When you watch an action movie, there are certain details that always tell you you’re watching the work of John Woo, and one of those key features is birds. The filmmaker likes to use feathered friends as elements of production design, often filming them in slow motion as they fly between dramatic scenes and gunfights. But what’s it actually like working with the bird actors on set?
I recently learned about this particular aspect of the John Woo experience when I spoke with Nathalie Emmanuel and Omar Sy earlier this month during the press day in Los Angeles for The Killer – which is now available to stream with a Peacock subscription. I asked the stars what it was like working with birds while producing a Woo film, and after Sy stressed that they were a real presence on set, Emmanuel described the zookeepers’ impressive professionalism. She explained:
They are very good. And the keepers really know their birds. One day one of the keepers said, “Oh, he’s a little bit grumpy today.” He knows the personality of this bird. And I thought that was really nice. And you know, of course working with animals is always unpredictable, but they were so good.
To a layperson, a bird’s attitude may seem incomprehensible – but I think anyone who has had a pet for any length of time can understand it. Animals don’t “think” in the same way we do, but if you spend enough time with them, you can see little things in their behavior that give you insight into their mental state.
It was not only the birds and their owners that inspired Nathalie Emmanuel in the creation of The Killerbut she was also very aware of her importance in the iconography of John Woo’s work – and thus in film history. When it came time to film one of the director’s most striking moments, the actor got a special kick out of it:
As a John Woo fan, it’s fun to do something that we associate with him. So there was definitely a moment where I was running in slow motion and I saw birds, and I was like, “Oh! (laughs) It’s happening. It’s happening right now! I’m in a John Woo movie. This is… okay.” And I was definitely excited by all the good stuff.
A remake of the popular 1989 action classic of the same name. The Killer Nathalie Emmanuel plays Zee – a professional assassin living in Paris who only targets criminals. When her boss (Sam Worthington) gives her a job to take out everyone at a local club, she accepts it, but spares the life of a singer (Diana Silvers) who is injured and blinded during the job. As Zee deals with the fallout from the unfinished job, she is hunted by a police inspector named Sey (Omar Sy), who, however, sees her as an ally rather than an enemy as the conflict intensifies.
The Killer is the highest-grossing film to hit the streaming market this past week. It’s been in the making for over a decade, and you can stream it now. To find out more about all the exciting films releasing between now and the end of the year, check out our 2024 release calendar.
