Feature | Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

With the release of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World on DVD and Blu-ray this month, a few of the film’s second-tier stars have chosen to share their experiences in bringing the comic to screen.

Anyone who knows Scott Pilgrim, in either comic or film form, is aware the supporting cast are the real stars. Scott’s an OK guy, don’t get me wrong, and Ramona is a swell lady but the romantic duo wouldn’t be much without their colourful boosters and detractors cracking wise from the cheap seats.

On his arduous trek to responsible boyfriend-ism (or thereabouts) Scott never had a more reliable source of sardonic support than his erstwhile roommate Wallace Wells, played in the film by Kieran Culkin.

Wells is one of the comic’s most beloved characters and Culkin felt the weight of expectation from the book’s ardent fans during production.

“There was pressure…I just had a pretty solid idea and [director Edgar Wright] did too, as to how to play Wallace,” Culkin says.

“I tried to follow that and to not disappoint people. That was my only goal.”

For Aubrey Plaza, who plays Scott-hating Julie Powers, the watchful gaze of the book’s devoted followers served as motivation to get things done just right.

“I’d say it was a challenge more than a worry and for me, it was pretty straightforward,” says Plaza.

“But I definitely wanted to live up to the comic books and I hope that I did.”

On the other hand, the opportunity to play characters that remained in the story’s background offered some cast members a chance to inject a little of their own personality into the role.

Anna Kendrick, who played Scott’s disapproving sister Stacy Pilgrim, found the supporting role a more liberating experience than some of the leads.

“People don’t usually talk about Stacey that much, so it wasn’t a Knives Chau situation or a Kim Pine,” Kendrick says.

“I don’t feel like Stacey’s necessarily a fan favourite and I felt pretty confident about being a snarky little sister because that’s who I am.”

Despite the mounted expectation of a cult following, the cast felt secure in their work thanks to the assured direction of Edgar Wright, who had previously cut his teeth on geek classics Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.

Speaking of the on-set atmosphere during production, Plaza describes Wright as “very caffeinated when he’s directing… very focused”.

Culkin found Wright’s style as enjoyable as it was disciplined, calling it “very specific, but fun”.

“He doesn’t want you to be too loose or play around,” says Culkin.

“He wants you to do what you’re going to do, but he wants you to have fun doing it because that’s the whole point of this movie.”

For Kendrick, the Scott Pilgrim experience is summed up by one occasion where she arrived on set late due to other shooting commitments.

“I had to do a crash zoom and it was, like “turn your head, give a look, crash zoom, line…” We did it so many times that I was getting frustrated,” Kendrick says.

“You think you’re doing the same thing every time and it was like, “that was a little better…that was closer” or “that one not so much…” It went on and on and on and it was getting to the point where I was quite embarrassed.

“Mary, who plays Ramona then turned to me and said, ‘Don’t even worry about it. This is a rite of passage. If you don’t do this, you’re not really one of the cast’.”

The grueling 15-hour days were worth it in the end, with the talented young cast managing to bring Brian Lee O’Malley’s unconventional, six-volume hipster odyssey to life in just 112 minutes for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

We are giving away a DVD copy of Scott Pilgrim Vs The World (plus a comic!) so check it out here.

Source | Universal Pictures