In the film Protector, which premieres today in theaters, Milla Jovovich stars as Nikki, a veteran war hero who thought she left her violent past behind her on the battlefield, but her peaceful life is upended when her daughter, Chloe (Isabel Myers), is kidnapped by a human trafficking ring, and she must venture into the city’s criminal underworld to find and save her. As she tears through the crime syndicate using her training, leaving a trail of death in her wake, her mission becomes even more difficult as she attracts the attention of the police and military and must avoid them in her pursuit. As the local authorities, led by Captain Michaels (D.B. Sweeney), try to bring her in, Nikki’s former commanding officer (Matthew Modine) sums it up: he doesn’t need to protect Nikki from the criminals; he needs to protect them from her.

In a recent interview with SciFi Vision, Jovovich and Meyers opened up about what drew them to the project.

“[W]hen I got this script, it really resonated with me as a parent,” Jovovich told the site. “To be a mother of three girls and to know how human trafficking is such a problem, that it just keeps growing.”

The actress added that she felt like no one was making movies about the topic. “That's why I wanted to come in as a producer,” explained Jovovich, saying that it wasn’t just about streamlining the script. “[It was also to] make sure that once I was done filming as an actor, I had control of how the rest of the movie was going to be edited, scored, color graded, just to make sure that the subject matter was dealt with in the most sort of respectful way possible.”

Jovovich also liked that even though the film has violence and is exciting, it also has “heart and soul”.

For Meyers, it was the script. “[T]he script really, really drew me in, especially with the ending,” said the actress. “I just got really excited, because I feel like it's such an open ending, and you don't know what's going to happen after that, and it kind of leaves you to your imagination.”

The two also spoke to both the action and still moments of the film and the difficulties in that regard, as well as how Jovovich came to create the music used in the film.

For the full interview, watch the video and read the transcript below. Protector is now in theaters.




SCIFI VISION:   So, to start out, Milla, my first question is for you. I saw in the credits that you wrote and performed some of the music. How did that come about?

MILLA JOVOVICH:   Well, really, I had it, and it was free. And I figured, why not use it and save us some budget. And at the same time, it was just sitting and dusting, so why not?

SCIFI VISION:   Okay, well, fair enough. Why did you each want to be a part of it? We'll start with Isabel this time.

ISABEL MEYERS:   Well, the script really, really drew me in, especially with the ending. I just got really excited, because I feel like it's such an open ending, and you don't know what's going to happen after that, and it kind of leaves you to your imagination.

And also, with the whole bringing awareness to human trafficking. I think that that's very important, especially with everything that's been going on.

But, yeah, that's what really, really made me want to be a part of this.

SCIFI VISION:   All right. What about you?

MILLA JOVOVICH:   For me, when I got this script, it really resonated with me as a parent. To be a mother of three girls and to know how human trafficking is such a problem, that it just keeps growing.

And it felt like nobody was really taking the opportunity to make movies about it. That's why I wanted to come in as a producer, so that I could really make sure that not only was I able to help streamline the script, but also make sure that once I was done filming as an actor, I had control of how the rest of the movie was going to be edited, scored, color graded, just to make sure that the subject matter was dealt with in the most sort of respectful way possible.

And also, the violence is intense and edge of your seat, but at the same time, because it's such a movie with heart and soul, it doesn't feel gratuitous either. It feels like, yeah, if I was ex-military and I had these skills, I would do this to save my child, and that brings hope, too.

SCIFI VISION:   Yeah, I was going to say, it's exciting and has the heart, too. I agree, it's moving. So, [Milla], you have a whole lot of action, obviously, and a whole lot of fighting. And you, [Isabel], have parts where you're barely moving. So, for both of you, kind of what's the difficulty [in that]? I mean, you're used to action movies. So, I don't know, maybe for you it's not that difficult now, but did you find any of that difficult? And did you find any of the part not moving around difficult to act with, if that makes sense?

ISABEL MEYERS:   Yeah. The subject is very heavy, obviously. So, there were some days when I would get into set, and I would really feel it in the room. And it was definitely mentally challenging a little bit to get through it. But, yeah, that's kind of what I was going through.

MILLA JOVOVICH:   I mean, the thing is, you have to understand, too, like the environment where we were shooting, it was freezing. I mean, our being on location, doing those kind of scenes, to kind of be out of it is very difficult when you're shaking with cold and all you want to do is cry. But you have to kind of, like, pretend that you're drugged out. I mean, it's just as challenging as doing an action sequence. I mean, for me, it was definitely one of the most difficult films I've had to take on, because I'm not just fighting a monster or a zombie or something. This is a mother fighting for her daughter, and I wanted to make sure that the action sequences reflected that, that it was things that a woman could do. And obviously, my character is special forces and trained, but at the same time, it's grounded.

And the movie was grounded with the sense of grit and reality. And there was not very, very minimal CGI. And it was amazing being able to, like, really do the stunts and really not have to depend on, like, “Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, we'll fix it in post.” It was a gritty, raw, short, very packed, emotionally driven movie and shoot.

And I think it left both of us, like, quite shaken, at the end of it.