'The Mortal Instruments' Exclusive: Cassie Clare spills the details on fave scene

I was among three other TMI super fansites the weekend leading up to the LA premiere to discuss with the incredible Cassandra Clare about the upcoming book-to-screen adaptation of her novel The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. In this interview, we discuss Cassie's favorite scene in the film, the impact her writing has on her fans and seeing her characters come to life on screen. 

Katie, Mundie Moms: Besides the Greenhouse, what was your favorite scene to see on the big-screen?

Cassie: I think, um, my absolutely favorite scene, cuz I'm a sucker, is when they have the fight in Madame Dorothea's and then Simon comes in and whacks her with a shovel which I just enjoy cuz I love Simon. And then Jace comes out of the apartment and Clary's standing there and basically she's looking from Simon to Jace and then she goes over to Simon and hugs him, and Jace of course looks totally destroyed. I love that scene because it so underlines how significant that friendship is between Clary and Simon and how much it means to both of them. Even though they had that fight about their relationship, she  ya know, they truly love each another in a way that is not necessarily romantic but I love to see that kind of portrayal of  intense friendship on the screen.

Erin, Fangirlish: What is it like to have written something that has changed so many people's lives?

Cassie: I think it's such a big idea I think it's really hard to encompass it. Individual people write me and are like, the book changed my life in this way - or this character had a big impact on me - then it really, each time, it's like equally startling and meaningful as the time before. But I never sit there thinking "I have written something that has changed many lives!" I just can't think about it that way.

Kristen, TMI Movie News: Previous authors have tried to stay a part of their movie adaptations, but how do you think you have done this differently? To stay such a part and make the movie better?

Cassie: Well, I think that it's sort of a combination of flexibility and communication with the whole creative team that I had to be kind of like, when they would say, ya know, this is a thing that they can't do because it just isn't going to work. You wrote it, but trying to do it on screen. For instance, Simon turning into a rat. They went over and over the possible ways of doing the transformation, and how it would work, and the special effects and what not. While you can, obviously do an animated rat, there was no way to do it and sort of remain within the kind of aesthetic of the movie. So we had to discuss,  ok, well what can we do that's going to give kind of the same. To me, the essential thing here is Clary goes to save Simon. She goes to save Simon and that's the most important thing to her. And the second most essential thing is that Jace goes with her, because he's already at that point decided  this is a person that's important enough to him, that he's going to go with her. Ya know, to save a guy that he really doesn't like that much at that point. So we wound up having a whole discussion about how are we going to realize this and also bringing Alec and Isabelle in as well, so that we could see more of them and kind of experience more of their characters. So I think that, as a particular example, I think what we wound up with was something that fit with the unified esthetic of the film more than introducing Rat-Simon. Even though, of course, I thought of Rat-Simon. You kind of have to think of it as a different medium, it's an interpretation, and as you were saying - they have the benefit of my hind-sight. I'm on book five, I'd been writing book six, and I'm like 'Well, these characters, this is where there going to end up'. And now what you can do is for instance, Simon and Isabelle spend a lot of time together in this movie. And part of that is because they know that those characters are going to wind up having a - as you know- a romantic relationship further on down the road, and they wanted to set that up. And I think that was a really good idea. I was like, ok great, you have this relationship and you can really start building on it and make people kind of see them as a team and that they work together. I liked that they didn't push it too far, ya know, they weren't like 'and now, by the end of this movie, Simon and Isabelle are making out'. But, they definitely set them up as a pair, and they hinted at a lot of things that were going to come. And they took a gamble in doing that, because you have to think of each movie as a discreet kind of stand-alone thing. But they know what's going to happen, they went with the bite marks on Simon's neck. You see them, it's never talked about or explained. That and the fact that he no longer needs his glasses are an indicator of the fact that he's altering. And that's a promise like there's something to come here later on in this story and you're going to have to wait and see what it is.

Amber, The Mortal Institute: What was it like for you the first time to see the relationships between your characters grow on screen?

Cassie: The first time I saw it, I didn't know how it was going to turn out. I'd seen it in pieces, but until you see it together you're like judging pieces of a jig-saw puzzle without seeing the whole image. So I have no idea how it's going to be. I loved the action scenes and I loved the sets and I loved a lot of all the stuff that they did with the pacing, which moves like a train - never a boring moment. But for me, it's always going to be about the character interactions. Some of them I just love, and even the bits that aren't necessarily from the books. I love the scene where Jace tells Clary 'I'm a Shadowhunter, and I'll protect you with my life', I was like that's his mission statement. That's him that's what he believes in. For me, watching the characters meet has a magical quality the first time, you know Clary sees Jace. But not only that. The first time that Simon sees Isabelle the first time Clary sees Isabelle, these are all big moments for me.

EXCLUSIVE: 'Mortal Instruments' star Kevin Zegers on Alec and his co-stars

Kevin Zegers, who plays Alec Lightwood in The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones walks the red carpet in Toronto.

I'll admit when I first read The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, I really didn't  like Alec Lightwood. I think the words dbag, meanie and a-hole came across my mind. But, after following through to the end of the book, and going on into the remainder of the series, I learned just how complex and loyal Alec really is. It's funny that while thinking about what I had originally thought about Alec, I was sitting beside Kevin Zegers, who plays the Shadowhunter in the film adaptation. Kevin, who I'd met on set in Toronto last year, was completely unlike his character: gracious, humble and a really very funny guy.

I sat down with the girls from Mundie Moms, Fangirlish and TMI Movie News to hear what Kevin thought of his role and what's next in the series.

Katie, Mundie Moms: You as Alec... we were telling Jamie that my favorite scene with you, you’re not even saying anything. You are looking at Clary when she’s in the library like you’re gonna kill her and you’re looking at Jace like I love you but you don’t know it. You brought a-hole Alec to life from the book.

Kevin: Right, we had this, there’s this instinct to sort of go, “but he’s the good guy,” and to sort of like stay away from him being too snarky. I was like if you can establish a reason why, it’s like why I love some horror films that involve the bad guy being the hero. Like you don’t always have to be nice, if you’re the nice guy, if you’re the good guy. People are sympathetic to people as long as there is a reason behind it. Like my favorite show is this, Ray Donovan show. It’s like he’s kind of an asshole, you know what I mean? He says some really bad things, but because you have sympathy for this guy and you understand where he’s coming from, you can sort of get away with doing whatever. So Harald and I had that conversation early which was to say let’s not pander to the fact that like he’s a Shadowhunter so he’s good so go easy on the him being a little unlikeable because it’s like, you don’t always have to be likeable. I think that’s like a cop out, especially in these kinds of films because the characters are so well defined. He doesn’t have to be the likeable gay character just because that’s where he ends up going. Like, there is so much other stuff to explore especially because we knew, we didn’t know, but I mean we’re certainly going back to do the second film so, there’s such a huge arc of where he starts and where he goes that you don’t need to pander to the audience and like, make him sort of one noted.

