A group of 20 mommy bloggers sat down with Joey King to interview her for her role in Oz The Great and Powerful. She was such a fun young lady to talk to, she loves twitter, her character and Finley!
Q: How did you get involved with the project?
I got involved with the project, I auditioned for it and I really loved it. It was so exciting for me, and magical, ‘cause I’m a huge fan of the original movie. And when I went to the screen test, I got to meet Sam there. And it was just amazing. I wanted to be a part of it really badly because it seemed like such a fun thing to do, and it was just a breathtaking movie.
Q: What did you think of your finished character when you saw the movie for the first time?
When I saw the movie at the premier, that was the first time I’d seen it. I had only seen about 20 minutes of it before. But it was really exciting for me, because I got to play two characters. I played a little girl in a wheel chair in Kansas, and then I played China Girl in the Land of Oz. So it was really cool to see how everything came together, and how they did China Girl, They used CGI technology, and they filmed my face, and attached my expressions onto China Girl. So it was really like I was watching myself, but in an animated character.
Q: Do you feel like it was easy getting into the character?
I think that it was. There’s parts I’ve done before where it’s very difficult to get into that mode, and you have to be very, different than yourself. But, you know, I am always up for a challenge, and I love those kind of things, this one was a little bit more close to my personality. She’s very sassy, and she has a lot of personality. She’s very energetic, and she’s little, not that I’m saying I am. But she’s just a little bit manipulative in a way……… Uh, but I pull pranks on my sister, so I can’t say that I’m not.
Q: What was your favorite part about the movie?
There’s so many great parts about filming the movie, it was all really exciting for me. You know? ‘Cause I love the original, and I just loved everything about the script. One of my favorite parts was just getting to work with everyone, like James, Mila, Zach, Michelle, and, Sam Raimi is an amazing director, an amazing person, and I love the way he works. He’s, he’s very precise, and he catches every little detail. But it makes all the difference. And he let us really play around with it. And that made it just feel really more natural. And also, the cast…. Michelle’s like a mom, more like a mom figure to me. Mila’s like a sister to me. Zach is like a brother to me, and James is always teasing me on set. And he’s like a brother to me, too. So I love them all.
Q: Did you get to hang out with the puppet much?
I got to be on set a lot, which was really cool. They filmed my face in the booth. But Zach and I, ‘cause we were in the same booth together, we got to go on set a lot, and they brought the cameras on set, and the puppeteer, Philip Hover, he was amazing. His work with the puppeteer…. she had so many strings on her, and he knew what every one worked, and it was so cool to watch. So I got to hang out with her a lot. It was almost like she was a real person. I forgot that she was just a puppet. That was really exciting and neat.
Q: What was your favorite scene in the movie?
My favorite scene was when, well, I have a ton, ‘cause there’s so many, and there’s so many good ones with Finley. Trying to go on Oz, and Michelle, but one of my favorite scenes is when I’m convincing Oz to let me go with him, and Finley on their journey to hunt the Wicked Witch. And that scenes is my favorite because, you get to see this side of China Girl where she’s kind of that manipulative little girl. But she really, really wants to hang out with them and go with them, and she just wants to go on this adventure. She’s a very adventurous little girl, and she’s an orphan. Because her parents had, passed away when the Wicked Witch destroyed her town.
Then we told her China Girl was trending on twitter…
JOEY KING : It is?
Yes.
JOEY KING : No way! What? It’s trending on Twitter?
Yes.
JOEY KING : Ah! I’m so excited right now! That is so cool! I have to tell my mom!
We made flying monkey trend for Zach earlier.
JOEY KING : Oh, that’s so cool! Thank you’!
Q: What was your favorite character other than your own?
Definitely Finley. Finley was so cute! In the movie he’s so funny. And you know? I think that it’s kind of cool because Finley and China Girl kinda bring, the movie ..it has a… It has the good guy, bad guy, the suspense and everything. And I like that Finley and China Girl kinda bring a certain humor and light to it. And, and it really, lightens the movie up, and I love that. And Finley is definitely, hands down my favorite character because he’s so funny. I was laughing so hard, and Zach was sitting behind me at the premier, and we were laughing together. And, I really, I really like those two characters, Finley and China Girl. But Finley’s my favorite.
good interview,,ive got mixed feelings about this movie,,it looks okay for adults,but im worried it will be too scarey for the grandkids
Great interview!
Kas