Army of the Dead is the start of a whole new world for filmmaker Zack Snyder, starting off as an apocalyptic heist movie and now branching out into a franchise of its own with sequels and prequels. Now that the film is out in theaters and HBO Max, fans have a chance to get to know the squad that faces off against the undead for the job of their lives.
Raul Castillo and Samantha Win, who play two of the team members, spoke to Screen Rant about collaborating with Snyder, developing their backstories, and there they hope their characters go from here.
Raul, your character Guzman is this social media influencer. Talk to me about how he ends up with Scott Ward and his team.
Raul Castillo: Scott Ward, AKA Dave Bautista, is tasked with putting together a team to go into Las Vegas and recover this large sum of money. They're looking for experts in different fields: there's a safe cracker, there's a pilot. And I think in Guzman and crew, they find some expert marksmen.
My character, more than an influencer, I like to think about him as a gamer. Maybe even before he started killing zombies, he made a name for himself online as a gamer, and he was an excellent marksman online. He's also the only member of our team, and I believe maybe Chambers as well, who is from Las Vegas. So, when all hell breaks loose and the zombie apocalypse goes on, I translate my gaming skills to killing zombies and make a name for myself online, on the Reddit and on the YouTube channels and all that stuff.
Ana De La Reguera's character, Maria Cruz, who has her finger on the pulse of the things in the community, discovers Guzman - and Guzman brings along Chambers. That's where we come in.
I want to talk about Chambers a little bit, because she's one of the only ones on this team that hasn't killed a zombie prior to the outbreak, but she also is a straight up badass. Talk to me a little bit about Chambers and why she wants to join up with the team.
Samantha Win: I think for Chambers, her number one reason and priority always is to look out for her buddy, Guzman. If he's going in there, and it's going to be dangerous, and for lack of better words, shit is going to get real - she wants to make sure that she's there to have the best chances possible.
Coming from Las Vegas - and we talked a little bit about their background - I feel like Guzman is more like family to her. I don't know that Chambers has anyone else that she would consider that close, so it's not even a question in her mind that if he's going, she's going to. I don't even think she cares as much about the money part, so much as being there for her friend. So, I think that's it.
And then in regards to the other part, where I raised my hand as no zombie killing... Luckily, it's not in the script. The world is our oyster in how we get to craft it. But my thinking is, yes, we've done a lot of gaming together - probably like VR, shooting kind of games where that's familiar. But also, who's not to say that she hasn't killed non-zombies before?
The one thing I'm learning about Zack Snyder's approach is it's very collaborative. Samantha, you're a longtime collaborator, with Justice League and everything else. I want to talk about the collaboration process: were you guys given free range to create your own backstories within the world of Army of the Dead?
Samantha Win: I felt like it was an extremely creative, collaborative process. I feel like Zack was very much the kind of director - and it was a new experience for me, because I had not gotten to work with him in this capacity before. But I really felt like he was so open to everyone's ideas and ways that they were crafting their characters to suit ourselves in our casting.
I didn't look anything like the character art that was originally drawn for Chambers, so it was it was really nice to be able to have that room to make it fit for someone like myself. I had an absolute blast, and I felt like he was on board with most if not all of the actors' ideas for their characters.
Raul, is this more of a blank canvas that you and Zack are creating together for Guzman?
Raul Castillo: Yeah, it did feel like it. Even though for me, this was one of the biggest - if not the biggest - production I've ever been on. I was for sure a little bit intimidated going into it, and I didn't know what to expect. I wanted to make a bold choice and do something interesting, because he is this brash character, and he's very much a peacock and very different than I am in my day-to-day life. I came to the table with this idea of maybe going blond. And to his credit, Zach was really interested in what I had to say about the character, and very collaborative.
Together with Marie Larkin, the head of our hair department, we came up with this look, and it's just a testament to him and how collaborative he is. I remember, even the day that we were shooting, the team going into Las Vegas. Zack came to Sam and me, and he was like, "I have this idea. I want to do this shot." It's a huge movie, and I'm sure a lot of these shots are already programmed. But on the morning of, he comes to us, and he's like, "I have this idea. I think you guys should be taking a selfie as you're coming into Las Vegas."
