Interviewing PRIYANKA CHOPRA JONAS about her role in The Bluff

(Image courtesy of Prime Video)

1. Can you introduce us to your character Ercell?

PCJ: There is so much to say about my character Ercell. She was the daughter of indentured servants in the 1800s, and her ship was looted by pirates. They killed her family and kidnapped her, and she was raised on a pirate ship. This was very true for some formidable female pirates that I researched, including Grace O'Malley from Ireland. Ercell's life was tough as a woman on a pirate ship… you can imagine the beatings, the slavery, the assault. She decided to flee the life of the brethren and start something new when she fell in love with a deckhand. So she stole her partner's gold and fled to a beautiful island in Cayman Brac and started her whole life. But her past came back to haunt her. To me, the most amazing thing about Ercell, which I really relate to, is what would a woman do to protect her family? What would a mother do to protect her family? How far would she go? How far would she be willing to go? And that really resonated with me.

2. Can you introduce us to your character Ercell?

PCJ: There is so much to say about my character Ercell. She was the daughter of indentured servants in the 1800s, and her ship was looted by pirates. They killed her family and kidnapped her, and she was raised on a pirate ship. This was very true for some formidable female pirates that I researched, including Grace O'Malley from Ireland. Ercell's life was tough as a woman on a pirate ship… You can imagine the beatings, the slavery, the assault. She decided to flee the life of the brethren and start something new when she fell in love with a deckhand. So she stole her partner's gold and fled to a beautiful island in Cayman Brac and started her whole life. But her past came back to haunt her. To me, the most amazing thing about Ercell, which I really relate to, is what would a woman do to protect her family? What would a mother do to protect her family? How far would she go? How far would she be willing to go? And that really resonated with me.

3. As a female pirate protagonist - what's your perspective on being part of a story that puts a woman at the center of this traditionally male-dominated genre?

PCJ: It doesn't happen very often in a woman's life or a female actor's life where you get a part where you're not just front and center but also being supported by an incredible cast and filmmakers that envision you that way. It is something as a female actor most of us have to fight for so I was very grateful to Joe and Frank E. for having written a script which gave me the opportunity to play a part which is usually male dominated.

4. Your character is described as someone whose "Mysterious Sins Of Her Past" catch up to her can you give us any hints about what those sins might be without spoiling the story?

PCJ: I don't think there's really a spoiler here but my character’s life was stolen from her as a 12 year old child when she was kidnapped and her parents were killed. She had to do whatever she needed to do to survive and once she realized that she could actually have a real life, love, family and children, she chose to leave the life of piracy behind and build a life of beauty. And when someone threatens that, she fights back.

5. As a high octane action adventure film how early did you start training for this physically and what was your routine?

PCJ: I had a really busy year the year I took on The Bluff. I started my year filming Heads of State and then went right into The Bluff with almost 15 days in between the two. And then right after I finished The Bluff I went into Citadel Season 2… It was my Amazon year. But I started training for The Bluff while I was filming Heads of State. In between shots, me and my incredible stunt coordinator, Anisha Gibbs, would do sword fighting and training. We would work out together just to make sure I was in the right mind frame and had the agility to be able to move my body the way it required from me in The Bluff. It's a very physically heavy part and I had to do it while I was filming Heads of State in France. So it was a lot of work but I'm not one to be afraid of hard work and I was very privileged to be able to play a part that tells a story of women that are usually not put out there, so I took that very seriously.

6. In your role as a producer, what other aspects of production were you involved with?

PCJ: As a producer, my job was to be the best collaborator that I can. Both Amazon and Agbo were incredible in including me on all decisions with every department including talking through marketing, talking through scheduling, and making sure that it was as seamless as possible to get the filming done within the constraints of our production schedule. It was really wonderful to be able to be a true collaborator with both Amazon, who I've worked on multiple projects with, and Agbo. It was really fun.

7. Ercell’s blast from her past, Captain Connor, is a brutal and strong adversary. Tell us about working with Karl Urban and how you both explored your characters and scenes together?

PCJ: It was so incredible working with Karl Urban. I had been a big admirer of his from his previous work, and of course The Boys. When we both sat down together with Frank E. before we started filming, we spent a couple of days talking about the backstory of our characters and what our relationship is. Because we're formidable foes, there had to be a really strong foundation of “Why?” and we spent a lot of time discovering that “Why?” together. Karl is a genius when it comes to his characterizations. He's amazing on set and makes you want to be better with every shot that you give. I was really grateful he chose to come on board the movie and play pirates with me.

8. How closely did you and costume designer Antionette Messam work together to create Ercell’s look in a way that enabled you to fight and move?

PCJ: Antoinette Messam was an angel in disguise. Not only is she a wonderful human being as well as her team, but she's an extremely hard worker. The detailing that went into not just my costume, but all the costumes in the film… The authenticity in making sure that anything from buckles to buttons to stitching were all from the time, from the 1800s. And she really brought me into the fold. I loved watching her work. She made sure that with all my stunt scenes that I had multiple versions of my outfits so that I would be very comfortable and be able to do my job. She was on set every single day and gave not only her 100% but also brought in her expertise of the region. I was very grateful to have someone like her overseeing how authentic my character and this movie could look.

9. If you could steal one item or costume from set (like a true pirate) to take home with you, what would it be?

PCJ: I tried to take the treasure, the gold, and then I realized it wasn't real. Haha, I'm joking. The one thing that I would like to take is the bust that was created for Bloody Mary. It took so many people and so much work to be able to custom make it specifically to the contours of my body that I think it's something that I would want to keep in my home just to remember this wonderful time with these incredible collaborators, just creating and immersing ourselves and time traveling to the 1800s and making that our truth.

10. You also perform the haunting vocals on ‘Ercell’s Lullaby’ at the end of the film, how did you and the team come to this creative collaboration?

PCJ: This is a Frank E. question, but when I heard the lullaby for the first time and Frank E. played it for me, I wanted to sing it live in the scene just like a mother would sing to her child. After we did that scene, it was Frank E.'s idea to re-record it to be able to use it as Ercell's theme in the movie, and I think it's so haunting. And I think the composition and the melody are so honest to the fear and the anticipation that Ercell feels in that moment. It's an homage not just to her past, but her present and her hope for the future. If you listen to the lyrics really carefully, it really moves you and it moved me tremendously, so I was very grateful to get the opportunity to sing that lullaby.

(Thanks to Prime Video for this wonderful opportunity)