Sherman.” Both of my sons were eager to see that, and that meant they would need to come to the interviews with me as well. As a result, they got a chance to meet Green, and by the time we walked out of that room, both of them had grown full beards and their voices had dropped an octave.
Green gives off a powerful feminine vibe in person, and seems well aware of the effect she has on people. It's interesting how similar the roles are that she played in “Dark Shadows” and in “300,” right down to a scene that happens in both films. It wouldn't surprise me if she got cast in “300” specifically because of “Dark Shadows.” In both cases, she seems to be having the most fun of anyone in the films, taking full advantage of the opportunities presented on the page, and it's exciting because it suggests that we may start seeing more of her in films now that directors have these great examples of what she's capable of doing.
I think it's easy to look at “The Dreamers” and get blinded by the raw sexuality of the performance, but she's got so much more to offer. It didn't help that her first big Hollywood film was Ridley Scott's “Kingdom Of Heaven,” and the theatrical cut effectively ruined her performance. It's hard to watch the theatrical cut, and I suspect it hurt her enormously. If I hadn't heard from the guys who helped get the film ready for DVD and Blu-ray just how different the cuts were, I'm not sure I ever would have gone back to see it a second time.
Here's hoping she is ramping up for a new phase in her career, and that filmmakers start casting her in a wider range of material. There is a self-awareness to her work now that is a pleasure to watch, and I think people are going to walk away from this film with a whole new respect for her.
And trust me… the reason IMAX 3D exists is for Eva Green. Good god.
“300: Rise Of An Empire” opens in theaters everywhere today.