Katie, Mundie Moms: I think Alec is the most misunderstood, when I first read I thought he’s kind of a jerk, but then you realize, like one, he’s protecting the Shadowhunter secret. He loves Jace but then there's just so many layers to him and I felt like you brought the book to life perfectly, his mannerisms, you know those looks spoke volumes. I like that they didn’t make you in every scene like that’s the way he talks his whole mannerisms towards what was going on…

Kevin: Even in the script, there were scenes that my character wasn’t in, in the script, and Harald would sort of say it might be nice if…, we had this sort of running joke that some days I felt like an extra, because you know he’s [Alec] sort of hovering. It’s sort of like he’s there observing, and I love characters that are sort of a little enigmatic and a little sort of, you know, misunderstood, so there was a lot of stuff that I wasn’t intended to be in, but that I ended up in. That scene where we are bringing her to the library I don’t think in the script I was in. So once we got up there and we were sort of looking down at her, Harald sort of improvised that Jamie and I were like brothers anyway. It was sort of like it started out as a one line, and then in post, we sort of just became a scene which was like built out of the fact that Jamie and I are so close, and it seemed like a conversation we would have, and based on the stuff that we had shot with Lily, that it seemed like it fit in there at that moment. So, again, it was a lot of us priming it while we were filming, which is part of what you do when you make a film. You have to be flexible about what dynamics work. The dynamic between Jamie and I, we established was not one of like, I’m not goo goo gaga over Jamie, just like I’m not in person. We love each other, but like a mutual affection that we have and he would be someone that I would run across the room and go hug, but it doesn’t come from a physical place. Once we established that, it wasn’t like Alec was a creepy guy who wanted to jump Jace’s bones, he was just like, he loved him and there was a little more behind his love than met the eye but it wasn’t so overt, and it wasn’t so stereotypical. Once we found that stuff, and Lily and I have a good, even when we are sort of barbing with each other there is this understanding between the two of us, and Lily and I have that too. Those were the two central relationships I had in the film and the two people I remain closest with personally. We do have this good back and forth between the three of us. I think when we were on the mall tour we noticed it even more. There is like 3 very specific personalities with the 3 of us that are very distinct and very, we play off of each other well. So I think that as that relationship grows in the story there is so much room to explore. Even with talking with Harald about the next film, like such a great opportunity for, you know, put me and Jamie in a scene together and there’s, weird shit’s gonna happen.

Katie, MundieMoms: When we were talking too, the on screen chemistry, because you know with some movies you get fake chemistry or chemistry that doesn’t work, or even within a cast not all chemistry seem real, but the cast chemistry was phenomenal with everybody. When you were in a scene, we felt it. We could see the relationship they really had, and it really brought the movie to life.

Kevin: Right. I think Robbie is so good. There is the stuff with those two…there is this sort of, I think people are like “Oh” because we don’t have the script yet for the second movie and with us, this central group of people who are playing off of each other, there’s a really good foundation of…you can throw Jemima and I in a room together with a scene and we will figure it out.

Katie, MundieMoms: Your chemistry together was awesome.

Kevin: Right. No one is faking anything, there’s not this sort of manufactured, no one seems off kilter when it comes to this stuff. I think it is because A, we get along, and B, we have he same script motive, does this serve the movie? If it doesn’t serve the movie for me to be in a scene, I’m going to go to Harald and say “yo, it’s kind of weird that I’m here. Alec should be down the hallway.”

Katie, MundieMoms: Jessica (Postigo) asked us last night what we thought about the movie, and what we could do for City of Ashes. That was one of our things, give Jemima and Kevin more screen time because the brother/sister relationship is so crucial with the series.

Kevin: She is so good. She’s such a good actress, and I think Harald has…the best thing that he did was focus on the people. Because I think the external, I watch some of these movies, and it doesn’t really matter which ones, but they are so focused on the stuff, you don’t really care about the people, therefore it’s like “why would I want to go see another one when I can go see another movie, or another story, and just see the same stuff.” The only reason to go back and see a movie is to see the same people again. I think that is what makes these sort of things work like, I would go see The Hunger Games again because I love Jen Lawrence, and I’m interested to see what she is going to do with that character. And like with The Dark Knight, I’m interested in the characters of those movies, I’m not interested in the big car chase scene or the big fight scene. That’s great stuff to have, and I’m glad we have all that stuff, but that wasn’t the sole focus. We’d spend more time shooting these scenes and sacrifice other stuff. Always when you’re making a movie, you have to choose between one or the other, it’s just the nature of the business. Harald would always make sure we got the scene before we would go to something else.

Erin, Fangirlish: We told Harald you all brought the book characters to life, and then you made them relatable.

Kevin: There is a lot going on. There is a lot of characters. Part of what I think was fortunate about me, I didn’t find out I was doing this until like two weeks before, so I didn’t really have the time to sort of ask people, not that I would have, what everyone thought Alec should be. To me this was just a script, it was just a character that…when Harald and I first spoke about it, and read the book, we just talked about this character, and how me as a human being could bring this character to life, which is really all you do in a director meeting anyway. So I didn’t really have the consideration of what who people think Alec should be like. Is this the way…well I’m a little older than Alec is supposed to be. I’m maybe a little more of a dude than Alec is intended to be. You know what I mean? The way it’s written in the script he’s a little bit more effeminate, a little bit more, you know there’s a lot of things. Part of what I think was to my benefit was that I didn’t read into every sentence of the book because is doesn’t translate into a movie.

Erin, Fangirlish: Coming into that, and now a fan base who follow your every movement, is that a lot of pressure? Has it been a weird thing?

Kevin: It’s weird that it’s me. If I were to remove myself from the situation I would go “oh that makes sense, there’s fans of the books and…” It’s not weird to see a billboard for The Mortal Instruments, like 40 stories high on Hollywood and Highland, it’s just weird that I’m on it. To me that’s the only strange thing. So once you get used to that, um, but again we’re just making a movie. So to get wrapped up in this whole thing which is great and it gets people to go see the movie, and the fans of the books expectations, are all great, but the only thing I have any control over, like complete control over, is what I go do in the next movie. That’s it.

Kristen, TMI Movie News: You’ve set yourself up beautifully in the City of Bones, because you’re like a ultimate package, really. You’re going to come out in the next movie, with much more involvement I’m hoping.

Kevin: That’s for sure.

Kristen, TMI Movie News: Talk to us about your preparations for that, what are you honing into?

Kevin: I think part of what works, and what I liked about him, is that I don’t think you should totally ever get Alec completely. Even when he opens up I think there’s always something withheld. There’s a lot of stuff, certainly I’m in a lot more of the second movie. There’s a lot more fighting, there’s a lot more training, so physically for the last month and a half, I’ve been going sort of like, okay, I need to, because I didn’t have any time before we started this first movie so, I knew there was physically a different place I want to get to because I know there’s a lot more physical stuff to do. Also, I started defining the plan as to, again, I’ve read the book now, so I know what the template is going to be. I don’t know what is going to end up in the film, but there are things, specific scenes, that I’m sure will end up in the film that I’m a little more wide open in terms of the exposure of Alec that I think I will close down a little bit. Because I think the audience is a lot smarter than actors give them credit for and I don’t think that you…nobody is an open book, no matter how like, you know how Lily seems like she would be an open book and it’s her personality, she’s a very open, warm person, but there’s other stuff. You know what I mean? We all have these sort of like, and I think Alec is just, he does have these moments of really opening himself up, but I don’t think he opens up quite as much as you may expect.

EXCLUSIVE: Godfrey Gao talks boxers, teasing Kevin Zegers and the Magnificient Magnus Bane

Godfrey Gao, right, with co-star Robert Sheehan at the LA premiere of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.
PHOTO: Amber Pruitt/TMI Institute

Magnus Bane walks into a room and sits down by you. What do you say? How do you react? What questions would you have? After seeing The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, I sat down with other TMI super bloggers, Katie from Mundie Moms, Kristen from TMI Movie News and Erin from Fangirlish, to interview the actor portraying the High Warlock of Brooklyn, Godfrey Gao. 

Katie, Mundie Moms: You walking around in your little boxers, and the whole Magnus Party scene, how was that?