And it was wonderful, because it really played into our storyline for our characters. I think that says a lot about Zack, and how genius he is at planning, but also how genius he is at recognizing what's in front of him in the moment. And that's exciting to see on this scale.
It's easy to say this is just a zombie movie, but it's more than just a zombie movie. It really does a really good job of blending genres. What were some of the immediate things that jumped out at you when you first read Army of the Dead?
Raul Castillo: The first thing that jumped out of me was the humor, because I know Dawn of the Dead is so dark, and I love that movie. It just came out at the right time, and it did the right thing. I was already like a zombie fan from when I was a kid, and that kind of reinvigorated my passion for the genre.
But then when I read this script, the humor really jumped out at me. Now that I saw it all come together, with the color palette and the cinematography and the production design - sometimes you just have to trust. You read something, and you know you're working with an auteur. You don't exactly know, but if you trust... Sam can attest to this. He creates a space that it's just easy to trust, and you just get yourself into it. I think that's where the best kind of work comes from.
Samantha Win: For me, it was the heist thriller part of it that I was most excited about. I'd gotten to play in the fantastical [side], especially on Sucker Punch where there were zombie German soldiers and robots and things like that. But an actual story heist with characters in an ensemble cast that I was able to be a part of? That was the most exciting for me. I was so interested to see what each actor was going to bring to each of the personalities that was on the page, and how we would all come together to make this ragtag group of people and to have us complement each other and work that out as we went along.
That was the most exciting part, reading it through myself. It was the newest part for me, as well.
Chambers definitely has a little rivalry with Martin, played by Garret Dillahunt. Before we get into how badass your character is, can you talk about the relationship between Chambers and Martin?
Samantha Win: I'd like to think that I can be like Chambers in this way, but she's extremely observant. I think her being a little bit quiet and hanging back speaks to her - I don't want to say mistrust in people, but her extra caution. And that ends up being extremely valuable when interacting with Martin's character, and I think she's one of the first to kind of catch on to that.
She very much has a sheep dog place in the team in the beginning, because I think she she wants to make sure A) that her best friend is okay, and then B) that things go as planned. If she's walking in the back of the group, then she's better able to keep an eye on everything.
Let's not forget, this is also an action movie, and the action is very intense. How much training went into some of the action set pieces that that we find in Army of the Dead> Because your character really set the tone of it, Samantha.
Samantha Win: Thank you. You could say that we spent about a week learning the choreography, and then a day shooting the lead-up into the action sequence, and then a day shooting the actual action sequence. But the reality is that I've worked with Damon Caro since Sucker Punch all the way back in 2009, and a lot of the same team from back on Sucker Punch is still working with Zack today. So, I'm sure it was an accumulation of the last 10 years of working together.
Damon very much taught me fight choreography and taught me the style that I have today, so I think it was just a well oiled machine by then. I felt like I was an extension of Damon's fight choreography brain, and we all we all ended up working together very well. I think we did a lot with the amount of time that we were given, but due to a lot of training.
Raul, something that I found super interesting is that the choice of the blonde hair was really yours. What else did you want to bring to the character of Guzman that may not have been on the page?
Raul Castillo: I remember day one in the makeup chair, locating Samantha in the makeup trailer and going, "You and I need to connect. Who are we, and how do we create a family?" Because that's we are; we're a little family unit. That was not on the page, and that was really important to me.
And it was just as important because Sam has the kind of relationship that she does to Zack's work. I got into this team that, to me, it was an in. I have a theater background, I come from indie film and this kind of world, so Sam was my peek into his world. And I just have a newfound respect for it, because it's so complicated and so complex with stunts, and people's livelihoods and their well being is on the line. I could have anticipated it, but nothing could have prepared me for it, I think.
But from the get go, it was important for us to understand who we were before we meet Scott and Maria; who we are as a unit. That to me set the tone for the rest of the shoot.
