Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin are both fan-favorite actors who have racked up credits in some of the most beloved TV and film projects of all time. Butler is an action hero known for crowd-pleasers like 300 and Angel Has Fallen, while Baccarin first gained notice as Inara on the short-lived but beloved series Firefly and has more recently delighted audiences in Deadpool and its sequel. Now, the pair are teaming up for Greenland, a thrilling disaster film in which they play John and Allison Garrity, an estranged couple who come back together to save themselves and their young son, Nathan, when they learn a planet-killing comet is on a collision course with Earth.
Butler and Baccarin spoke to CBR about their new movie, including why they wanted to be a part of Greenland, what they appreciated most about the story and how they created an onscreen family unit with Roger Dale Floyd, who plays Nathan.
What attracted both of you to Greenland?
Gerard Butler: Well, one, the opportunity to team up with Rick Roman Waugh [who directed Angel Has Fallen,] again, who I knew would be able to take this to really fresh and new heights. But what I really loved was the ability to make a kind of epic fantasy thriller but really seen through the lens of a family drama that is so intimate and vulnerable and emotional and intense and authentic. Because I feel like if an audience can climb into that and ground that, which is so rare in these movies, it gives it so much heart and it's incredibly relatable and really takes them on a journey that is so much more epic and profound. And that's what I found to be the case, mixed with the script and Ric's direction and then bringing in the wonderful Morena as well, who gave it so much heart and strength, and so that was what appealed to me about it.
Morena Baccarin: I would just second that, honestly. It was a script that you rarely get to read. An action movie, a whatever-you-want-to-call-it, a world disaster movie that has so much heart and connection to humanity, and that was really, really lovely.
I was surprised by how grounded the movie was. What was it like to create a family unit with both of you and also, Roger Dale Floyd, who played your son, Nathan?
Baccarin: It was like a real family. We got on each other's nerves, we talked a lot, we disciplined. It was fun. We spent a lot of time together and had a lot of challenging moments. And when you're working with a child -- he was a real champ -- but you have to bank his stuff first for many reasons, hours and also exhaustion, and it is was good and bad. There were challenges with that, because Gerry and I were constantly trying to work our performance around the timing of it. But also, then it allowed us to get him out of the way, in a good way. You know, bank his stuff well and get him home and safe, and then we could really dive into our work together. So it felt a little like parents who got to then send their kid off to a babysitter.
Butler: Yeah, and that's also the story, I guess. And in this story we often forget to, how would you say, assuage his fears because we're so in a rush to get to where we're going. But you have to deal with the child who's scared and who's not always going to act the way we want him to act. So, as Morena said, yeah, it really was like a family. Plus, with the 100 million hours that Morena and I got to spend in a car, we really get to know each other, which helped. I felt that we really had so much more than I even hoped for -- and I expected a lot -- but our chemistry together just brought so much heart to the film, and truth. And that’s what helps take the audience on this incredible, unforgettable ride.
Directed by Ric Roman Waugh and starring Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, Roger Dale Floyd and Scott Glenn, Greenland premieres on premium video on demand on Friday, Dec. 18.