Godfrey: When I went to the first day on set, I had to do a fitting right? So they were like "So we're going to have you wearing this nice purple velvet blazer" and I was like ok, cool. And then, "I'll give you this nice dress shirt to go with it, it kind of matches and some necklace and accessories", ok, cool, I'm liking the sound of that. And then, I looked over to the right and there's a rack of boxers [he laughs] and underwear, and I was like "So, what's that?" and they said "uh, yeah, those are the bottoms that you're gonna to wear for the scene". I was like ok. There were some boxers with hearts on it and there were some with...I don't know, it was pretty crazy. But there was a rack of boxers and then she was like just pick the one you like. I was like, mmm how about none of those? And then the director came in and was like "those boxers kind of look too much like an outfit. It's like boxers with the blazer and everything else, with the dress shoes, it just looks like an outfit. I want something more shocking, ya know? When people see the scene they go 'Oh, he's not wearing any pants." And then Harald said "So, um, Godfrey, what are you wearing today? I was like uh, just some briefs. They were really tight too, I was like uuuh some grey briefs. Then Harald was just like, "Why don't you put that on. I want to see it". [He laughs again]. This is like the first day for me in the studio and I had to be in front of like maybe 10 people; producers, and Harald, and ya know the wardrobe people. I was like here it is...here's my grey boxers. Harald's like "Yep! That's the one! Let's use that one!" And I was like are you serious? And then I remember I had to go to the Producer's that were shooting on set so I had these tear-aways on and went over there and they were like 'oh, ok, sure. Whatever you say Harald. It looks good'. And then we just ended up using that. That was my first scene for Magnus Bane, it was pretty crazy.

Amber, The Mortal Institute: Fans feel that you are one of the overall most beloved and important characters in the Shadowhunter world. What have you thought about the fan reaction to you being Magnus? How excited are you going forward with this franchise?

Godfrey: I'm very excited. Very excited. I'm very overwhelmed by how many followers and supporters there are for this movie and for my character Magnus. I've really got to thank the fans and the people that support this whole series and this movie. I'm really excited just for this movie and future movies to come. I'm happy that everything is right where it needs to be right now. It's crazy because the movie hasn't even come out yet and there's so many people ya know, talking about this and they can't wait for the movie to come out. So I'm just enjoying work and I'm enjoying my first time in Hollywood and to be a part of all of this. I'm very honored to be a part of this project. Hopefully I can be in it for the long run.

Kristen, TMI Movie News: Are you prepared to come back for the 'Infernal Devices'?

Godfrey: Yeah, I hope so. Yes!

Kristen, TMI Movie News: Are you prepared for glitter in the mail?

Godfrey: Yes, I'm definitely prepared for that because it was actually pretty fun for me. I've never done anything like that, with my outfits. Just taking the time and detail to put all of that stuff on. The glitter, and eyeliner, eye-shadow and the nail polish. It was fun.

Kristen, TMI Movie News: Did you wear it around Toronto, on accident maybe?

Godfrey: Yeah, after the first day on set. I had all this stuff on and then after the shoot I was going to go back to the hotel and I was like 'Uh, should I just take these off, just in case the hotel lobby would be scared?' [laughs]. Ya know, if I came in like that.   But yeah, I took them off every time I was finished working just...I probably couldn't sleep in those. I enjoyed it, and it was fun. I can't wait to be Magnus again. To put that stuff back on.

Kristen, TMI Movie News: What's your favorite characteristic of Magnus? What do you like most about him?

Godfrey: He's a flamboyant guy. He's like none of the other characters in the series. Obviously he throws parties. It's just something different that I haven't actually become something like this before in my acting career. So it's fun, he's a very fun character and I just enjoy his whole outfit and his presence. The way he acts in those parties and he's a heavy drinker maybe? Or, he's a party animal. I love that about him. And especially his outfits. They're pretty cool. Especially the warlock outfit. It's cool too.

Erin, Fangirlish: Are you hoping to wear pants though?

Godfrey: Hopefully. Hopefully they'll have some pants for me this time. Actually I can say the warlock outfit was something, like for me was pretty cool because the whole um, the hat that goes over it. Kind of like a, how do you call that, a corset, like black leather corset wrapped around it. It goes all the way to my feet. I felt like a warlock, ya know. Just walking around, it was pretty cool. Hopefully I can borrow that for Halloween. [laughs]

Amber,The Mortal Institute: What about the vulnerability you showed when caring for Alec? How did you get into that frame of mind that I really like this guy?

Godfrey: I guess I had to imagine. Um, I think it was fun for me, actually just to tease Kevin. He's a pretty shy guy. But it was fun. I just imagined him like the most incredible woman in my life. [laughs] I was like hey, Kevin and I'd give him a wink. And he was like 'Uhhhh' [laughs again] Ok, so that's enough of that. But it's fun ya know? He does a pretty good job too, as being shy and like 'is he looking at me?'. So, I enjoyed that.

Kristen, TMI Movie News:You do a good job of being the "keeper of the secrets" in City of Bones. Do you think we'll see more from you in City of Ashes?

Godfrey: Yeah. There's definitely more in the 'City of Ashes' and 'City of Glass'. So, ya know, hopefully I can be a part of it.

Katie, Mundie Moms: Have you read further in the series? Have you read City of Ashes?

Godfrey: Yeah, I've read City of Ashes and I'm just looking at it over and over just waiting for the script.

Katie, Mundie Moms: I like the scene with Lily where we get to see her discover that you're the one that buys her mom's paintings. A more personal side to your character, that he cares.

Godfrey: I like the scene with Lily actually because it talks about what had happened, more on a personal level too with Lily's character. It's kind of like helping her out in an emotional way. I think it's great, ya know, you get that personal level between the two characters and what their history was and why they're doing it. And ya know, it develops into a good relationship in the whole series.

Exclusive: Director Harald Zwart talks demons, girl power and fight scenes!!

Harald holding a TMI Institute pin in Toronto. Photo by Mehek/TMI Institute

What's it like to talk to a big budget director of your fave series? Well, here's the details when I sat down with bloggers from Mundie Moms, TMI Movie News and Fangirlish as we talk with The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones director Harald Zwart. I think it is safe to say we could have chatted with Harald all day long, but here are the secrets he spilled just to us. 

SPOILERS AHEAD! YOU WERE WARNED.

Katie, Mundie Moms: The demons were freaky and we jumped twice in the movie!

Harald: The whole idea that it is good to be a little scared in these movies is ultimately what Cassie wanted. When you operate with demons and what I thought was important with the movie adaptation is to take it really seriously. I think the journey Clary goes on is an amazing journey. I lost my mother when I was 12 years and I moved out of my house at 14 and I was on my own. What was really interesting to me when I read the books was: How does a normal girl (or someone who thinks she's normal) react to first of all, to her mom being gone, but then you throw supernatural things in there. So reality isn't even what she thought it was? THAT I thought was unbelievable and I thought of "how does a girl actually deal with that?" We went really deep with Clary. We had long talks about how emotional and how serious, and I didn't want to hold back.

I really love the girl power in the whole movie. I have an 8 year old daughter and I want her to have really strong idols. I see her being exposed to a lot of not-so-favorable stuff on TV and media in general. I just want her to have a really strong image that a girl can actually find her strength, and no matter what you throw at them you can always find a way out of it. That is what is so great with Cassandra's story. So, the supernatural stuff - I can deal with that. So she's dealt with that. Then, Valentine comes and tells her the guy you've fallen in love with is not who you think he is. What? That's another reality she has to deal with. That shift of reality all of the time. How Clary crawls out of those black holes all the time is just so fascinating.

Katie, Mundie Moms: The girl power. Let's talk about Izzy.

Harald: I love Isabelle too. We had a lot of girls come in for the Izzy role. A lot of girls, who I know a lot of people would've said "She's perfect, she's got all the right features" and I was like it's NOT Isabelle. Ya know? Isabelle to me is a completely different girl. She looks super hot in the movie. But in this town, when you say oh she's hot, other criteria's come in sometimes. We looked everywhere, and we found Jemima in Paris. She's more French than British. She was just perfect. I love how she's just completely matter-of-fact. I think she's kind of the anchor of reality in this shadow-world. I absolutely adore her.

Erin, Fangirlish: How hard is it to adapt a book with a fan base like this one. Is it more pressure than other movies?