Samantha Win: I was so appreciative that Raul did that. He felt like he was peeking into our world of action and Zack's team, but I was so hesitant because this was my first experience in this kind of role in such a big film. I was so grateful he did reach out, because it's all new to me, the dynamics between actors and coming up with backstories together and having that kind of communication. So, I was just kind of sitting there, hoping we could talk but too scared to initiate anything myself.
I felt like that was my peek into the actor's experience on a production in the natural world. So, I was really grateful for that.
This is something a little bit different for Zack, because he's also in it with you, behind the camera himself. Can you guys talk to me about his directing style on this film?
Samantha Win: Yup. I could say that the biggest difference was that during the shooting process, I don't think I heard him say once, "Oh, we can't do that," or "Oh no, we're not allowed to do that." Whether it was for blood reasons, because blood has to be mist when it's PG-13, or just guidelines by studios - it really did feel like he was in his full creative space, and he was actually exercising all of the ideas that were coming to his mind. Which I thought was amazing.
I think it's been released in some of the articles, some of the jokes that didn't make the cut that maybe did go too far, but he was able to actually do it and shoot it. And that was a new experience. I think it felt almost like it was on Sucker Punch, where he was up close and personal with everyone. It was his story.
And I think over the next few projects, just because the DC Universe is so massive, and there are so many creatives involved with those characters; they're already established. So, he physically got farther and farther away from the camera. Then this was the first project where he was literally operating, and he's just feet from us while we're filming. I think you can see it bring him a lot of joy, as well as an extra level of collaboration with us. He was right there feeling it with us.
Raul, how did you feel about the collaboration process and seeing Zack in his element?
Raul Castillo: Yeah, now I'm starting to understand that this was a small film for Zack. But when I was walking on to set, it felt like such a huge movie for me. But I am starting to appreciate his proximity to us; how he would yell cut from behind the camera and that, and I felt like he was watching us.
Sometimes the director can feel so removed at times. But it felt like he was right in there with us; it felt like he was getting down and dirty. He was laying on the ground, and there was nothing that he was asking us to do that he wouldn't do themselves. Once you see a director do that, you'll do anything for them. Your trust is all there.
In most films, your blocking is usually marked out. I heard on this film, it's more like he's following what you guys are doing with the camera? Is that different for you as actors?
Raul Castillo: As far as him being so close, in my experience, it was because there's so many moving pieces; you got to be careful. I was always really excited, and I felt like a little kid a lot of times doing these action sequences, because it took me back to being a kid and imagining. But because they are dangerous, I felt like you’ve got to hit your marks, and you've got to do this and that.
But he was so playful. There's just a playful energy to Zack. I don't know how it's been in his other movies, but I definitely felt like he was in his element and he was having fun every day while we were on set. It made my job so fun.
Samantha Win: Yeah, it totally felt like that. I guess for me, being a little newer to this kind of role, it's hard for me to gauge what normal is versus how Zack was on this project. I don't know how other directors or other projects may be about setting specific marks for each and every scene and every single action that you do, but I definitely felt a layer of being creative.
If you did something different in a scene, he would follow it. There would be parts where he would let you just live in the world, and he would just film it - and whatever you did is what you did.There was no preset action, and he tried not to block through character moments; things like that. I really appreciate it, especially in the intro scene for Raul's character outside the liquor store. It kind of felt like everyone was doing their thing, and he was just watching.
Raul Castillo: Yeah, for sure. It felt like, "Where are the cameras? Doesn't matter."
Something your other cast members have told me is that you shot this in an abandoned hotel or casino in Atlantic City. Do you guys have any weird stories about the hotel?
Samantha Win: I have one. I was meeting the flight coordinator at the bar and we were just going to go out with a couple people, and the bartender was like, "There's a fight tonight. You should be in there." I was wearing like a tank top, and I was in shape at the time, so I was so flattered. I was like, "Oh, that's really nice of him." And then he went, "You know, one of those showcard girls," and then he started dancing around. And I was like [offended]. My friend even said, "She's an Olympic level martial artist," and he's like, "Nah, show cards."
This is like a time capsule; to hear that nowadays is so jarring. But some people, I think, just don't know better. He was obviously very well-intentioned.
