VG Interview Kristanna Loken

On the 2nd July Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines premiers in the USA. We have met this young woman that has been brought to the big screen and put into the roll as the human machine, the T-X, that in the film is hunting the T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger).

The tall blond young women with norwegian grandparents, both on her fathers and mothers side, has only played in a few TV-series and some unknown films. There are very few who know who she is. That is one of the reasons why she was chosen.

"I believe those that made the film should have a relativly unknown actress in this particular role because it makes the machine figure in the film more believable, says Loken.

The secrecy around Terminator 3 is enourmous. Loken did not get to read the script before she said yes to the roll. And of course, she cannot tell us anything about the story line that has already got 'cool' status in Norway and the rest of the world.

In her contract, like Arnold, it says she is not to reveal anything about the film.

"When I got the script, they had pressed my name into every side. This was so that they could find out if a script had been copied. There was invisible markings on every sheet. It was all topsecret the whole way."

As soon as Loken had said yes to the film role, she was sent straight into training. Every day for 6 weeks she was weightraining. She had gained 6 kilos in muscle weight by the end of the training period, and then it was onto weapons training, martial arts training and last but not least, she had to practice her movements to perfect the human-machine like effect you will see in the movie.

Løken became Loken

In many of the scenes she is hunting the Terminator - Arnold. Kristianna had to run like crazy in shoots, again and again until the director was happy with the shot.

"Sprinting in high heels is not so easy, and the director/producer would often make me move in a way that is almost impossible for a person. My arms were in one direction, and my legs in a total different one. I was 'twisted'," smiles Loken as she showed us how she had to stand for a shoot.

Kristianna calls herself both Norwegian and American. She was born in Wisconsin, in a Norwegian community, and has grown up in New York with Americans and Norwegians. Her great grandparents were born in Norway, and her grandparents spoke norwegian. So did her father, Chris, who is named Løken. Her father was earlier on braodway and a Hollywood actor, but her mother, Randae was a model.

Every Christmas Kristanna eats the traditional Norwegian christmas dinner.

"We follow many of the Norwegian traditions imn the holidays, especially at Christmas. This is something I hope to keep going when I have a family of my own."

Loken told us about her first real trip to Norway. When she was 12 years old, she went with her family to Norway for a 3 week holiday - at the end of November!

"What do I remember the most? Hmmm. Yes, that it was very cold... he-he."

"But we had unbelievably nice weather when we were there. We were in Oslo, got the train to Bergen, then we went by ferry up to Trondheim. Everyone made fun of my Dads old fashions Norwegian. I am looking forward to going back. I reckon that I will be going to Norway for some PR work for the film," she says.

Kristanna Loken tells that it was fun and interesting co-star with Schwarzenegger, but understood from her answer that Arnold was a little sceptical about her to start with.

"But untill the end, we had great respect for each other," says the 23 year old.

"What was it like to work with him?"
"Very exciting. I learnt lots. He was very safe on the action scenes, and very spacific on what will work, and what will not work in the film. He has been Terminator before, so he knew the roll right down to the last detail."

"And what was he like personally?"
"He was funny. He jokes and laughs a lot, smokes cigars and walks around and comes out with these funny comments. Sometimes, we would sit and talk about how it was to grow up in the country. We both have done that," she says.

Stage full of effects

When you see Kristianna Loken as the T-X in the film, dont be so sure its her you see. The movie is full of digital special effects. A lot like those seen in Terminator, Judgment Day (1991).

"It was a very exciting process," says Kristanna, who must play a big part of the film with movement sensors on her body, becasue her movements were recorded into a computer.

"After that, I got to know how all the special effects for George Lucas' Star Wars were made." The movement sensors construct a 3-Dimensional computer figure. In some of the scenes it is the computer figure, not Loken herself that does the stunts.

"To see yourself, when you know its not really you, is very weird, says Loken, who did not get rich from the job:"
"Lets just say this: I had paid to get the roll. So I didnt earn so much doing it."

Kristanna Loken knows that her life will change on the 2nd July, the day Terminator 3 premiers in the USA. At home at Christmas she met her neighbour, Derreck whom she had known since she was 4 years old. Now he was back at home - and seperated from his partner.

"It is difficult to hold a relationship when one works so much and travels all the time. But if it is meant to be, then we shall survive..."

Translated article as posted on Terminator-3.co.uk from the VG.no website.

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