Harald: It was like re-making Karate Kid. Everyone was like "you're crazy, that's a national treasure". Now people come up to me and even say our version was even better than the original. What I always try to do is listen to my own instincts. I have to love what I do and I have to love the movie myself. I read the book and I spent a lot of time thinking 'What did the book do to me?' 'What is it in the book that I love?' and then I went out and we worked on the script, the design and everything. I just was keeping Cassandra close, on testing the waters with everything. She's been really great in understanding that 'this is Harald's choice, this is what he thinks should be in the movie'. And then she says 'fine'. And then when I've reached out to her and said I need your help on this, I don't understand, then we just talked and talked. And then I'd say 'Now I understand'. That's how we kind of shaped it along. I felt like as long as Cassandra loved what we did then I felt like she was a good representation of the fans.I didn't make one single choice where I thought, I don't like this...but the fans like it so I'm going to put it in. I never did that. I couldn't do that. That would just feel false.

Kristen, TMI Movie News: I love the music injected into the movie!

Harald: That was an homage to my father, who was a Bach enthusiast. Like I said, I moved out when I was 14 and we never really connected that much, but we connected through music. That's the only times I saw him being emotional, was when he listened to music. I thought that's a good idea for Jace, somebody who's not great at emotionally attaching himself, but through music there is at least a window into his heart. Everything my dad taught me was all about Bach and math, and how methodical. My dad is a purist, he doesn't necessarily believe in all the fru fru that the romance brought with it. He loves that its just the actual notes and the harmonies and their pure representations. That is the music that he wrote and that's how it should be played, not with interpretation. I thought that's perfect for us, ya know, cuz Jace plays piano in the movie and I just feloved the idea. How could I use this practically also, and I thought well, dogs respond to certain harmonies, what if that's the same with demons and frequencies? Once you have all these chords, and I looked at all the music Bach had written. It's a perfect pattern, it's perfectly balanced, all a plan. What we normal people think is just music, it's all really a plan.  I just put that in there and Cassandra thought it was a fun idea, and embraced that.

Katie, Mundie Moms: The crowd loved the zoom in on Bach

Harald: We were going to shoot that insert and I said there's something missing. And I took a pencil, right before the camera's went in I said 'hold on guys' and I just drew it in. I wiped it with my thumb to make it look like it was part of the painting. It gives it that kind of Da Vinci type history, right? Like this stuff has been going on, it's just hidden from us all. I just like this idea with Bach.

Harald with wife and co- exec producer Veslemøy Ruud Zwart at LA premiere.
Photo: Amber/TMI Institute

Amber, The Mortal Institute: What was it like to create depth to the fight scenes with Jamie and Jonathan?

Harald: It was trying to make fight scenes have a meaning, other than just making fight scenes. The idea of the pentagram being crucial to Valentine and by removing a piece of it, he prevented the invasion, so Valentine was desperate to get that thing back. The rage, and the idea that Valentine is ready to kill his own son, and he's at one point almost just playing with him. He didn't have to do that, he just does it because he can. I thought, I can't just make a fight scene. You need an arc and an idea behind it.

Kristen, TMI Movie News: How much did you work with Jamie Campbell Bower?

Harald: A lot. These guys come with a lot of the right stuff already. What I do as a Director is try to create an intention behind every scene. So when the actors go on stage they know why they're there, what is the goal of the scene, why am I saying these lines? And you have to constantly tell them the subtext, I mean they get it. But you have to remind them, because they're doing little snippets of a bigger story. I have to realize the whole story. And it was really important to create a comfort zone where they would go so deep that they did. There's some really emotional stuff there. When he sees Valentine sort of take over Clary and he is completely deflated, because he's been given the bad news too, they had to go places inside themselves. So we talked a lot about how would you relate to this? I think that's why you are responding well to it, is they are really people in the movie. Not just stereotypes. We were all just in for the ride on that, I think.

Kristen, TMI Movie News: Were a lot of the jokes on-set or written in?

Harald: I just came up with them right there.That's 15 years of having a big career with comedic commercials.

EXCLUSIVE: Lily Collins fangirls Jace, developing Clary and GREENHOUSE

Lily Collins, as Clary Fray, leads a team of Shadowhunters to find the truth about her mom in The Mortal Instruments.

Sitting around talking with Cassie Clare fans about her books and movies is always fun. But when one of those fans is The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones star Lily Collins, it's a whole new level of excitement. I sat down in Los Angeles with other TMI bloggers, Mundie Moms, TMI Movie News and Fangirlish, to share with her our excitement about the film and got her insight.

LILY COLLINS AT LA PREMIERE (photo by Amber Pruitt)

(Blogger questions are in italics)

Loved you in the movie.

Lily: Oh you finally saw it.

Last night. 

Lily: Oh my God, were you happy?  

Ya, you did an awesome job with Clary.  We were up until like three in the morning talking about it.

Lily: Really?

Oh we went home and dissected like everything. 

Lily: That’s why I couldn’t sleep last night. Genuinely I was tossing and turning all night, and I was like what is going on, I think subconsciously I knew that people were talking about the movie and I was like Oh My God, I hope they like it. 

We were sitting up in bed last night examining every single point of view. But you seriously do embody Clary. I think that anybody who was ever a naysayer is going to be like WOW. And your red hair looked amazing. 

Lily: Thank you so much. Everyone has been like that’s the wrong color. I am like it was red. 

It was great. 

Lily: And how awesome was Jamie?

\We were just telling him that.

Lily: Oh you just saw him. 

The entire thing was awesome. The acting, the chemistry, take the writing and put it aside – the chemistry you guys had just brought everything to life. Between you and Robbie and you and Jamie. Just everything. We loved it.

Lily: Oh thanks. And you guys are like the fans, so we want to make sure.

We were just telling Jamie we were assholes in the beginning, we are really sorry. 

Lily: I knew from the second that he was cast and he started getting this backlash, I am telling you when he comes out, people are going to be like I am sorry. And that makes me happy.

We did our sorry’s after the set visit.

Lily: That’s right.

I think for us it was weird, because we have been fans of the book since it came out.

Lily: Of course.

And you know how when you read something you picture someone…

Lily: I was a fan too. With any book you read, you always have this person.

Photo by Amber Pruitt

And as a fan, I would have been the same way of any actor that was cast as Clary. I just happen to be that actor that is in that stream of talking, but of course you always have an idea. Harry Potter – I went through the same thing with Harry Potter. I wanted to be Hermione. And I had an idea in my head and I thought Emma nailed it. But as a reader and a fan you do have an idea who you think should play it or who the character is.

Cassie’s the one, I was like I am going to take your word for it, I totally trust you, so if you say Jamie can do it. She was like why do you think he won’t be good. And ok, Alex Pettyfer – the younger version, was who at that time I had pictured as a Jace.

Lily: Right.

We won’t talk about his acting or anything.

Lily: But very different actors.

So when he was cast, she was like “Just wait, I promise.” And then seeing it and meeting him, I was like you totally brought book Jace to life. And you brought book Clary to life. 

Lily: Ah, thank you.

Photo by Amber Pruitt

You made the different stages believable. You made the different stages that Clary goes through believable.

Lily: Thank you. That was the fear I had from the beginning. The fact that she is thrown these who, what, when, where, why, questions every five minutes. And in real life as a young girl its okay to be totally confused as to who you are. Young girls are all over the place with their emotions anyway. Its like you can be sad because you are literally angry, sad, or upset or frustrated or in love. There are so many reasons to be upset or annoyed or frustrated. And I didn’t want to play it one note, but I also didn’t want her to be this superhuman, girl power, never vulnerable girl. That’s why I think the scene where she breaks down in the rain is really necessary, because it allows Jace to say look we don’t have a choice here, so if you wanna get her back you have to come with me, you have to trust me. Otherwise this girl who is so opinionated in the first place just go on this journey with this guy she’s afraid of. We needed to show a vulnerability with Clary and the true essence of a young girl going through this stuff would be hesitant and nervous and scared. But at the same time she never allows herself to be defined by those emotions. She keeps going and toying with that, making her completely relatable, but at the same time, somewhat able to be on a pedestal of how to not victimize yourself. How to be a strong young woman. So thank you. That really was initially the biggest fear for me in playing her, and not even fear, it was kinda like I wanna be her in the best way possible.

