Talitha Bateman – The 5th Wave

By starrymag | February 27, 2016

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on? 

A) This summer I filmed an indie called So B. It, which is directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal and is based on a best selling book by Sarah Weeks. It stars Oscar, SAG, Golden Globe and Emmy award nominee and winner Alfre Woodard, Jacinda Barrett, Jessica Collins, Dash Mihok, John Heard, Cloris Leachman and Michael Arden. I also filmed the movie Nine Lives, which is starring Kevin Spacey, Christopher Walken and Jennifer Garner. That will be in theaters this summer starting on August 5th and it will be very funny.

 

Q) Please tell us the premise for The 5th Wave and about your character Teacup.

A) The 5th Wave is a movie based on a book series by Rick Yancey. The movie follows Cassie, a young girl who is trying to reunite with her little brother, from whom she got separated. It takes place in the future after aliens have invaded the planet. The army is training children to kill the aliens, or so they say. Teacup is a very tough little girl, who appears to be fearless and intimidating, but on the inside she’s really just a scared little kid.

 

Q) What made you want to be a part of the film? 

A) I read the books when they first came out, so when I got the audition I was already freaking out that I was even able to audition. But what drew me in was the plot. It was really well written. Rick Yancey did a great job with making the reader fall in love with all of the characters.

 

Q) How was your character originally described to you?

A) The first time Teacup was introduced was as “the meanest seven year old you’ll ever meet.”

 

Q) Did you have to do any stunt work to prepare for your role?

A) The first day I landed we went straight to a fitting and met the whole squad. Then, we went to an airsoft range where we got to work together as a team under the training. Then, we got a day to ourselves to unpack and get familiarized with the area. But the next day they took us to a place that looked like a giant parking lot, with a ton of cars. That’s where we met stunt specialist and trainer Joe Boxer. He taught us the basic rules about how to use a gun and showed us some signals the military uses instead of speaking. Then, he had us take turns being the leader and go behind the cars and act like people were shooting at us. After that, we went to a matted area where he paired everyone up. I was paired with Zackary [Arthur] because we are the smallest. He showed us some combat moves which practiced for a week.

 

Q) What was it like working with your costar Chloe Grace Moretz?

A) It was such an honor that I got to work with someone so experienced and talented. I really hope we get to work together again someday, hopefully in The Infinite Sea.

 

Q) What did you find the most challenging aspect of filming the movie?

A) The most challenging aspect for me was the cold! It was FREEZING in Atlanta! We had to have hand warmers in all of our costumes because it was so cold.

 

Q) What were some of your most memorable moments from filming?

A) One of the most memorable moment for me was when we had to run to the bus because right next to the bus was this really cool church. So, in between shots we went into the church and played rounds of hide-and-go-seek in the dark.

 

Q) What do you hope viewers take away from seeing The 5th Wave?

A) I really hope people will walk away wanting more so that we can make The Infinite Sea happen!

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to interact with your fans?

A) It is easily accessible to everyone. Social media is a good tool that almost anyone can use. It allows me to interact with fans and let them know what is going on with my projects.