Collider Interviews Sunny Mabrey and Michael Angarano
5/5/2006
Posted by Mr.Beaks

So, Sunny, who do you play in Snakes on a Plane?
Sunny: Um, I play one of the flight attendants, and I’m pretty much on that plane the entire movie, so it’s pretty intense.
Did you participate in the reshoots?
Sunny: They did some more stuff recently; I wasn’t involved in that, and I’m kind of thankful, actually, because most of it was to make it Rated R and [gear it to teens]. I was like, “Why didn’t they ask me to do reshoots? Did they cut me out?” Everybody always worries about that, even if they’re the lead.
Michael: Didn’t Adrian Brody get cut out of The Thin Red Line, like, a lot?
He was a lead, and then he was barely in it.
Sunny: I’ve heard stories, so I was nervous. But I’ve seen tons of pictures with me in them; I’m like, “Hi, I’m in this movie!” (Laughter) But it is a huge cast: Juliana Margulies, Samuel L. Jackson, Rachel Blanchard… so many people. We’ve got some comedians in there, too. It’s funny, but terrifying, I think, and I’m just looking forward to it.
Is it really intense? Is it CG snakes or rubber snakes or—
Sunny: It’s both. There was a twenty-foot Burmese Python, and that’s really the only real snake I did a scene with. They made a copy of that, which is crazy. You couldn’t tell the difference. But a lot of it was CGI, and a lot of rubber snakes, too. And you think rubber snakes like the kind you get at the dollar mart, but these were like very real looking snakes. And then the real snakes; there was a snake room with a snake wrangler, and we went in there all the time. I have a miniature pinscher, and I kept her in my trailer the whole time. If she got near that Burmese Python, you wouldn’t even see a dent. It’s that big. But it was intense because of that and the constant action. The airplane was on a gimbal, and it was a life-size replica inside a studio. It was a luxury plane with an upstairs first class with a bar.
Michael: Executive Decision style.
Sunny: Yes. Like British Airways flying to London or something. And it was crazy, because that thing would shake and there would be smoke, and part of the plane got ripped out.
When you were shooting this, did you have any idea it would become some kind of internet phenomenon?
Sunny: We had no idea. (Laughing) We didn’t know. When I first read it, I was like, “Okay, Samuel Jackson is doing this, and it’s about snakes on an airplane.” And it’s pretty entertaining. I couldn’t stop reading it, and it was about snakes on an airplane. So, I was finally like, “Yeah, okay! What a nice way to spend the summer.” So, I went up to [Vancouver], and I saw all the other people, and we made it as best an experience could be. And the people working on it were very experienced, and, like, geniuses at action. David Ellis is the director, and he used to be a stunt coordinator. He was perfect for this. And he’s good for the actors, too. It just came together. I don’t know what people expect from this, but whatever it is, I think it’ll deliver that. (Laughter)
Did you have to pretend that there were snakes crawling on you, and they added it in later.
Sunny: I never had a snake actually on me, but pretty much everyone else did. I never had that exact experience. I had a snake crash down next to me on the floor. I screamed at fake snakes. Snakes got wrapped around my friend’s throat, but I never had an experience with a snake myself.
Michael: I can’t wait to see this. (Huge laughter)
Are you heroic in this film?
Sunny: I like to think I’m the heroine in this film, but it’s funny. I mean, as an actor, how do you put yourself in this position? When have I ever been that terrified?
Michael: I’ve never seen a snake in real life.
Sunny: But… what is your question?
(Laughing) Is your character heroic?
Sunny: Well, we play the flight attendants. There’s four of us. There’s not four at the end, but there’s four of us at the beginning.
And your name?
Sunny: My name is Tiffany. Yeah. We sort of have the task that, even though we’re females… the girls have the task of making sure that everyone is in there seat and sort of taking care of everyone.
Michael: Are the snakes trying to hijack the plane?
Sunny: No. You can’t ask questions like that.
You can, actually. And we did. While you’re waiting for August 18th to roll around, catch yourself some Sunny Mabrey in One Last Thing, which opens in limited release May 5th.
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