You made her very relatable. We told Harald the same thing, that it is a movie with strong ideals and don’t falter for them. You know you see stuff sometimes where a girl will hit something and run away. But the scene with Jocelyn – she was like –

Lily: Oh my God, she keeps going.

It was the same thing with Clary too. You see the broken relationships, you see the stuff and they go through things, and they still fight. I love that we have a movie with strong girls. Because I don’t think that gets portrayed enough. 

Lily: No, Jemima is kick ass as well.

Oh Izzy is amazing. But, how fun was it on the mall tour?

Lily: It has been the most surreal experience. It is so strange, because we have this reaction without the movie even coming out yet, without it being a sequel, without any footage beyond the footage that we have been showing them for the first time as they are already there. It’s like t-shirts with our faces on, people fainting, and crying. It’s been amazing to be one on one with the people buying the tickets and parents who brought their kids to sleep over the night before. You kinda are going oh my God, this means so much to them. There was this one girl that Jamie and I were watching during the Miami mall tour and we were like okay here’s the new footage and the footage goes and she was just crying and getting so into it. And Jamie and I went over to her after and were like you are the most genuinely excited person we have seen – what’s your name, where are you from. Because genuinely this was her life and every time someone would come on screen she would just light up. To see that first hand and to go speak to people. They waited overnight for two seconds of our time. 

That to me is the true essence of the story, to feel for the characters. And that’s what Harald wanted. Character and emotion and for them to be able to connect with something and not just have a characture of the story. Seeing their passion and all these people’s enthusiasm for Clary, just clarified the fact that I always saw Clary as being something that every young girl has in them. Every young girl can be a Clary. Just because I am the actress playing her doesn’t mean that I actually define Clary anymore. Obviously if you watch a movie based on books, and you weren’t a fan and you read it, but see the movie first, you are going to imagine the actress playing it. But I felt for the fans, I didn’t ever want to take their vision of who Clary was and I just wanted to be the actress being able to play her. And I think if everyone can relate to her that way when watching the movie, everyone’s got these emotions flowing through them. 

Everyone gets confused as a teenager about who they are and are you my parents – I don’t know if this is my name. I totally had that where I was like I wonder if I really came from here. You always go through these weird kind of adolescent thing, because you watch weird movies, and you are like her past isn’t the same and maybe I was lied to. And I think it’s just like you relate to characters in stories and I really wanted Clary to be one of those characters that people could relate to and go, maybe that’s my story, and if it’s not my story, what would I do if I was in that. I am so close to my Mom and that’s what I related to the most with her – I wanted it to be a journey that even if she was in New York finding her Mom, it could be the same as in this fantasy. Cause yes there are warlocks and demons, and yes, she is floating about a tombstone, that’s obviously something that wouldn’t happen in New York, but the essence of the story, and going through these trials and tribulations to get to her, and having to dress the part to meet somebody – that’s all stuff that you totally go through. And you feel uncomfortable, but your friends are like you won’t get to see him unless you dress like this. And you are like ok, that is so wrong, but if I gotta do it, I gotta do it.

And Clary’s morals don’t change. Like you said Jocelyn and her are kick ass women but their morals never change. Like Clary is still Clary in a tight dress and heels. Clary’s relationship with Jace is the same as when they are in an alleyway as it is when they are at the piano and she’s all “You play that like you lost your only love.” And its rejection and they still are very at each other. That’s what they respect, because they find a combater in each other. That never changes, even in the emotional things, even in the romantic things, they still push and pull. She never changes herself for the story.

As a fan of the series yourself, what was the scene that you were really excited to film?

 Lily: Genuinely the greenhouse. Just because as a reader you are like, FINALLY THEY GET TOGETHER. It’s magical and it’s beautiful and it’s that young girl in me being like I want a romantic scene now. And it was the moment where you see Jace’s vulnerability. It’s kinda a calmness in the mayhem and craziness of the action story. I just wanted to see Clary and Jace get together. So filming that was kind of a bonus I think. To have someone that you get along with so well – I mean, it’s always an awkward situation in those moments. But to have such a supportive crew and co-star in moments like that, it’s kinda like wow, this is actually translating exactly as it is from the book. I know all the young girls – literally all we had to say on tour was ‘Greenhouse’ and they would scream. And it became a running joke where Jamie and I would be like now, okay now, “Greenhouse.” It literally was the moment that the girls went crazy, so we wanted to make it perfect. 

EXCLUSIVE: Jamie Campbell Bower talks fans, mood boards and his signature move

Jamie Campbell Bower leads an attack as Jace Wayland in 'The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones', premiering today. 

Jamie Campbell Bower lights up a room with his presence. It could be his warm, inviting smile or the fact that he comes up to a group of blogger ladies he only knows from a few brief interactions all giddy and gives us high fives. There's a feeling in the air of excitement and celebration. Jamie's been waiting all year to know how Shadowhunters would react to film. It's been sometimes an uphill battle with fans for The Mortal Instruments series when it comes to Jamie playing the seraph wielding, snark-ridden Jace Wayland. I, for one, was always a fan of Jamie as Jace from the moment they announced him. I pulled up a season of Camelot on DVR and said, "let's see what he's made of." I learned quickly that Jamie had the guts and drive for Jace. But as he sits down in a chair next to me and three other die-hard TMI super bloggers, it's clear that he wonders what we thought of the movie, having watched it the previous night at a press screening in LA. He grins at us all, waiting for us to spring to life with our comments on the film.

Katie (MundieMoms): Can we just talk about how awesome you are in this movie?

JCB: Stop it. You guys liked it then?

Katie (MundieMoms): You were awesome. We loved it. You seriously brought Jace...

Kristen (TMI Movie News): Our site penned Jacealiciousness. You nailed it!

JCB: Oh, thank you. Well, look, you guys are the most important people that we need to make sure that we please as well, so if you guys are happy, then we're happy.

Katie (MundieMoms): Well, we were even talking about this last night afterwards, we're like, okay, you could not have cast a better Jace because your mannerisms, the looks you gave, the comments you said and the way you said it... You were just great. You wanted to slap you, but you wanted to hug you at the same time.

JCB: Stop it! You can do both! You can do both of those things.

Katie (MundieMoms): No, you brought book Jace to life perfectly. There's not one thing that you could change to make it better. 

JCB: Thank you, that means so much. 

Erin (Fangirlish): I mean, it's got to be good to hear though. I mean, point blank, the fans were mean to you atthe beginning. We were assholes. We were really jerks. I feel like you should know that people are gonna change their minds. The whole theater last night was like, "Wow." I mean, we walked away and even MTV was sitting behind us, and they were like, "Holy shit. We underestimated him." We've had that moment, I've seen, where like, "And that is why Jamie is Jace." He is Jace.

JCB: Yeah, I mean, look, I put a lot of work into this. Maybe if there wasn't a negative reaction at the beginning... I mean, I try and put 100% in whatever I do. Maybe if there wasn't a negative reaction, would I have...? It's like when somebody tells me I can't do something, I'm like, "Fuck you. I'm going to do it better than you can possibly imagine." Literally, like, I will focus on something so hard. It's like my mom and dad when I was a kid, I wanted to play the drums and play the guitar and my mom and dad were like, "You don't need lessons for that." And I was like, "Right. You don't know, you don't know. I'm gonna like..." They're like, "Don't be ridiculous." And I like went out and I like tried to do the best that I possibly could. So, in a way, I suppose I probably should be sitting here thanking people for saying negative things. Yes they hurt, and yeah, it's damaging and I don't think anyone should have to go through any form of... Look, outrightly, it sucked. It was bullying and it fucking stinks like shit, and I don't like it. I've said that. But whatever, people say things, sometimes there's no hand to brain or brain to hand or brain to mouth coordination. I'm exactly the same way sometimes. I can say vicious things, and then I go, "Oh my god. What did I do." I should be thanking those people maybe, because they pushed me to a place where actually I seem to have pleased them [laughs]. But I'm not saying go back and do it again.

