While Maggie had a mere 7-8 million dollar estimated budget, it didn’t stop Arnold Schwarzenegger’s zombie art film from generating a media and fan-frenzied red carpet premiere. On Wednesday, April 22nd, TheArnoldFans attended Tribeca Film Festival's New York Maggie premiere. Paul Roberts, our East Coast reporter, was given our press pass to watc the premiere, kicked off by cast and crew standing before the audience to introduce the film.
We’ll get to our review in a minute but first, here’s an exclusive we got from Arnold Schwarzenegger! Since Maggie and The Legend of Conanare to be drama-heavy, our interviewer, Mark Barroso, asked Maggie’s lead man about the evolution of Arnold’s acting and possible awards in his near future.
TheArnoldFans: Given that this is a more dramatic role, is that where you see your acting career going? Towards more drama? Are you looking at pursuing an Oscar possibly?
Schwarzenegger: "I think this particular role, when I read the script, I thought I could do that because I understood what it’s like being a father. That’s why I said 25, 30 years ago I wouldn’t have been able to do that. First of all, I wouldn’t have had the time because they were so many different big projects. I was chasing more the big money. I was working my way up to be the highest paid actor. Today, that doesn’t mean anything to me because I’ve made a lot of money and I’m in a different place in my life now. When I get an offer to do Terminator 5, I’m very excited about that. When Universal calls and says, “We are almost finished with the script of another Conan movie,” I’m excited about that. But I’m also very excited when I read a script like Maggie and I believe that I can be that character and work with the director and actors together. So, yes, I will be looking for more dramatic roles. It’s a breakthrough in a way. Having gone from action movies to comedies, then all of a sudden I enjoyed doing comedies, and I was offered more comedies. This is kind of a breakthrough. I think I will get more scripts like that, really quality scripts, that are more demanding from an acting point if view."
We’d love for you to do more serious roles too, Arnold…and keep the beard! It’s fantastic to hear him say The Legend of Conan script is almost done, and we have some other great Conan news to share soon. But let’s get back to Maggie. Schwarzenegger talked about his character in the zombie drama and what attracted him to the project.
Schwarzenegger: "It’s a dramatic piece. It’s the most human story that I’ve ever done. It’s the most human character I’ve ever played. It’s also the most human zombie movie that’s ever been done. We’re focusing so much on people and the dilemma that this man is in, a strong farmer that can normally handle anything, then all of a sudden I can’t overcome a challenge and become very vulnerable as a character."
Now onto our review! Actually, we’ll give you a full movie review closer to the film’s release on May 8th, but for now, we can’t hold back any longer on our review on Arnold’s acting performance!
Paul Roberts review:
Even for the die-hard Arnold Schwarzenegger fan, it’s fair to wonder what he really hoped to get out of his return to film. After all, as much fun as it might be to see him mow down bad guys and drop one-liners once again, we have seen all of this before, haven’t we? Only we’ve seen him do it as a bigger, stronger—and younger—man. So what did he have left to prove?
The answer to that question would seem to be his stellar dramatic performance in Maggie, which is easily the most powerful performance of his career. Set in a post-zombie-apocalypse America, the film follows the titular character, played by Abigail Breslin, as she transforms from an innocent young teen to an undead monster. Her father Wade (Schwarzenegger) vows to stay by her side to the end, which we’re told will take about 6-8 weeks. Wade brings her home to live out the rest of her short life under the agreement that he’ll bring her to quarantine when she’s ready to “turn”.
Fans should hope this experiment serves as an audition for more dramatic roles in the future. How great would it be to see the Oak up for an Oscar? We know now that it’s not outside the realm of possibility.
Catch this emotionally-charged zombie art film in limited theatrical release on May 8th, distributed by Lionsgate's Roadside Attractions. If MAGGIE will not be playing within a 3 hour drive from your house, fear not; it will also be available On Demand on May 8th as well! Follow MAGGIE on Twitter @MaggieMovie, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaggieTheMovie, and maggiethefilm.com!
