Rather than lump her with an acting coach who might stifle her natural instincts, Soderbergh had Carano prep for the role with an intensive two-month camp led by former Israeli intelligence operative Aaron Cohen in Los Angeles. Carano took to handling weapons easily and soaked up Cohen’s sharp and efficient tactical mentality. Cohen created scenarios and mock “missions” for her to complete around the city, armed with a blue dummy firearm. One assignment had Carano tracking a target, only to have the tables turned when she was ambushed coming outside a beauty salon. (via)

“There was something transgressive about having the woman being the one who is attacked first, that there’s a sort of, in movie terms, a popular conception that women are weaker than men and that the only way that they can triumph in a hand-to-hand situation is if they somehow have an advantage from the beginning,” Soderbergh said. “They trick the guy and they get the upper hand because they’re being somewhat nefarious. Very consciously, in two circumstances, she’s attacked in an unprovoked manner and has to work her way back into winning the fight. With someone like Gina, you can pull that off and have it be believable. She can really break you in half.” (via)

(Gina Carano in Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Haywire’ | /Film)

In Haywire, an electrifying tale of espionage and betrayal, a female covert ops specialist (Carano), who works in the deadly world of international operatives, strikes back after discovering she’s been double-crossed by someone close to her in the agency.

Ensemble cast includes: Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Antonio Banderas, Bill Paxton, Michael Douglas and Michael Angarano. The script is by Lem Dobbs, who wrote The Limey (or wrote a version of it, as the famously argumentative DVD commentary demonstrates) and David Holmes, who did such great music for the Oceans movies, is scoring.

filmquotes:

I’m gonna get out of the car and drop you like third period French.-Ocean’s 11

This film is one of my guilty pleasures. Dad says, “It’s just a bunch of divas running around Las Vegas.” When Ocean’s 12 came out he said, “Now the divas are running around Europe.” I don’t care. I love the Ocean’s trilogy.