Erin (Fangirlish): We were part of the people who put together the book of fan pictures for you.

JCB: Which is upstairs in my room, and I look at it every day.

Erin (Fangirlish): That's so sweet, because we were really, really freaking nervous. We actually are starting other volumes because I have so many pictures. I have like over 5,000 pictures and I just couldn't fit them all into one volume to get to you. You are way loved.

JCB: No really, that book's insane. I showed it to my friend yesterday, and he's just like, "That's beautiful. It's crazy, but it's beautiful." I was like, "I know." I do feel incredibly blessed to just  have that support. I get very emotional just thinking about it.

(Institute note: I think this was about the time Jamie put his head down on the table, clearly a little emotional from all our love. I patted him on the arm, trying to at least tell him it was okay. Gosh, this guy is super sweet, and we love him more for that!)

Katie (MundieMoms): It was seriously so much fun watching you just embody Jace. The banter that you and Simon have - between you and Robbie - is so spot on, and the lines you guys have and the relationship and the chemistry you have with Lily... What was one of your favorite moments to film?

On the black carpet at the TMI premiere (Photo by Amber Pruitt)

JCB: There's one line that didn't make it into the movie which I really wish had. I mean, look, it was Jace, like, I made him such a prick at this point, but I really wanted him to be a prick to Simon at that point. It's where they're standing over the bed and Simon's going, "They have runes to make you blah blah blah to make you hungry." And Jace goes, "No." And I was like, "No, you're an idiot." And I really wanted it to stay in, and Harald was like, "We can't keep that in. We just can't. It's too mean. It's too mean." I was like, "Okay, fine. I get it. Whatever."

That was really fun. That banter scene with Robbie was fun. One of my favorite scenes actually in the movie is when Alec and Jace go and introduce Clary to Hodge, and Alec and Jace just have this - it's a very short interaction - but it says so much about these two people. I don't thinkit's even a minute; I think it's maybe just under a minute. But it's just very light, but concerned, and Kevin brings this sort of brotherly love and Jace is trying to sort of brush him aside. That was probably my favorite scene to shoot because I was just there, like, hanging out with my brother. Kevin has become like a brother to myself and Lily. He is like our brother. So, like, I was just there, just hanging out with my brother, saying something that was on the script. I wasn't even really thinking about the script. I was like, "Okay, here we are. This is fun."


Katie (MundieMoms): It's great because you have this look where you're looking at Clary like you're kind of fascinated by her, and then you have Alec in the background and it's his look that says it all. He's looking at you and then he looks at Clary and looks her up and down and looks at you, and you just see the disdain like he just wants to kill her, but you can see when he's looking at Jace that he really cares about you. It said it all. You're just looking at Clary and Clary's like, "Oh my gosh, what kind of world did I get into?" That whole moment, it just said it all without saying much else was perfect.

JCB: It's a great moment. Aw, I'm glad you guys... I'm really happy. I'm really happy.

Erin (Fangirlish): So, Jace is kind of a dick.

JCB: Yeah, a little bit [laughs].

Erin (Fangirlish): What's his redeeming quality?

JCB: His redeeming quality. His loyalty. His loyalty to his family and his loyalty to those that he loves. He feels that the world is against him. I think that's how a lot of people feel sometimes. It's how I certainly felt as a kid. I think his redeeming quality is his sort of undying loyalty to his family and to who means most to him. For all his cockiness and for all his banter, he's pretty unsure of himself. He's a bit lost, and I love that about him. I love damaged goods. I'm all about damaged goods, mate.


Amber, The Mortal Institute (Ok, yes, I'm proud of my big Q&A moment with Jamie, and I love his reaction): You had a lot of vulnerability, like in the scene right before the greenhouse scene where Jace sticks his hand through the portal. That moment just melted my heart. So talk about Jace's vulnerability and how you got into that. Is that you in general. Do you feel like Jace...?

Jamie on the black carpet in LA. (Photo by Amber Pruitt)

JCB: In any performance, there always has to be a little bit of yourself in there; otherwise it sort of can look like you're acting. Yeah, I'm pretty vulnerable. I'm a pretty vulnerable person. How did I get to it with Jace? Well, the reason Jace is such a prick at the beginning is because I knew we had this moment in the greenhouse that was coming and that's why... Like, without that scene, you would walk away from the theater going, "Who was that guy? What the hell was his problem?" So, filming the greenhouse scene was like probably the most terrifying day for me, because it's like his entire moment. That is a huge character point for him. So, the vulnerability aspect of it... I sort of took a lot of... I made a mood board when we first started shooting of just images: no words, just images. So I used a lot of fan art that I'd found, stuck that up, images of Jace and Clary that people had like drawn and stuff, stuck them up on the board. Pictures of myself, pictures of Lily, and then pictures of people like Heath Ledger, who was incredibly vulnerable - that incredibly vulnerable man - but beautiful, and very strong at the same time. Images like that, and like River Phoenix, and then I wanted the aggression side, so I used the idea of like James Hetfield from Metallica... So when I would get to the vulnerable bits or when I was sort of losing track of what it was, I'd go back to the board, and I'd be like, "Okay, this board here is Jace's brain, but who am I going to be out of his brain today? Okay, so there's a bit of Jamie in there, but there also has to be a bit of whoever."

Kristen (TMI Movie News): So is the hands through the hair gonna be signature?

JCB: [laughs] That was actually a reshoot! We added that in for a bit of sneakiness.

Kristen (TMI Movie News): It was twice, right? I didn't miss any extras?

JCB: Yeah, I mean, there's obviously when he kills the ravener at the beginning - and takes off his shirt. It's the reveal, come on. It's movie magic. I mean, it could have been this slow motion (makes jesture running hand through hair). There could have been a number of them.

Katie (MundieMoms): I love that scene, though, with Jace. He comes in, kills the demon, and then he's kind of like looking at Clary, but then he kind of picks her up, consoles her, and then he turns back into the, "Well, I did just save your life," which, by the way, is like the best line ever.

JCB: Thank you.

Katie (MundieMoms): Thank you for bringing Jace to life. You were just fantastic.

JCB: Thank you guys for supporting the movie, and thank you for saying the things that you said. I really mean it, like, you guys, it means a lot to me.

Kristen (TMI Movie News): Jacealicious!

JCB: Jacealiscious! You guys are so much fun!

HERE IS A LITTLE VIDEO I GOT OF JAMIE ON THE BLACK CARPET ON  AUGUST 12TH AT THE LOS ANGELES PREMIERE.

EXCLUSIVE: My chat with Nathan Sykes from The Wanted about TMI

I had the awesome opportunity to go to the Los Angeles premiere of THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES. Literally all around me were celebrities, studio execs and fans. It was a dream come true! As I came in just as the film was about to start, I looked over to the person literally a seat away from me, and I whispered, "Hey, are you Nathan from The Wanted?" Needless to say, indeed it was! Nathan Sykes from the British group The Wanted was on hand supporting the film and his work on the soundtrack, a collaboration between he and Ariana Grande titled "Almost is Never Enough". The song is soulful and beautiful and Nathan had nothing but accolades for Ariana. Take a look at the video and let us know what you think! Could Nathan be a Shadowhunter and save the world? After talking to him, I really think he could!!

