One of the many films to premiere at this year's Sundance Film Festival was director Craig Zobel’s (Compliance) adaptation of Robert C. O’Brien’s post-apocalyptic 1974 novel of the same name, Z for Zachariah, written by Nissar Modi. The story revolves around a woman (The Wolf of Wall Street actress Margot Robbie) who believes she is the only survivor after a devastating nuclear event, who meets a scientist (Chiwetel Ejiofor) searching for survivors. After forming a close bond, another survivor (Chris Pine) appears, complicating matters further.

Unlike a big budget studio film that would be full of explosions and characters trying to figure out how to save humanity, Z for Zachariah is about people trying to stay alive and exist in a new world where a momentary lapse in judgment could mean a quick death.  Loaded with fantastic performances and Zobel's gentle touch behind the camera, Z for Zachariah was one of the highlight's of this year's Sundance Film Festival.

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Image via Roadside Attractions

Shortly after seeing the film, I landed an exclusive video interview with Chris Pine, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Margot Robbie. During the times they weren't laughing they talked about why they wanted to be involved in the project, the character-centric nature of the film and how the post-apocalyptic setting is just a backdrop, what music they're currently listening to, what it's like to have won the actor’s lottery, and I tried to get Ejiofor to talk about the Doctor Strange rumors, Robbie briefly talks Harley Quinn, and Pine discusses Simon Pegg writing Star Trek 3. 

For more on Z for Zachariah, read Matt's review.

As usual, I've time indexed the interview to provide an overview of the conversation.

Chris Pine, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Margot Robbie Time Index:

  • :22 – What made them want to do the film?
  • 1:53 – They explain what the movie is about and try not to make each other laugh.
  • 2:57 – Talk about the character-centric nature of the film and how the post-apocalyptic setting is just a backdrop.
  • 3:45 – What is it like to have won the actor’s lottery?
  • 4:04 – What music are they listening to right now?
  • 5:12 – Robbie talks Harley Quinn, Ejiofor addresses Doctor Strange rumors, and Chris Pine discusses Simon Pegg writing Star Trek 3.