Dane DeHaan on turning action hero: 'It's clear I'm not Schwarzenegger'
Dane DeHaan talks to TNP about Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets
When one pictures Dane DeHaan, "action hero" does not immediately spring to mind.
Yet here he is, talking about playing Major Valerian in the upcoming Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets.
Opening here on July 20, the sci-fi movie from director Luc Besson is set in the 28th century. Valerian is a government operative in the human army. He teams up with Sergeant Laureline (Cara Delevingne) through space and time.
Naturally, they have to save civilisation, but first there are flying car chases and alien shoot-outs.
"Yeah, I think it is pretty clear I am not Arnold Schwarzenegger," DeHaan said, laughing.
"But it is exciting that I get to be in this movie and I get to be the hero. As much as Valerian is cocky and so sure of himself, I think it is a cover for what is going on underneath.
"He is slowly realising he wouldn't have the success rate he has, or be as lucky as he is, if Laureline wasn't with him on every single mission...
"There is certainly a message in this film that behind every strong man is an even stronger woman, and I think that is really cool."
Known for darker turns in films such as Chronicle (2012), Kill Your Darlings (2013), The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) and A Cure For Wellness (2016), DeHaan was delightful to interview.
He was open about his life and was happy to be at the Four Seasons hotel in Beverly Hills to talk about his role.
Working with British supermodel-turned-actress Delevingne was fun for DeHaan.
He said: "She has this love for life that I haven't seen in many people. She operates on this kind of high-octane fuel that it is almost an infectious energy.
"I am the kind of person that can take himself too seriously, and a lot of what this movie was about for me was letting go of that and giving into the fun of it. She made that so much easier."
WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
It is hard to imagine that the 31-year-old US actor, who can easily pass for 10 years younger, is a new dad. It was also his fifth wedding anniversary, with US actress-wife Anna Wood, on the day of our interview.
Said DeHaan: "We dated for a month in high school and then we broke up, and I realised what I had lost and was still madly in love with her, and I came crawling back a year and a half later. We've been together for 12 years. We are lucky to have found each other so early on in life."
He added with a laugh: "Tonight, we will have a nice meal and drink nice wine and, you know, hopefully one thing will lead to another..."
Their baby Bowie Rose was born in April.
Said DeHaan: "When Anna was pregnant, everyone was telling me how it was going to change my life, and I kind of cast them aside. Because I really love my dog a lot... I felt like I loved her as one would love his child.
"But after Bowie was born, I was so overwhelmed by the feeling and still am. It is this whole other level of love that I have for this human, and it has made my life so much better."
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