EXCLUSIVE: Jared Harris talks one on one about The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones and more

Toronto, Los Angeles, London, Los Angeles, Miami, London…

These last few months have been an incredibly busy time for Jared Harris.  His list of projects in the last year is almost half as long as his incredible resume.  You could honestly say he’s been nonstop since 2008.  From TV work on The Riches, Mad Men and Fringe, to movies like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, and Lincoln, then on to play Hodge Starkweather in The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.  Since wrapping on City of Bones he’s spent time in recording booths and covered in ashes for upcoming projects like The Boxtrolls, Pompeii, and The Quiet Ones.  And don’t forget getting engaged to his longtime (and adorable and awesome, but I am biased) fiancee Allegra Riggio, who kindly let him out of some wedding planning duties to sit down and talk to us for an exclusive interview. 

I got an incredible hour long phone interview with Jared a few weeks ago, right before my surgery, and I am so glad to finally get to share it.  I feel very honored to speak with someone with such an incredible talent and body of work. It was truly an amazing experience. At some point I would love to figure out how to edit the audio properly so that I may share how absolutely charming Jared is to speak to.  Without further delay, here is Jared!

Institute (Sarah): We would like to welcome Jared Harris! Thank you very much for your time!

Jared Harris: Thank you for asking me.

Jared Harris as Hodge Starkweather in The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

Institute: You play the very important role of Hodge Starkweather in The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. How did you come into the role?

Jared Harris: I got a call to come and meet Harald at the Constantin offices in Los Angles, and we sat down and we chatted. I wasn’t aware of the books at that point. He told me about the story and the world it was in and everything and it sounded like great fun. It was one of those sort of check for interest type things. They didn’t offer it to me right away. And then once I knew they wanted me I went and immersed myself in the world, and loved it.

Institute: So, City of Ashes is up next. Have you read City of Ashes and/or City of Glass to see Hodge’s full story?

Jared Harris: I read the first book because that is what the movie was, and I knew that they weren’t going to be pulling stuff from the other books into the first movie.  I read that first book several times to understand it and to understand my part and my function in the story. What happens quite often with these things is when you get the script it is still in flux and when you go and meet the film maker’s there’s normally a read through and things can change and things always have to adjust on set. You need to have all that information ready so that you can make the right adjustment when you are on set. The first scene of Hodge went through a couple of rewrites right before we started shooting. They rely on you to have an opinion, and the only way one can have an opinion is to be really familiar with the source material. You have to honor the mythology, so any changes and ideas you have must be consistent with the mythology. I haven’t read the other books. I just focused on this because this is what they hired me to do. I read the first book many many times. I’m very excited to hear he’s in the third. I knew he wasn’t in the second book.  That is one of the things I learned from the Mad Men set since you never got the whole season and you weren’t told what was going to happen you got it episode by episode. One of the habits actors can have is to play the end. Once you know where the story is going you start playing the end. Not knowing what that was is in a way very helpful. I only read that book but I became very possessive of the mythology in that first book. Hodge is used as a way of explaining the word that we are in, so I was very possessive of making sure I explained it in a way that was completely consistent with the mythology of the book.  The tricky thing about that is you only have 90 seconds of screen time to do it.  How to concisely convey what these worlds were, what the ideas were, what they mythology was. I love that part of it. That is Hodge’s role in the books as well, passing along the mythology to the younger generation.

Institute: In the books Hodge doesn’t make an appearance in City of Ashes but does in City of Glass.  Have they contracted you yet for CoG?

Jared Harris: They have not. That is way in the future and it isn’t a deal an agent would make at this point, they would say come back to us when you are ready to make the third one. The film business is a very fickle business, so they are planning on making all of them, but obviously that depends on how well the first one does.  They are very excited about it, I know they’ve written the script for the second one and are in pre-production for it. The script was floating around the set of Pompeii, a set I just finished working on in Toronto for Constantin. They were all talking about and very excited about it.

Institute: Could you explain a little about the look of Hodge.

Jared Harris: He’s explained as having gray hair in the books, but it’s like the color has been drained out of him. He was part of that whole group from the past. The idea is that he was older than those guys, one of the oldest members of that class. It was part of the idea of this curse was that it sort of been draining the life out of him.  Then that was also part of the idea of the mustache and that look is that he seems like he is from a different generation, plus all the people I’m on screen with are incredibly young and very beautiful and it obviously makes the age gap starker.

Institute: People have been super excited to see Hodge and feel the look is spot on.

Jared Harris: That’s good! Good!

Institute: Most fans didn’t really have a “fancast” of Hodge, most seem to agree we didn’t know you were it, but you totally are “it,” if that makes sense, *laughs*

Jared Harris: My thing has always been to appear different in everything that I’ve done. For it to be hard…you don’t have that baggage of being better known than the roles that you play. You bring all of that baggage with you to every role that you play, and then it starts to become difficult for people to accept you as a character. It’s part of the tradeoff you have to make, you have to walk a fine line with. The better known you are, the more work comes to you in a sense, but it also makes it difficult to do the work you sometimes want to do because you bring all that baggage with you.

Institute: We saw that in fan reactions, a lot of “oh my God yeah I loved him in ….” Resident Evil/Sherlock/Mad Men etc. A lot of people see you and there’s that realization “He’s THAT GUY” so you have been very successful with that. You really do make a very different impression in everything that you do. You are more of a character than a typecast.

Jared Harris: Sure, that’s the idea. You want the character to be the thing that people encounter. You don’t want them to encounter your story or mythology. It works for some people doing that. I would say that every time you see Charlie Sheen in something you are seeing Charlie Sheen and you are aware of his story. He’s very very funny and it works for him, but you know if you want to do a lot of character work it can get in the way. His personal story might get in the way. Personally, I always try and deliver the character. That is what I enjoy doing, morphing yourself into someone completely different.

Institute: You mentioned working with the younger cast. What was it like? Was there any mentoring of the younger cast members by you more experienced ones?

Jared Harris: You know, the thing about the younger actors is they’ve been acting sense they were seven practically, most of these guys. They have a lot of experience, so there was no mentoring. They are extremely professional they know what they want to do and they know how to do it. So, no would be the answer to that one. *laughs*

Institute: Did you get to interact with Cassie?

Jared Harris: She came to set one of the days I was there. She was there a lot. She was busy writing the new book. I got to meet her on one of her set visits. She was great. We took some photographs together. We took a picture of our hands. One of the things that was great is I got my own personal rune symbol from her. She was very specific in terms of the runes that you would have visible on your body. She would send those notes to the makeup department. I got some very specific ones which I was very proud of. I have a pendant with one.  Everyone got one with a specific image that was for each of the characters.  She was really hands on. We got to have fun with the weapons because everyone had a specific weapon that had specific things about them.  Harald was really into Hodge. His imagination was really excited by Hodge and how Hodge fit into the mythology and everything and how he could use that character. He designed these weapons that Hodge would use, which we had some fun with. Hodge has a specific weapon which he became an expert in. it has particular attributes, things that the weapons do that other weapons can’t do.

Institute: If you had to choose for Hodge to have a parabati, who would it be?

Jared Harris: *silence*

Institute: I have stumped Jared Harris. *laughs*

Jared Harris: Well, I’m just thinking. Isabelle is pretty lethal with her whip. And she wields it really well in the movie. We saw the movie a couple of weeks ago. Let’s see. I don’t know. I am stumped on that one. I like the idea that people have these certain weapon skills. I would imagine that if you were partnered up with somebody you would want someone who’s complementing what you have.

Institute: As you said, you got to screen the movie, what can you tell us? Did you have a favorite scene?

