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INTERVIEW
CINEMA
Haley Bennett is the woman in a man’s world in the remake of
The
Magnificent Seven
. And she loved every minute of it, especially breaking
the stereotype of female characters in Westerns.
Words: Scott Hocking
H
aley Bennett plays the recently widowed
Emma Cullen, who hires bounty hunter
Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington) and six
gunslingers to dispatch the corrupt industrialist
(Peter Sarsgaard) who murdered her husband and
now intends to plunder her hometown.
Emma is a rarity in a Western, a gutsy female
character in what is essentially a male-dominated
genre – a fact that surprised the 28-year-old
actress when she first read the script.
“I knew there was a female role, but I didn’t
have high hopes that it would be a very deep
character,” she recalls, citing the lack of significant
female players in the Western genre.
“Usually when you see a woman they’re
the victim, or they’re in the kitchen, or at home
worrying about the men who are out on the
adventure. It’s unfortunate.
“But there’s a lot for Emma to do; she’s right
there with the guys on the front line and in the
trenches. I’m really feminine, so it was great to get
my hands dirty, strap on my gun holsters and ride
a horse – in a dress! I felt pretty cool up there in
a dress when they were all in pants. I wanted to
tell them, ‘you put on the dress and we’ll see how
well you ride’. It’s not easy.
“It’s such a male-oriented film, so it was fun to
get to do all the stuff that the guys were doing.
I really got an insight into a man’s world,” she
laughs.
When it came to physical preparation, Bennett took
up boxing to develop the reflexes and endurance that
the role required.
“The women of that period were very strong,“ she
explains. “They were out in the field and rolling out pies
and doing manual labour. I didn’t want to be as willowy
as I was at the beginning; I wanted to get some of that
grit that comes with boxing. You have to have a lot of
endurance to box, so that was an important aspect in
making the film, too. There were going to be long days
outside and it was going to be hot, so that helped.”
Bennett also spent time at the gun range learning to
handle a Navy Colt and a Winchester rifle.
“Working with firearms is an adrenaline rush,” she
says. “It feels like something you’re not supposed to
be doing, so I had to get used to the feel of a gun in my
hands. I got really good with the Winchester.”
The Magnificent Seven
remake isn’t just about
gunslingers on horseback out for vengeance. Bennett
hopes that the film’s strong themes of unity and
diversity will resonate with audiences when they see it.
“This film is so multicultural: there’s a black man,
and a Mexican, and a Native American ... they’re all
outsiders who come together and achieve this great
thing together. So I think that’s an important message
to take away.”
BY THE
NUMBERS
The Magnificent Seven
is just one group
among many cinematic
outsiders united by a
common goal.
FANASTIC FOUR
This awesome foursome are
officially Marvel's 'First Family'.
And the family that mutates
together, stays together.
THE FURIOUS FIVE
Tigress, Monkey, Viper, Mantis,
and Crane. This quintet of kung
fu warriors create all manner of
panda-monium.
THE HATEFUL EIGHT
This badass bunch are more
interested in redecorating Minnie's
Haberdashery with each other's blood
than uniting for a common good.
THE DIRTY DOZEN
Transform the worst convicts into
commandos. Train them. Excite
them. Arm them. Then turn them
loose on the Nazis!
Haley
get your gun
The Magnificent Seven
is in cinemas on Sept 29