Raul Castillo: There was a weird energy in that hotel, for sure. But I didn't experience anything weird, thankfully. I think we shot in there because it was being demolished, or it was on its way out. So, it definitely felt like it had seen its better days.
Can you talk to me about the other actors you work with? Because everyone complemented each other so well in this film. Can you talk about the dynamic of the cast?
Samantha Win: I think in a weird way, the thing that unified us was that we were all so different; from different cultural backgrounds, different countries, different upbringings. It really banded us together, in that no one really had many shared experiences, so we were all learning it and accepting it and having this new shared experience through new lenses all together. It was not that anyone was left out or anyone was a misfit, because we were all misfits. That really lent itself to the story.
Zombie movies have been around for a long time, but Zack is such a visual storyteller that really understands the process of stories. Can you talk to me about what he adds to the zombie genre?
Raul Castillo: Well, there's the Alphas. There's a supreme kind of zombie.
Before theater, before film, or any of this stuff - I loved zombies and horror movie makeup and Rick Baker. I loved that world, and that was so fascinating to me. But I think Zack really knows and understands the zeitgeist in a way that few people do. I would work for him again in a minute, because he's such an incredible leader.
And you feel that with his crew. I feel like everyone on set can attest to this, but everyone on that crew, in front of and behind the camera, was so dedicated and so happy to come to work every day. There was a sort of a joy in the spirit of the work.
As far as what's new, I think he just has fun with it. I remember sitting around with Dave Bautista at one point, and we were shooting the sequence where they're gonna do this effects thing with a big ton of blood and guts - and we're giggling like little kids. I kind of didn't know what to make of it, but I knew that Zack was onto something. I knew that he understands the fans and he understands his audience. He is a master craftsman, and it shows itself in this film. Because it's entirely original, and it's unlike anything I think that's out there or that's ever been out there.
Samantha, speaking of that horror element, we do get introduced to these new Alpha zombies. Can you briefly explain what the Alphas are?
Samantha Win: As hinted in the trailer: they're faster, they're smarter, and they're organized. I think you can see in the trailer, there was one shot that seems to be talked about quite a bit, and that's when Dave is lashing at this zombie and he's literally dodging. I think that can give us a nice little tease to people as to what exactly those zombies are capable of.
But instead of just adding speed element, they really are a whole other team. They're a threat as a team, rather than as individual mindless zombies. So, without spoiling, people can expect a much more difficult challenge when it comes to the slaying part.
I know that you were given a chance to create your backstories. What was Chamber's backstory before the zombie apocalypse broke out?
Samantha Win: What Raul and I talked about when he approached me in the makeup trailer and I was like, "Oh, thank God," was that we've always been very close friends. I don't know that I necessarily had a close family unit, per se. But I think we very much considered each other family, and whether it was because we lost our parents at early ages or whatever, we became that family. And everyone outside of the liquor store introduction is a part of that unit.
I think, because of that, life has its own challenges. And I'm sure she didn't have an easy early childhood and teenage life, but it's made her extremely aware and cautious and observant because of it. And that proves handy when it comes to Martin later in life.
We know that Army of the Dead is going to be expanding with prequels and sequels, and we're getting a real franchise here. Can you talk to me about what you hope to explore if your characters somehow find their way back into this world?
Raul Castillo: I would love to see a prequel about the family that Sam was just talking about; about how that family comes together. Once the zombie apocalypse starts in Las Vegas, how do we come together? How do we survive? And how do we get out? It's really interesting to me. And how do we become such a social media sensation?
Samantha Win: Oh, 100%. In the opening sequence that has already been released, you get to see Dave and Ana and their group, and how they assembled in Las Vegas and got out. But what about all of the other groups of people that got out while the wall was being built? There's a whole story for other characters, even in just that opening sequence, and I feel like that is one I'd love to explore with our characters in our team. And then, like you said, the transition out of Las Vegas into becoming influencers.
Have there been any talks about reprising your roles in the Army of the Dead franchise at all yet?
Raul Castillo: ...Sam?
Samantha Win: I don't want to get in trouble.
We'll say that's a maybe.
Army of the Dead is now streaming on Netflix.
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Reviewed by Riyad
on
June 03, 2021
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