Epic Pictures’ latest release, Space/Time, is a sci-fi thriller from director Michael O’Halloran that follows a disgraced group of scientists who turn to crime to rebuild a forbidden space-bending engine—one that could either save the world or destroy it. The film stars Ashlee Lollback, known for her work in Bloody Hell and Don’t Tell, as Liv, a brilliant physicist engineer with a promising future ahead of her. We spoke with Lollback about her role and the experience of making Space/Time in the interview below.
Watch Space/Time here.
What can you tell us about the character you play in Space/Time and what drew you to her?
I play Liv. When we first meet her she’s a physicist engineer at the top of game and with a huge career ahead of her. She is quickly climbing the career ladder and is developing world changing technology. People rely on her and her brilliance. She is a problem solver. She is intelligent and capable. I was drawn to Liv’s strength, intelligence and independence, but I was also drawn to her complexities, her struggles, her clumsiness and how down to earth and relatable she is.
When you first read the script, what aspect of your character immediately hooked you?
Liv’s passion immediately hooked me. She cares so much about her work and what it means for the world. She is creating an engine that will revolutionise space travel and save the world and is willing to go to any lengths to see its success. She throws herself completely into this project because she believes in it so much. Throughout the film she is constantly faced with challenges making her question herself morally and professionally.
How did you prepare to play someone navigating such high-stakes, mind-bending sci-fi circumstances?
I really had to simplify it and look at her character arc moment by moment. I had to focus on the human side of her experience within a scene and forget about the bigger picture in order to keep her grounded and present. At her core, without the sci-fi elements, she is a woman faced with very real and very human problems and situations which need to be navigated carefully in order for her to evolve and for the story to unfold.
Were there action or stunt elements involved in your role, and how did you approach them?
This was a very physical role. Stunts, fight sequences, running (sooooo much running), crawling on a concrete ground for hours and hours (ha ha!) and I did it all! It was so much fun to be able to throw myself into the role physically as well as emotionally. We choreographed the fight sequences and mapped out the blocking in rehearsals prior to the shoot to save time once we were on set. This was especially helpful with the time travel sequences as that was quite confusing to keep track of. Hugh (Holt) and I had body doubles for the scenes where there are multiple versions of our characters and I also had an actor on set who fed me ‘Future Liv’s’ lines when I was talking to her in a scene. I had to be incredibly prepared for this role. Obviously, I had to do a lot of script work but on top of that I made sure I was in good physical shape. I do wish I’d focused a little more on cardio training in the lead up though. Ha!
How did you balance the emotional human story with the film’s larger sci-fi stakes?
Again, it just came down to simplifying each moment. My character is faced with many problems and needs to make quick decisions. There is a moment in the film where she decides to lie to Harris about working with Holt again. She knows Harris will try to talk her out of it, but she still believes in the project so much that she is willing to risk her relationship to save the world. She always believes that what she is doing is right and for the greater good.
Is there a moment behind the scenes that stands out as particularly meaningful or memorable?
Space/Time is still, to this day, the greatest experience I’ve had in my career. The biggest part of that was the team that surrounded me. Everyone threw themselves into this project 100% and when we came out the other side, we were exhausted, emotional, bloodied, bruised and much skinnier but we knew we had achieved something truly special together. There was so much love on that set. The friendships that were formed during that time are still so strong today. That team became like family to me.
Can you talk about working with director Michael O’Halloran? What do you think his strengths as a director are?
Space/Time was the third time I had worked with Micheal, so I knew what I was in for when I signed up! He is such a kind and generous director. He guided me but also allowed me the freedom to find the character in my own way. He had a very clear vision and took no short cuts but he was also flexible within that vision to see what would happen organically on the day. He was patient and calm even when shit hit the fan. I hope to work with Michael again and again.
What surprised you most about working on a sci-fi film compared to other genres you’ve done?
You really have to use A LOT of imagination when filming a sci-fi. Especially a low budget indie one. We worked with a lot of green screen and so much of the final product is VFX so we really had to imagine the engine and all the elements we were interacting with. Adam’s storyboard helped with creating some visuals for us and Michael was very good at describing the world and giving us verbal cues during scenes. If there was an explosion during a scene we needed to respond to, Michael would yell “Boom” and we would react. I am so grateful we had a week of rehearsals before principle photography, mainly to go through the time travel blocking as this was a nightmare to keep track of continuity wise. But, we got there!
Were there any cast or crew members who significantly influenced your performance or process on this project?
I had worked with Hugh twice before so we already had a strong working relationship but he really supported me so much through the filming process of Space/Time. He is a very generous actor and gives so much so it was always easy to play off him and find him emotionally in the scene. This was the biggest role I’d had at this point and I put an awful lot of pressure on myself. Michael and Hugh were especially helpful in supporting me and helping me find the confidence I needed to throw myself at the role. I had big moments of fear and self-doubt, but they kept me on the beam. It was an incredibly encouraging and kind set. We were faced with so many challenges, but we all had each others back.
What kind of reactions do you think sci-fi fans—and especially action/suspense lovers—will have after seeing the film?
I hope they think it’s something a bit different to what they’ve seen before. I hope they care about the characters they’ve just spent 90 minutes of their day with. I hope they have chats about which character they think was right and discussions about why characters did what they did. But really, I just hope they have a bloody great time!