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Rambo: Last Blood separates itself from previous installments in the Rambo franchise thanks to the relationship John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) has with his "adopted" niece Gabrielle and her grandmother Maria in the film. Played by Yvette Monreal (Stargirl), Gabrielle is an intelligent, determined young woman haunted by the absence of her father, who abandoned her at a young age. Maria, played by Adriana Barraza (The Strain), provides the patience, calm and firmness of an abuela trying to calm the emotional seas raging inside Rambo and Gabrielle. New characters being introduced late into a franchise is never an easy proposition. It can certainly be successful like in the case of Dwayne Johnson joining the Fast & Furious franchise in Fast Five or lead to uneven results like Ryan Reynolds and Jessica Biel in the Blade franchise. What will the results be in Rambo: Last Blood? We shall soon see.

Before the film’s release, I sat down with Yvette Monreal and Adriana Barraza to discuss what their experiences were with the Rambo franchise before taking on these roles. We discussed the different preparation each actress did in order to get ready to portray these characters and to share the screen with Sylvester Stallone. Their answers to my questions might surprise you and give you a window into why these relationships feel very lived-in throughout the movie. Read the questions that I asked down below and watch the video above to see their answers. Rambo: Last Blood is directed by Adrian Grunberg and also stars Paz Vega, Óscar Jaenada, Sergio Peres-Mencheta, and Fenessa Pineda.

Yvette Monreal and Adriana Barraza:

• How much of John Rambo and the Rambo franchise did Adrianna know before agreeing to be in the role?

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  What preparation Yvette Monreal went thru to our herself in the right mindset to play Maria's darkest moments. Yvette also reveals what her greatest challenge was and what she learned about herself from doing the film?
• Adriana Barraza reveals what special method she used to connect with Stallone before shooting one scene with him in the movie.

Here is the official synopsis for Rambo: Last Blood:

Here's the official synopsis for Rambo: Last Blood:

Almost four decades after he drew first blood, Sylvester Stallone is back as one of the greatest action heroes of all time, John Rambo. Now, Rambo must confront his past and unearth his ruthless combat skills to exact revenge in a final mission. A deadly journey of vengeance, Rambo: Last Blood marks the last chapter of the legendary series. Lionsgate in association with Millennium Media presents, a Millennium Media Balboa Productions and Templeton Media production, in association with Campbell Grobman Films, and in association with Dadi Film (HK) Limited.