Lena Headey
By Michael J. Lee
Source: Radio Free Entertainment

In the sci-fi horror The Cave, a group of scientists and professional cave divers embark on an expedition to investigate a giant underground eco-system deep beneath the earth’s surface. But the exploration quickly turns into a fight for survival when they discover the labyrinthine caverns are home to a deadly and monstrous species.

Shot on location in Romania, The Cave is directed by Bruce Hunt and features an ensemble cast that includes Cole Hauser, Morris Chestnut, Eddie Cibrian, Lena Headey, and Piper Perabo.

While doing an interview for The Brothers Grimm, Lena Headey–who was fantastically cool and more interested in joking around than boring everyone with canned movie propaganda–took a few moments to tell us about filming The Cave and experiencing Bucharest, Romania’s capital city.

Which was the more difficult experience between shooting the The Cave in Bucharest and shooting The Brothers Grimm in Prague?
I’d much rather be in Prague, I can tell you that now, than three months in a tank in Bucharest. [laughs]

So filming The Cave was grueling?
Yeah, it was pretty ridiculous.

Did you injure yourself during the shoot?
No. No injuries. It was just hysterical. It’s good to kind of try everything. And, you know, to be chased by a guy in tights wearing a monster head is something I’d never imagined I would be doing in Eastern Europe. [jokes] And that was just a man I had met… in Bucharest.

Why was Prague an easier experience than Bucharest?
Because Prague has been a sort of filmmaking place for awhile now, and it’s almost developed into a kind of small Hollywood. So you’ve got restaurants, you’ve got a social scene, it’s accessible, and you can exist there in a sort of sane way. Bucharest is obviously still newly out of its regime, and it’s very evident. And I’m a great traveler, and I’ve traveled to many places, and I love new cultures, I love people, I love the scenes of just what’s happening on the streets…And I found I couldn’t find anything in Bucharest to thrill me or make me feel anything other than “I just want to get out of here.” [sincerely] It’s just really sad…There are kids sleeping on every doorway, you know what I mean? That’s what you pass every night.

Did you get a chance to visit Transylvania?
Yes, we were up there for two weeks, which is gorgeous actually.