We live in a divisive world these days. Avengers are fighting X-Men. Red states versus blue states. And so on…
Alex Lombard believes that
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, which opens nationwide in theaters today, will bring people together. It’s the big-picture rendition of Seth Grahame-Smith’s novel, which mashed up a historical biography of Honest Abe with his alternate existence as a slayer of the undead.
“This movie really appeals to so many different audiences,” Lombard said in a recent telephone interview with Gonzogeek's John Moorehouse. “I think young people are going to love it for the action sequences. Older people may like it for the history that’s involved. It’s just such a fun ride and it appeals to so many people and it’s surprisingly fun. I don’t think you can go wrong with this.”
Kumbaya, baby.
Earlier this week, Lombard attended the world premiere of the movie in New York City—her first major premiere event as an actress. She discussed that, her role of Gabrielle in the movie, and her dependence on a device made by the fine folks at Casio in this interview.
I guess you just got back from the premiere. How was that?
It was really fun. I had a great time. It was just a blast.This is probably my biggest one (premiere) so far. I had been doing a lot in L.A.—smaller ones—but to get to New York and do a big one was fun.
Did you get any tips before going? Any red-carpet survival tips?
No but I think that would be great. Someone should definitely write some. I had done some smaller ones before so I knew the drill. I knew what was going to happen. I felt prepared. I was just really excited to kinda get out there and do it. It was great.
Did you get asked the ‘who are you wearing?’ question a lot?
Yeah, I did, which is great because I was wearing a designer who I like so much. She’s an L.A.-based designer so I was really happy to promote her name and she’s been very generous with me. I’ve had a lot of events and she’s been giving me a lot of clothes, so it was really lovely to be able to promote her.
So you get involved with this movie. You’ve said you weren’t really familiar with the book. So when you first read the script and saw what it was about, what was your reaction to it?
Well, the title really grabbed me. I just thought it was such a hilarious idea for a mash-up. I was so intrigued by the title that I really was compelled to find out more about it. Then when I saw who was producing it and who was directing it, obviously, Timor and Tim Burton are two huge cinematic icons so I was thrilled that they were on board with it. I was super excited to be a part of it.
Your character, I don’t believe, was in the book. Right? I read the book recently and don’t remember her being in it.
I think Gabrielle was probably just thrown in. She’s kind of like a sexy, flirty, happy-go-lucky gal who’s shacking up with Henry Sturgess at the beginning of the movie.
Because anytime there’s a movie based on a book, you have people who resist elements of the movie that weren’t in the book.
Right. It’s great that Seth Grahame-Smith also adapted the book to the screenplay. I think that really served the project in that respect, to have the novelist write the screenplay.
So, not to give away any spoilers, but do you get involved in any of the action? Or is it all comic relief …
I’m more of the sexy comic relief. And everybody’s asking me about the action and I so wish I was able to do some of it, because it was amazing. The director’s definitely known for his action sequences. I don’t know if you saw “Wanted” or not. I was really blown away by the action sequences in that movie, and this movie is really chockfull of cool action sequences. I think people are going to have a good time with that.
Which are tougher: the Abraham Lincoln vampires or the sparkly Twilight vampires?
(Laughs) I’m gonna say the Abe Lincoln. They’re pretty hardcore. They’re pretty vicious.
So if you had to choose one to fight, you would choose the Twilight ones.
Probably. But I am a big Twilight fan. Don’t get it twisted.
How did you get into acting?
It’s something that I wanted to do, really, since the beginning of time. But being raised in a small town, I didn’t have an opportunity to do any professional acting. So I really had to wait until I went to college to start studying and then really when I moved to Los Angeles is when I got into a really good acting class and started to seriously pursue it.
So until then, you were doing theater?
Yeah, community theater and stuff in school.
Who were some of the actors and actresses you looked up to?
Meryl Streep for sure. She is probably the reason I became an actor. Shirley MacLaine impacted me a lot. Probably those two, the most.
Another movie out there that you’re looking forward to seeing this summer?
The Dark Knight Rises. I just love Christopher Nolan. I was fortunate enough to work with him in
Inception. I’m just a huge fan of his and I can’t wait to see what he does with this.
What’s been your favorite part to play, to date?
I am going to direct myself in the fall, in a movie. And I think that probably will be one of m favorite roles to play because it’s something I’m really able to sink my teeth into. But I have to say, I had a lot of fun doing this movie. Being able to fly down to New Orleans and be on the set with such amazing actors. I would have to say this has been my most fun role, to date.
Our motto at Gonzogeek is that everyone’s a geek about something. What does Alex Lombard geek out about?
I think I geek out about my calculator watch. I have the calculator watch that I’ve worn forever—like, since I was a kid. I really can’t leave the house without it. I really do use every function every single day, and that’s not a lie.
Like in your day-to-day life?
Uh-huh. I use it when I calculate tips. I use it as a stopwatch. I use it as an alarm all the time. I’m obsessed with my Casio calculator watch. Or, when I shop, I’ll calculate the sales tax. Which I probably should be able to do in my head, but I’m a slave to my calculator watch.
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