Why Chloe Coleman Loved Working With Michelle Rodriguez in the Dungeons & Dragons Movie
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves has been one of our most highly anticipated films of 2023, and it's finally out today, March 31. Lucky for all of us, it's been worth the wait, as critics and audiences alike are lauding the irresistible new adventure.
The new movie brings the iconic tabletop board game to life, sending an ensemble cast including Chris Pine, RegΓ©-Jean Page and Michelle Rodriguez on an epic quest to collect a lost relic and vanquish an evil force. It also stars rising star Chloe Coleman who, despite being just 14 years old, has an enviable resume including roles in Big Little Lies, Avatar: The Way of Water and 65. We got the chance to speak with Chloe all about her love for acting, her D&D role as Kira and what it was like to bring that fantasy adventure to life, and she shared it all with us in the interview below.
Sweety High: When did you discover your passion for acting? Was there any specific a-ha moment that made you realize it was the path for you?
Chloe Coleman: I've loved acting ever since I was a really young child. Growing up, I loved movies and television and I was always very drawn to film. My mom was a producer and my dad's a camera operator, so they both worked in the film business.
I had already been acting for a while when my passion for acting really came to life after working with Jean-Marc VallΓ©e on Big Little Lies. I was just 7 years old, and he was such a passionate and kind director. He would really go out of his way to mentor us kids, as well. I was working with other children, and he always taught us that it was important to work a little bit, then rest a little bit. He thought it was really important to take some time to be a kid. I still think about him a lot to this day. He's probably one of the most impactful people in my life.
Nicole Kidman also made a huge impact on me when I was younger. After being involved in a show like Big Little Lies, it's hard to imagine doing anything else. Those incredible people really helped change my life.
(Photo credit: David Higgs)
SH: Can you tell us a bit about Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves?
CC: Dungeons & Dragons is this epic, amazingly well-told film about a band of misfits who must work together to defeat the greatest evil the world has ever known. This movie is just pure cinematic joy for anyone. Whether you're a fan of D&D or not, it doesn't matter. It's hysterical, and it's action-packed, and it's something that anyone can enjoy. There are so many moments in this film that you just haven't seen before.
SH: Can you tell us anything about your character in the movie?
CC: My character, Kira is the daughter of Chris Pine's character, Edgin, the bard. Without giving anything away, I can tell you that family is very important to Edgin. This film has so much heart, and it's really the focal point for Kira and this whole team as they participate in these incredible battles. Kira is a very strong, independent girl who ends up being a very important piece of the overall puzzle. I think a lot of people are really gonna like her character.
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SH: Did you have any relationship with Dungeons & Dragons before taking on this role?
CC: I actually had not played it before I got the role, but when I did book the role of Kira for D&D, I knew I'd have to play the game and give it a try. I thought it would be really fun, and I played with the director, Jonathan Goldstein's son, and my sister. We had this really fantastic dungeon master named Simon Alexander who's an excellent storyteller, and he made it so much fun. He would weave these amazingly detailed journeys for us all to go on and we'd spend about an hour every week playing together. We developed characters and had an arcing story, and it was really fun to see the game, knowing we were making a movie about it. It gave me a better understanding of everything, because the world of RPGs is so huge and vast, and the movie captures that really well. You get really involved in the game and your character, and getting the chance to develop your own story.
SH: What can you tell us about the character you developed?
CC: I wanted to have a super cool character, and at the time, I was really into scythes. Her name was Edith, and she had short red hair and was a half-elf ranger. She was just super cool, kind of fancy, and very mysterious. We all created this family-friends situationship between all the players in our group, and it was really fun.
(Photo credit: David Higgs)
SH: What was your most memorable moment from the set of the film?
CC: There are still a lot of things I can't talk about, but the environment was always really fun to be in. It felt surreal and incredible to be involved in that fantasy world. It was mind-blowing to be part of bringing that to life. I also really, really loved Michelle Rodriguez. She is such a special person, and I loved any time with her that I could get on set, because she's really such a kid at heart. She's very down to earth and I was always very drawn to her. We could relax anytime we could hang out. She's a really incredible, talented person, and just the best.
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SH: What are you most excited for fans to see when the movie drops?
CC: Well, when I saw Dungeons & Dragons for the first time, I was literally on the edge of my seat the entire movie and my jaw was on the floor. My gut was actually cramping from laughing so hard. The directors, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, are super duper funny, and they weaved this perfect story. I loved it so much. This is a major family event with wild action. It's crazy entertaining from start to finish. You'll be completely hooked on this movie. There are such lovable characters that you can really attach yourself to, and big mystical creatures that people are just going to love. You're really getting to be involved in the surreal world of Dungeons & Dragons.
(Photo credit: David Higgs)
SH: You also recently appeared in Avatar: The Way of Water. How was that experience different from your typical film shoot?
CC: Avatar was my first-ever experience with motion capture ever, so there were a lot of new experiences filming that way that I can't really talk about in detail. One of the coolest things was probably that I got to play a boy, which I do not get to do every day. It was really interesting to completely change my gender and be someone else. Because it's motion capture, you can really do or be anything. It confused a lot of my friends. They're like, "Wait. You played a boy in this movie?" But it was really fun and I liked my character, and seeing it come out in theaters was absolutely beautiful and stunning. It's such a gorgeous film.
For more with our favorite actors, click HERE to read our interview with Gregg Sulkin on his upcoming film Six Triple Eight.