Scans(Will Be Up Soon Again out of Request of ScifiNow)
Transcript
~ScifiNow Talks With Richelle Mead About Vampire Academy!
High school is Hell.Rivalries, hormones, test scores, blood-sucking.. OK, so that last part isn't something that most of us have to deal with, but its a fact of life for the characters in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy. For Half Vampire. Rose Hathaway, the enemies she makes in the hall of St Vladimir's are out for her blood. Literally.
If seeing the words ''vampire'' and high school'' in such close proximity, makes you think of Robert Pattinson looking longingly at Kristen Stewart, over a Bunsen burner, think again. Its not just the imoortals that have razor sharp teeth; this comes from the makers of the savagely funny teen classics Mean Girls and Heathers. While its safe to assume that young adult adaptionVampire Academy will lean more towards the latter's ''Thats why her hair is so big, its full of secrets.'' humour than the former's ''Fuck me gently with a chainsaw'', the prospect of Mark and Daniel Waters collaborating on a vampire high school movie is positevely mouth-watering.
'' If you asked me to come up with a shortlist of directors and writers with teen track records i respected, they would have been on it for sure,'' reveals Mead. ''I was in complete awe to learn of their involvement, and it really got real when i read Daneil's script. You definitely feel his humor and style in it, yet it was perfectly adapted to my book. I finished it and i thought,'How did I get so lucky?'''
The involvement of the Water Brothers is exciting, but it goes without saying that they wouldn't have signed on it if the source material wasn't just enticing. Mead's novels have won over legions of fans, and the brothers were amongst them. '' I know that they both like having such a strong opinionated young heroine to write about, and tha Rose wasn't the type of protagonist you see very often'' ,Mead tells us. ''The book's mix of humor and seriousness was a big appeal, too. They're known for their humorous works but they dont actually do straight up comedy. It is often juxtaposed with a darker, serious edge, and the Vampire Academy world had a balance they could work with. It is just immensely flattering to know what fans they are of the books and how respectful they are of developing the story''
''I wanted to write a strong, fierce heroine, but one who was still capable of emotional depth'', explains Mead,'' I think too often we we see 'tough girls' in literature or film, there's this idea put out there than in order to be strong, women can't have romances or emotional connections. That's not true, and i think is important, for young women to know that. Rose is as tough as they come, but still has incredibly deep bonds of both love and friendship. They strengthen her rather than weaken her. It was equally important to me to make an imperfect character who could grow throughout the series. She has a lot to learn, and we get to take that journey with her''.
With the current trend for YA adaptions is dystopian grimmes. Rose is a YA Heroine who gets to have some fun.'' I love that she has such a wicked sense of humour'', Mead adds, ''So many supernatural protagonists are so serious all the time, and while Rose has plenty of the the instense moments, she can still turn things around with a witty one liner when needed''.
Of course, a sense of humor is essential for survival. Leaving the blood-sucking and combat training aside, St Vladimir's is a high school much like any other, with rich kid cliques and romantic rivalries scuppering any chance Rose has for an easy life....
The main cause of Rose's loving and in his role as her fight trainer, a lot of her hurting, is a fan-favourite Dimitri. The tall, dark and handsome guardian was the one who tracked down Rose and Lissa when they run away, andid appointed to make sure that his younger charge is capable of stepping in front of a silver bullet, but maintaining a professional relationship is going to be a problem.
"Dimitri has a lot going for him" acknowledges Mead when we asked her why he made such an impression on her readers. "He is quiet, and mysterious, which drives a lot of us crazy. We want to know what he is thinking and readers have flooded me with requests to rewrite the series through his point of view which I'm afraid wont be happening! He is strong, loyal and intensely fierce when it comes to protecting those in his charge. He'll walk up against formidable odds without blinking an eye. And despite his stoic exterior, we get to see that he has a passionate heart within and is capable of huge emotion when in love. Add all that up, and its no wonder he has so many fans."
Speaking of reader requests, one of the most contentious elements of any YA adaption is the casting. When a series has developed a fanbase as dedicated as Vampire Academy, everyone has an idea about who should play the lead characters.Luckily, Mead tells us that Zoey Deutch and Danila Kozlovsky are perfect fit for Rose and Dimitri. "Its really amazing not just how much they look like the characters, but that they actually have their personalities down as well", she enthuses. "Zoey has energy and sass and totally understands Rose's sense of humor. When she is in the room, people know it! Danila likewise, has that strength and stoicism that Dimitri has, which cleverly hides a wealth of humour and emotion within. And yet despite their larger-than-life presences, he and Zoey are both so totally down to earth and approachable. You instantly feel comfortable around them"
What is very apparent is that Mead felt extremely comfortable with the whole production,. Despite taking the sensible attitude that the film will take inevitably being different, she tells us that she was pleased to see the Waters sticking to the text more often than not. ''its actually surprisingly faithful'' she assures us.''... '' There are definitely changes, it will impossible not to have them. But people who've read the books would have no problem recognizing the original material and Im especially pleased the same balance of action, romance, humor and drama stayed intact.''
...''Unlike 'Twilight's' Bella, and 'Vampire diaries' Elena, these girls were born in a vampirism and all that goes with it. ''Vampire Academy isn't about someone discovering this supernatural world, its about people born into it, who are used into these fantastic things ans take them for granted.'' A room full of humans waiting eagerly to give blood to vampires, normal. Vampire using magic in class, also normal. Teenagers practicing how to stake evil vampires, still normal. That the kind of stuff i love.''
SciFiNow UK Magazine