Jared Harris: Other than my scenes darling? *laughs* Spoken like an actor. I don’t want to give anything away. I don’t know what one can say, in terms of giving away too much of the movie. They’ve done a great job.  It’s difficult when you take a book that is that dense, that has that much story and condense it down to a two hour movie, what do you leave out, what do you put in? Sometimes things that worked in the book won’t work in the movie because you just don’t have as much time to tell. They’ve done a really great job with adapting the story to a movie format. They are very careful with those words that they have introduced into the story in terms of which ones they are going to use because they are explained in the story.  Otherwise will you have to use two minutes of film time explaining what that word meant. They have a limited amount of time to tell the story. What they’ve done with this, which I think has worked really well, is set up the idea of the world, set up the mythology and they’ve left themselves a great platform in which they can introduce a lot of the ideas and more outlandish stuff in the further movies.  One of the things they were very careful about, and Harald talked about was this film HAS to be grounded in reality. It has to feel like a real world. And in that sense they didn’t’ want to do lots of special effects and blue screens and stuff like that. Sets had to be real sets like you  were living in a proper world. They wanted the effects and stunts, as much as possible, to be practically done rather than digitally done so that you felt that this world was a real world. Some of these ideas are really outlandish, and if you have that, which this film successfully does, this is opening the door to that other world.  It teases people with the possibility of what this all could be. 

Institute: So it leaves you wanting more?

Jared Harris: Exactly. Like in the book it explains that the demons are these inter dimensional beings. In this movie a lot of those answers are not given yet.  It opens up the possibility of all these things that this world can present.

Institute: We know that your father, Richard Harris, was a wonderful actor and charmed a younger generation of book readers as Albus Dumbledore in the early Harry Potter movies. How do you feel about The Mortal Instruments role in continuing this trend of bringing such magical and mysterious characters and new worlds to a younger generation?

Jared Harris: I haven’t thought of it as being some extraordinary coincidence.  It is part of what the trend is in film making at the moment, so it is not a surprise. This particular type of genre, the idea of these fantastical worlds, they lend themselves to big budget movies with the special effects, the sort of you jump out of your seat excitement studios want to go after. They are interested in developing a series of titles rather than one movie because they spend all this money educating the public about this property that they have and if it works the first time they don’t have to educate the public for the second one, or the third or fourth or fifth or sixth or seventh because the public is already aware and interested in seeing the next version of it. It’s just part of the trend that is happening in studio film making. I will be surprised if it’s the last one I do. I would think that there are others ones that one would get involved in.

Institute: Your body of work is so huge, and when we were coming up with question we had a hard time focusing on one thing. Amber’s daughter Brianna has a Resident Evil question for you. In RE, when you became a zombie you still couldn’t walk?

Jared Harris as Dr. Ashford in Resident Evil:Apocalypse

Jared Harris: Why couldn’t I walk (he finishes the question with me). Yes. It was kinda one of those things that, we thought about that, would I be able to walk? I said I wanted to be a zombie in a wheel chair, and not actually come out of the wheel chair and still be operating the wheel chair, but they said no, that’s going to get a laugh. And then we thought if I could suddenly start walking that would get a laugh. It was really to do with the moment, where it came in the story, as to what determines what I was able to do at that point. Technically speaking, whatever the regenerative process is of the T virus, it hadn’t been able to restore what had been damaged for so long.  At that point you are free to make up anything you want really.  This is actually a good example.  The answer is not to do with the specific mythology. The point was that it might elicit a laugh or the wrong response at that point. So they went with the one that would maintain the state that they were trying keep at that point in terms of where the audience was.

 

Institute: So, you have a LOT of projects coming up. I’ve heard that you’ve always wanted to do voice work.  How has it been doing The Boxtrolls?

Jared Harris: I’m still working on that! It’s great fun! We actually had a really really good day of recording before we left Los Angeles. You can overact your heart out. And it’s great great great fun. I love it. The tough thing is it’s been done over such a long period of time; we’ve been recording for well over a year now. Maintaining a consistency can be difficult because ones ideas of the character begin to evolve and it doesn’t match what one recorded 14 and 118 months ago. I love it, it’s great great fun and really silly. 

Institute: Have you recorded with Simon Pegg?

Jared Harris: I’ve recorded with Elle Fanning, but not the rest of those guys. They try and do that but it is quite difficult with schedules. They normally just bring you in there and you record your lines of dialog and lots of other silly little things as well. Little sounds and shrieks and pants and gasps and squeals of outrage. It’s really silly and great fun. I saw a little piece of it and it just looks amazing. I was so excited.

Institute: I saw a first look the other day.

Jared Harris: They have a little teaser on the internet.  It isn’t a scene from the film, it’s just the characters. It’s amazing work they do. They took me around their factory in Portland. It’s an amazing facility they have up there. Huge. When I was up there they were just at the tail end of Paranorman, and I got to walk on the main street after the witch had wreaked havoc on it. It was just fantastic, the detail was amazing. So beautiful. And this whole 3D printing thing they do is just mind blowing. The huge staff they have creating the costumes, painting the puppets, all of the facial features that are interchangeable. Painstaking work and beautifully crafted.  Amazing.  

 

Institute: So would you like to do more voice work in the future?

Jared Harris: Yeah, I would love it.

Institute: If you had to choose…I know you started in theater. There are huge differences between doing theater, film, television, voice work. Is there one that you prefer over the others?

Jared Harris: They each have their different advantages, and different setbacks. I love live performance. I loved doing theater, and would be really happy to do it again. What I don’t like about it is the entire process is geared towards getting the approval of one writer from the New York Times or a few writers from whatever papers there are in London. For me that just seems like a pointless exercise. And the idea that the financial people will pull the plug on it if the writer from the New York Times didn’t like it. Maybe he had a bad meal and had gas or something and he just wants to get out of the theater that night.  I don’t really care about one person’s opinion that much. But I would love to do, be happy to do it up in Oregon or where ever. Just having the opportunity to just make contact with the audience.

Institute: I’ve heard working in TV can be really rough.

Jared Harris: Long hours. Very long hours. But at the moment I would say the writing on television is superior to any of the writing you are seeing being done in any of the major movie studios right now. Really really exciting subjects and tackling them in interesting and original ways. That is what you have on the plus side is the material is really good. They are taking risks. And I would say probably are probably steering the material to an adult audience because adults still watch television, you know?

Institute: It’s a battle. So many good shows and the DVR can only hold so much. Thankfully we have Netflix.

Jared Harris: Yeah, that is really the only way to do it is to go to the beginning and watch those shows straight through.

Institute: I’ve been wanting to do that with Mad Men. We missed the beginning and then it didn’t replay anywhere, I am glad it is getting easier to do that.

Jared Harris: Yeah, I had that experience with The Wire. At that time Netflix and those things didn’t exist. I managed to get a hold of them all on DVD and got to sit down and watch them and what an amazing show that was.

Institute: What is your can’t miss TV show? Do you have a favorite right now?

Jared Harris: We love watching Big Bang Theory. Huge fans of that. We are both science nerds. We love science fiction. I guess that makes us science fiction nerds not science nerds. Let’s see, I’m into The Newsroom at the moment.  “Mad Men!” *Allegra hollers in the background* yes of course, Mad Men. Game of Thrones, I love it. Allegra is a big fan of RuPaul’s Drag Race. We just started getting into Magic City; my younger brother has a good character arc on this second season. He’s really good in it. We haven’t been home for such a long time; we haven’t been able to keep up with it. It’s very difficult to keep up with those shows if you are on the road.  *Allegra in the back ground * “But he’s figured out how to watch Game of Thrones.”

Institute: I love this quote of yours “I've auditioned for normal characters. But I never get cast.”

Jared Harris: *laughs* Yeah.

Institute: Do you have a favorite character you’ve played?

Jared Harris: The latest one would be, I loved playing Ulysses Grant. I really learned so much about the guy. It’s a story that has not yet been told. It’s a great American story, and he hasn’t had the biopic treatment. In a way his story is too big to do in one movie.  It would be a great 10-parter or something like that. What an amazing life he had? And I really really connected to him.  My favorite one is always my next job. That is my standard answer.

Institute: Thank you so much for your time! We really appreciate it.

Jared Harris: You are very welcome!