Ellen Page and Alexander Skarsgård star in “The East,” a suspenseful and provocative espionage thriller from acclaimed writer-director Zal Batmanglij and writer-actress Brit Marling. The film chronicles what happens when an elite private intelligence operative infiltrates an elusive anarchist collective that’s seeking revenge against major corporations guilty of covering up criminal activity.

At the recent press day, Page and Skarsgård talked about their characters, what drew them to the script, what it was like walking a fine line between hero and villain, their collaboration with Batmanglij and Marling, and how they think the movie will resonate with audiences. Skarsgård also revealed why he enjoys playing roles like Benji in this film, Derek in “Disconnect” or Lincoln in “What Maisie Knew” that are completely different from his character, Eric, in “True Blood.” Ellen discussed playing Kitty Pryde in “X-Men: Days of Future Past” and the status of her directing project, “Miss Stevens.”

Question: Can you talk about your characters and what drew you to this project?

Ellen Page: I played the character of Izzy. Izzy is a member of The East. She’s incredibly angry, frustrated – sad at the state of the world and the injustice that she sees and the lack of accountability for corporations that commit some pretty awful atrocities, often legal, to the environment and people that are disenfranchised that don’t have a voice. I completely understood her anger and sadness in regards to her more personal story and connection and journey with it, and I loved getting to explore it. What drew me to it was really Brit [Marling] and Zal [Batmanglij]. “Sound of My Voice” was such an incredible, intriguing, unique and beautiful film. Brit’s performance was so beautifully written, suspenseful and entertaining and all these things, but then it was exploring so many ideas I was personally interested in. To meet them, their passion and creative drive is palpable, infectious and contagious. You just want to be a part of their work. That’s how I felt.
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I’ve added tons of photos from several events Ellen attended in the past few months. She has been out a lot promoting The East. Thanks DeA for the donations!

Ellen Page has never been one to play it safe, whether that means taking on the role of a murderous teen (“Hard Candy”), a super mutant (“X-Men: The Last Stand”), or a dream architect (“Inception”).
Her latest film, “The East,” is a drama about eco-anarchists and an undercover investigator (Brit Marling) who grows increasingly attached to them. Izzy (Page) and the other members of The East live off the grid in a crumbling mansion in the woods; they gather their food from dumpsters (a practice known as freeganism), bathe in a nearby lake, and play Spin the Bottle by candlelight for fun.

If anyone is the leader of The East, it’s Benji (Alexander Skarsgard), although Izzy is a close second. She’s suspicious and a little abrasive, and like the rest of the group’s members, she’s got her own specific agenda.

We sat down with Page to talk about the film, what she loves about acting, and why technology may be making everyone lonely.

Moviefone: What about this crew, this team, this script, all of it, made you jump in and say, “Okay, I’m gonna do these very vulnerable things on screen?”

I’d seen “Sound of My Voice,” I’d seen “Another Earth,” I was blown away by Zal [Batmanglij’s] work and just completely astonished at Brit’s two performances in those movies. And then when you meet them, you feel their energy and their creative intent and their purpose for telling stories –– their passion is very palpable and it’s very infectious, and I just absolutely wanted to be a part of their work.
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Looks can be deceiving. Take, for example, Ellen Page. The 26-year-old actress stands only 5’1″ tall but has made it clear through her choice of roles that she is a force to be reckoned with: In 2005′s “Hard Candy,” Page played a young girl who makes a pedophilic photographer pay for his distasteful taste. In “The East,” out in limited release this weekend, Page again plays someone looking for revenge — this time, she stars as Izzy, a young woman who is part of an underground group seeking revenge by any means necessary on harmful corporations.

Page co-stars in the film alongside Brit Marling, who co-wrote the script with director Zal Batmanglij, and Alexander Skarsgard. We caught up with Page in New York City ahead of the movie’s release to talk about her directorial ambitions, feminist roles and what she could contribute to an underground anti-corporate group.

“The East” was really an amazing movie, and so suspenseful. What was your first interest in it?
Well, my first interest was I’m a huge fan of Zal and Brit, I’d seen “Sound of My Voice” and was so amazed by Zal’s script and Brit’s work in that, and her performance in “Another Earth.” I was just like who the hell is this person? And then I read a script that was beautiful and compelling and entertaining and thrilling and all of those things, but also full of so many ideas that I’m already interested in and think about. I went and I met with them, and they’re just the loveliest people with incredible creative intent and passion and purpose for telling stories. It’s very infectious. I really wanted to be a part of their body of work.

Was it intimidating to act alongside Brit, knowing that she’d written the script?
No, because Brit’s just not like that. I don’t think you could meet anyone more egoless and selfless. It was nice in the sense that if you did want to talk about something in regards to Izzy and her friendship with Benji or how she relates to Sarah, etc., it was nice to be able to talk to Brit and Zal. They’re so open and so collaborative, so that was nice. Brit and Zal obviously have this really intense collaboration period when they’re writing, but when they get to set, Zal’s very much the director and she’s very much acting. You don’t feel that at all because she’s not like that. Of course, you always want to hope you’re doing your job well, but …
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It’s been a few years since the typical movie going audience has seen the likes of Ellen Page. In 2007, before it was deemed cool by the MTV demo, a pint-sized Page found herself as the face of teen pregnancy through the awkward, rambling voice of beloved Juno MacGuff. Since Juno, she’s smartly took a step back from taking on more of the same awe-shucks characters she could have churned out well into her early thirties. While mainstream audiences weren’t looking, Page has matured past her days of hamburger phones, and sarcastic quips, to become a promising presence on the screen in independent cinema.

In her latest film The East, her versatility shows as she plays her most complex role yet. Wrapped inside of a freegan collective, Page plays Izzy, a 20-something anarchist who takes the “eye for an eye” saying to a whole new level. Page’s Izzy is just one member in a large collective of eco-terrorists that inflicts suffering on leaders in corporations for committing crimes against the environment and its people.

Perhaps playing the most sympathetic character, a pint-sized Page has effortlessly reinvented herself on the screen as a strong thespian. For the same reason she earned critical recognition in her earlier work in Hard Candy, she has found that hard edge again as an environmentalist who’s both strong in her convictions and vulnerable in the way she presents them throughout the film.

The Inquisitr’s Niki Cruz sat down with Ellen Page to speak about her new film The East.

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THE INQUISITR: The director Zal [Batmanglij] and co-writer Brit Marling lived this freegan lifestyle for awhile. How much did that spill over onto the set in real life?

ELLEN PAGE: We had anarchists come up to live with us from New Orleans. They were in the group playing themselves. The people who you’ll see but don’t actually speak are actually those people. They’re glorified extras and they’re very much apart of the group.

THE INQUISITR: Your character has this non-conformer be cast out type of attitude. Can you tell the readers about your perspective of these collectives?

PAGE: I think a lot of the time in groups like this or environments that I’ve been around, the lifestyle itself is what people really believe in. They believe in living, and creating no waste, and taking accountability for all of their actions. Of course it creates this conformist aesthetic but I think it’s a true deep belief.
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