Mary Elizabeth Winstead opens up about filming Birds of Prey during a recent interview, discussing how she found the action difficult to film.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead has recently discussed her time filming DC's Birds of Prey, revealing that the film's action sequence left her physically exhausted. The star played Huntress in the 2020 superhero film alongside Margot Robbie, Jurnee Smollett, Rosie Perez, and Ella Jay Basco. The film was released to positive reviews by critics but struggled at the box office shortly before theater closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Cathy Yan's Birds of Prey, Winstead played Helena Bertinelli, the orphaned daughter of the Bertinelli crime family who takes up the vigilante identity of The Huntress. Bertinelli hunts down the gangsters responsible for her family's murder, leading her to join Harley Quinn's group and going up against Roman Sionis, one of the men responsible for the murder. Winstead recently stated she'd like to return to her role, much like how co-star Smollett has returned for a Black Canary film on HBO Max but has also opened up about the stresses of filming Birds of Prey.

While speaking to THR about her recent action film, Kate, Winstead opened up about filming Birds of Prey when discussing taking on another action role. Winstead discussed how the longer, single-take action sequences were difficult to film despite being visually appealing. Following this, when approached for Kate, Winstead requested that she avoid long-take action sequences, with director Cedric Nicholas-Troyan assuring her they'd film in a way that suited her better.

"I was really tired after Birds of Prey. Just the way that that film was shot was pretty taxing because there were really long takes. Most action movies break it up into pieces, and just the way that Cathy [Yan] directed it, she wanted these beautiful, long, cinematic, no-cuts kind of movements. And that looked really cool, but it was really hard to pull off. So I was coming off of that, and I remember meeting with Cedric [Nicolas-Troyan], and just going, ‘Okay, but can we have some edits in this? Because I don’t know if I can do just one long take anymore.’ So he was just really lovely and really assured me that we would do it how I needed to do it and that it would be okay. And by the time we got there, I was so ready to go again. I was ready to do whatever needed to be done."

Winstead has previously discussed the training she undergone when getting into the role of Huntress in interviews. In 2018, Winstead discussed how she learned how to use a bow and arrow when interviewed before filming began. Filming for Birds of Prey lasted throughout 2019 in Los Angeles from January to April. Winstead previously revealed she enjoyed working on the film, comparing it to a 90s film and calling it genuinely funny and weird.

Winstead's troubles during filming are understandable; longer takes such as those seen in Birds of Prey are incredibly complex to pull off. Though they can be some of the most visually stunning sequences in the film, the number of moving parts when filming such scenes can be a lot for a crew, with both the talent behind the camera and the on-screen cast having to work incredibly closely, with one small mistake being able to upend the shoot. Despite this experience, it doesn't sound like Winstead has been put off returning to the role, which is welcome news as there is plenty of potential for the character going forward.

Next: Mary Elizabeth Winstead's New Movie Proves She Needs A DCEU Return

Source: THR