Julia Stiles marvels at how Orphan: First Kill managed to de-age Isabelle Fuhrman without CGI. The original Orphan was released in 2009 and became a breakout hit, grossing $78.8 million on a reported $20 million budget. As the titular orphan, Fuhrman played the unsettling Esther to perfection as she was adopted by a caring family (led by Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard) and began to cause irreparable destruction. Orphan's shocking twist - that Esther is in fact an adult woman with a condition that makes her look to be 9 years old - helped cement it as a cult favorite.
With that in mind, it's no surprise Esther's story will continue on the big screen. Early last year, Orphan 2 was greenlit, with Willian Brent Bell (The Boy) taking over from Jaume Collet-Serra as director. As the title of First Kill suggests, the movie will be a prequel set right after Esther (still going by the name Leena Klemmer) escapes from an Estonian psychiatric facility. Fuhrman will once again play Esther, a development that is both fitting and surprising considering the actress is now in her 20s.
Stiles, a newcomer to the franchise, recently spoke to Collider about what's ahead in Orphan 2. Naturally, the actress couldn't give away many plot specifics, but she did have plenty of praise for the way Fuhrman was de-aged. Instead of using CGI, Bell and his team used more creative methods, and according to Stiles, they really paid off. She said:
"The working title was Esther, which I really liked, which is the name of the girl. What's remarkable is that Isabelle Fuhrman, who played the little girl in the original Orphan, now reprises her role as the same girl, same age, even though Isabelle's older now... But I just went and did ADR... and I was floored. Because they didn't use CGI. The tricks that they did with the camera and different perspective tricks that they had, plus her costume and prosthetics and all that, she looks like a child. And her performance is stunning, because she embodies a child too in the way that she talks and the way she walks."
It isn't uncommon these days for movies to use CGI to de-age an actor; the past few years alone have seen projects like The Irishman and Captain Marvel do so to varying degrees of success. Despite that, Orphan 2's decision to take a different approach feels far more exciting. So far, the only behind the scenes look to emerge from the film is a photo of a bloody Fuhrman, so exactly how these practical tactics work isn't yet clear. Still, Stiles is enthusiastic about it, so it will be interesting to see how Fuhrman looks in Orphan 2. Perhaps this can be an early contender for Best Makeup at the Oscars.
Stiles mentioned recently going in to complete ADR, which takes place within the post-production process. As filming took place last year and things have been in the final stages for some time now, Orphan 2 could still be on track to premiere later this year. It hasn't received an official release date just yet, but with post-production continuing along on schedule, don't be surprised if that changes fairly soon.
Source: Collider
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