The world might be shut down to mass gatherings, so Book Con went virtual for their 2020 panels. Only a couple weeks away from the release of Artemis Fowl on Disney+, series author Eoin Colfer and star Lara McDonnell sat down to discuss filming the adaptation to the beloved story. McDonnell plays Captain Holly Short a LEPrecon officer who is kidnapped by Artemis Fowl in the book.
The panel was moderated by Matt Wall from Artemis Fowl Confidential. McDonnell and Colfer answered a variety of questions about the making of the film and heaped praise for the stars and the director Kenneth Branagh.
When the conversation focused on the filming of the story, Colfer said he enjoyed how Holly’s journey across the countryside was shot. “The journey that Lara took was very visual, and it’s important to the Irishness of the story. She (Lara) and the ground below are representing all of us. It looked as I hoped it would. I knew that we did our bit for Ireland.”
McDonnell talked about the training she did for her role as a flying elf. She praised her stunt team and described how the rig she used to simulate the flying scenes is nicknamed the Matrix, because it was first used during the filming of The Matrix. Prior to Artemis Fowl, McDonnell had never done any gymnastics or stunts of this caliber, but thanks to the intensive training for her role, she can call herself a certified wire artist.
Colfer described what it was like to shoot a cameo for the film. He joked with McDonnell about asking for advice, but he admitted that he found it hard to be part of the film. “I’m not going to be the next Daniel Day-Lewis. They told me to walk, and as soon as there was a camera, I just found it incredibly difficult to walk.” Colfer did say that if there was another movie, “I would like to be covered in goblin makeup and stand in a corner.”
On working with Ferdia Shaw, who plays Artemis in the movie, McDonnell described how the two met during auditions and got along well. “We liked the same books, we liked the same movies, so we instantly got on very well. We did our shooting together and we had a lot of scenes together and we have become very good friends. We had the best times.” Colfer went on to talk about how great Shaw is in the role of Artemis and how talented the young actor is.
As far as his hopes for the film, Colfer wanted the movie to stand out and be distinctive from other films in the fantasy genre. “The music is beautiful, very distinctive. The costumes are great. The design is fantastic. The biggest thing that wowed me was Fowl Manor.” Considering that much of the narrative in the first book in the series takes place at Fowl Manor, this will be good news for fans excited for the movie.
McDonnell described how her costume is unique with four layers. While the costume is intricate, it was difficult for her to move around while wearing it. It was the ears that were the most special to McDonnell. Playing the role of a fairy required pointy ears, and each day during filming, McDonnell would get new ears to wear. She was able to keep her first day of shooting and last day of shooting ears as a memento.
It was important to McDonnell to do justice to Holly. “She is an amazing character, that so many people look up to. She is such a role model.” Loving the books, McDonnell wanted to bring the best she could to the screen. Colfer heaped praise on the modest McDonnell. To Colfer the words needed to come alive, and to him McDonnell elevated the work with her performance.
While McDonnell praised costar Judi Dench as wonderful and called her a magical human being, she couldn’t stop celebrating Ferdia Shaw for his portrayal of Artemis Fowl. “Ferdia is the perfect Artemis Fowl. In all the best ways Ferdia is like Artemis.”
Moving up the backstory of Holly was a significant change in the adaptation that Colfer liked. Readers learn more about Holly’s life later in the series, but in the movie, we get a backstory about Holly’s dad that shows us more about why Holly is the way she is.
McDonnell talked about how witty co-star Josh Gad was. Gad portrays Mulch Diggums, a dwarf that occasionally helps Artemis and Holly. Gad was a joker on set, “who was so incredibly, genuinely funny,” as McDonnell described. Whether singing musical theatre songs, or ad libbing, Gad kept McDonnell and the rest of the cast in stitches. Colfer concurred with McDonnell. “Josh is very spot on casting. He is a quick-witted young feller,” says the author.
Director Kenneth Branagh is no stranger to adapting fantastical worlds to the big screen. From bringing Thor to life in the MCU or casting fresh air back into Cinderella and the world of Agatha Christie, Branagh knows how to make a compelling story live on the big screen. McDonnell couldn’t help but praise her director. “We are very lucky that we had Kenneth Branagh, who is an incredible director.”
Fans of the books will no doubt see differences between the book and the movie. I look forward to seeing the world of Artemis Fowl come to life on the screen.
Artemis Fowl premieres on Disney+ June 12.