Known for her roles in the “Percy Jackson” films, Alexandra Daddario is taking on a tough-minded young girl in the wake of a massive California earthquake in “San Andreas.”
On her character.
“I play a girl named Blake; she’s Dwayne Johnson’s [character’s] daughter, which is the coolest thing ever. Approaching the character, I wanted to make her tough because I think she inherits a lot of her father’s qualities. She’s a prepared and tough person, and she’s escaping from this life-or-death situation. She has to make a lot of difficult decisions, so that was an interesting thing to dive into.”
On her preparation.
“When I prepare, I read the script multiple times and create a backstory. For a movie like this, it was a lot about the physical preparation, also, so it was important to be in really good shape. That’s why I love doing stunts and do as many of my own stunts as possible. It’s important to experience everything to the degree you can.”
On being on set.
“We worked in a water tank down in Australia—the biggest in the world, all on hydraulics. It’s huge, and you build a whole set and submerge it underwater and you work in that set for weeks. All the crew’s in wetsuits and they’re peeing in the water and you have to work in it! It was difficult and challenging and interesting to experience [working underwater] and watch how everyone did the work and made it look effortless.
On her acting crushes.
“I love Charlize Theron—she’s remarkable as an actress. I’ve never met her, but reading her interviews and from the things I’ve heard, she just seems like such a cool chick and so down to earth and genuine. Kristen Stewart—I’ve always really liked her and think she’s doing incredible work. Steve Martin—I’ve read all his books. He’s an incredible writer. Todd Field, I love as a director, and I’d love to work with him.”
On her upcoming projects.
“I’m going to be in a Nicholas Sparks movie called ‘The Choice,’ with Ben Walker. I’ve never done a romance; it’s very different from ‘San Andreas’—you just make out with people in the rain and cry. It’s great! I love romances. At my core, those are the movies I should be doing. I’m also in a movie coming out called ‘Burying the Ex.’ It’s a very fun movie with Anton Yelchin; it was a different human emotional experience. For ‘San Andreas,’ you get to do this incredible fear and panic and horror in these action scenes and be tough, and then for a romantic movie you get that extreme other side of what it is to be human.”
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