We missed the last round of behind the scenes photos that some of the actors shared with fans due to all the excitement of the release and the premiere. Lee Hardee (Aaron) shared a bunch more and Frances Fisher (Maggie) shared a couple more also. Stephenie Meyer, Boyd Holbrook, William Hurt, Frances Fisher, Saoirse Ronan, Mustafa Harris, Lee Hardee, Max Irons, and Diane Kruger are all seen in the photos below.
Irons revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that he wasn’t sure how he felt about having the scene in the film where Jared hits Wanderer (in Melanie’s body) when she is first brought to the caves. He talks about how he could have intentionally messed the scene up until they cut it from the film, but that when it came time to film it, he understood more fully why it was an important moment for his character.
“I was not looking forward to that scene,” Irons tells THR. “I didn’t know if I wanted it in the film and I didn’t know if I liked it in the book – I didn’t know if it was necessary.”
“If you don’t like a scene, you can keep f—ing it up,” he confesses. “I could have done that if I wanted to, but I didn’t because it worked.”
“Obviously I didn’t hit her, obviously I don’t endorse that kind of thing,” he says, “but we shot it quite early on and it was sort of a microcosmic example of Melanie and Jared’s struggle. There are feelings of loss, rage, pure sadness, happiness to see her but confusion – a whole bunch of shit… it became an illuminating scene.”
Plus, he notes, “I knew that if I really hated the way it was being shot, I could say to Andrew, ‘Listen, we’ve got a problem here.’”
The interview includes reactions from Niccol and Ronan (Wanderer/Melanie) to Irons’ revelation, as well as a reassurance that, while Ronan was 17 during much of the filming, she was 18 before they filmed any of the intimate scenes. He also talks a little about what it was like having her father on set while filming some of the scenes between himself and Ronan.
The Host has officially exceeded its $40 million budget at the box office! This is thanks to the international portion of the box office which now sits at $21,600,000. The total box office for US and international is now $41,971,752.
Thanks to Russia, Australia, Brazil, Spain, and the U.K. who have the highest international box office numbers. You can see what your country brought in here.
Thanks to a couple of vigilant followers who alerted us to this change!
Source: Box Office Mojo
In the U.S. domestic box office for the second weekend The Host has been out, it placed #8 in the top 10, falling two spots from where it opened at #6. The film brought in an additional $5,198,615 over Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It lost 51% of its audience compared to last weekend, although it still plays in the same number of theatres.
As of tonight, The Host has brought in $19,624,328 in the US and $10,700,000 internationally, bringing its 10 day total to $30,324,328.
It still has about $10 million to go before it breaks even with its reported budget of $40 million.
Source: Box Office Mojo
The very last page of the April 15, 2013 issue of Time has the 10 Questions part of the magazine with Stephenie Meyer. The photo above is from the magazine, but there is more to it in the physical copy. Here are the questions and answers:
In addition to being the author of The Host, you’re also a producer on the movie. How much creative input do you get?
It was basically me and one other producer and the director making all the creative decisions. That was a new experience for me, to be that involved. It was very cool.
You’ve written a lot about young people. What draws you to them as characters?
It’s about the story I want to tell. With Bella [in Twilight], I wanted someone who was falling in love for the first time. With [The Host's] Melanie, I liked the hardship of her being young.
How do you think Melanie holds up as a role model?
The main character isn’t a teenage girl; it’s an alien who is in a teenage girl’s body. I don’t really feel like we should be looking for our role models in fiction. That being said, Melanie’s a pretty tough person, and I find Wanda, the alien, pretty aspirational. She’s kind of who I would want to be if I always did the right thing and always thought about other people before myself.
In The Host, Earth is one of several inhabited worlds. That reminds me of Mormon cosmology. Does your faith influence the worlds you create?
The way it comes out the most is that my characters think about what comes next. I find it kind of shallow in a character if they don’t have that kind of wonder and an idea about the world and where they belong and where they’re going to go.
You also worked as a producer on the movie Austenland, which was at Sundance this year, about a woman who is obsessed with Jane Austen. You have firsthand experience with obsessive fans.
I never really looked at it as, Oh, this reminds me of my fans. That’s me. I would love to go and stay at a Regency theme park where I got to dress up all day and act like a Jane Austen character.
What else are you a crazy fan of?
The Brontës. And sometimes Jeremy Renner.
The literary establishment isn’t always kind to you. How do you deal with criticism?
A lot of it I really take to heart, because I know I’m not the best writer. I do try to learn from it. I feel like with each book I’ve written, I’ve gotten a little bit better. You sometimes have to tune it out, because it can be that voice in your head all the time and be really crippling.
You’ve described being a working mom as a delicate balance. How do you and your husband divide the work at home?
Right now he’s doing 100%.
Do you consider yourself a feminist?
I do. Everybody has a little bit different definition. But to me, what I think it should be is that you shouldn’t have to do anything or not be able to do anything because you’re a woman.
I have to ask you about 50 Shades of Grey. E.L. James took something that you created and used it as inspiration for something that’s pretty raunchy. How does that make you feel?
It doesn’t feel that connected to me. I haven’t read it, so I don’t know. I’m glad that she is doing well and succeeding, and that’s cool. The raunchy part, I wish that wasn’t attached to Twilight, just because I don’t like to think of it that way, but, you know, it doesn’t hurt Twilight.
Do you think you’ll ever return to the Twilight universe?
When the Twilight Saga movies ended, I kept thinking I was going to be really sad. I was waiting for it to hit. I just felt nothing but relief. And I don’t miss that world at all.
Source: Time
