Did you ever play Dungeons & Dragons before being cast?
I confess to actually never having played Dungeons & Dragons, although I was aware of it through friends of mine who are gamers. But the minute I started to do research, I had about 14 tabs open on my laptop, and I was just so engrossed by the world and the expanse of it that has been developed over decades. And it’s still evolving, which is such an amazing thing.
This film is accessible to all audience members, whether they’re fans of the game, fans of the franchise, or not. There’s so much humor. Fans of the franchise will obviously recognize the epic backdrop of all the different locations and all of the various creatures and monsters. But it’s 100% relatable, and there’s something in it for everyone. You really don’t need to be a diehard fan, and you don’t need to know all about the lore in order to enjoy the movie as it is.
What do you like about working in fantasy?
Fantasy is so timeless. It’s limitless, which is kind of redolent of our own human imagination. I love how the fantastical worlds encapsulate the magic of human creativity. It just goes to show that we don’t have to be dictated or restricted by who we are, what we do, or how old we are, which is such a beautifully timeless and limitless facet of human existence. I love that against the backdrop of these really expansive, epic landscapes and worlds, there’s also real intimacy and emotionality of the characters involved. There’s relatability with each and every one of them. It shows that everyone has a story. And although everyone’s story might be different, that can be incredibly unifying, and there can be common goals within that.
I think such a wonderful part of creating fantasy for myself, obviously, is the escapism of it. It’s such a huge part of why I do what I do—to create escapes for people. It allows for such diverse and thrilling, exciting adventure that, obviously, isn’t always what one can find in their own reality.
