Michael Mann and the BLACKHAT Cast on Vulnerability in the Digital World

“Blackhat” conference report by Carlos Aguilar.

With the recent Sony hack as a backdrop, there seems to be no better time than right now to release a film about the dangers of the intangible crimes perpetrated by criminals hidden in the anonymity of the digital age. More than just ideal timing, the interest in the subject has spiked because modern civilization become entirely reliant on the digital information and the exchange of this through vulnerable networks.

Known for his exhilarating and emotionally charged crime dramas, director Michael Mann returns to the big screen after several years working on TV. In this film the genre is familiar but the subject is strictly pertinent to the way we live today. “It takes place in our world as it is right now, right in the cutting edge of this moment. Everything is interconnected with everything else. That’s the world we live in right now. It’s never going to go back to the way it used to be,” says Mann about “Blackhat,” his latest effort behind the camera.

While working on the HBO series “Luck,” Mann took a trip to in 2011 that inspired this new project. “I went to Washington and I stared talking to folks there about cyber intrusions and cyber theft, and what was happening in the world. It was eye opening,” said the director. “The way we think about our lives is not really the way they are. We are porous and vulnerable to intrusion from everywhere. It’s like we are in a house without doors and windows in a dangerous neighborhood and we don’t know it,” he added.

Mann explained that he was interested in exploring the psychology behind a hacker’s motivations. He mentioned that after spending time with Chris Hemswroth in Costa Rica he knew that he was the man for the lead role of Nicholas Hathaway, an imprisoned hacker who is offered a second chance. He will only get back his freedom if he cooperates with the FBI in order to capture an evasive cyber terrorist. “ I could see Hathaway as a guy from a working class neighborhood in the Southside of Chicago whose father was a steel worker, because I knew people like that in the 70s particularly. He is someone who is very bright, very direct, and very centered. It had to do with who Chris is innately, “ assured the Academy Award-nominated filmmaker.

On the other hand, when asked why he decided to take on the role, Hemsworth noted that the main appeal to work on this project was Mr. Mann himself, “He is one of my favorite filmmakers, and I grew up watching his films. Even before I read the script I was pretty excited to do it. Then I read the script and it was a subject I certainly hadn’t been involved with. I’m pretty limited in my digital or cyber involvement. “ Hemsworth was intrigued by the premise and how foreign it was to him, “The idea that we are a vulnerable was something that I wanted to learn more about. I jumped into the opportunity.”

Playing a strong FBI special agent in “Blackhat,” actress Viola Davis was eager to note that her initial interest in the film was also to collaborate with the veteran director. “I can only repeat what Chris said. I wanted to work with Michael Mann. I wanted to be a part of anything he was directing. I think that you always want to gravitate towards people who are absolutely great at what they do and go for authenticity,” she confessed. Besides the opportunity to be in Mann’s film, Davis said the danger of hacking had come to her attention previously in her career, “Cyber terrorism was a subject matter that fascinated me. I remember playing an FBI agent many moons ago and I sat with some FBI agents who told me cyber terrorism was more potent than a physical terrorist attack. I thought to myself, “Wow.” It as something I wanted to learn more about. “ She concluded by revealing that traveling to a new part of the world was also encouraging, “Of course there were also the exotic locations, which appealed to me” [Laughs].

The other main characters in the film are played Chinese actress Tang Wei, famous for her role in Ang Lee’s “Lust & Caution.” She plays Lien Chen, Hemsworth’s love interest and his strongest allied in the global manhunt. Wei explained that besides the fact that this was a major production with a renowned director and cast, she wanted to step out of her comfort zone as an actress. “I never get this kind of part. I usually work in art house movies where I have to be much more dramatic and feminine. But this time, the character was an independent spirit and very though. She is a computer expert and I wanted to try that.” Similarly Asian American musician and actor Leehom Wang, who plays Captain Chen Dawai, was thrilled at the chance to play a different character than what he’s usually offered. “Michael Mann is one of the greatest directors ever. I wanted to work with him. I got a call from the casting director saying there was a role for an Asian male who speaks English with an American accent. I thought, ‘Is this for real? Is this a prank?’ That was the beginning of an incredible life changing experience,” said Wang.

Whether I was learning to code or interacting with women in law enforcement in Viola’s case, Mann likes to work with his actors in an immersive way. Hemsworth had to exchange his bulky Thor look for a leaner physique based on Muay Thai training. On top of this, all the actors interacted with former hackers and experts in the subject in an effort to understand the threat these criminal acts represent. For both the cast and the director the experience made them aware of the fast-changing nature of crime today and how unaware of it most people are. Changing one’s password regularly might simply not be enough anymore.

“Blackhat” opens in theaters on January 16.

Set within the world of global cybercrime, Legendary’s Blackhat follows a furloughed convict and his American and Chinese partners as they hunt a high-level cybercrime network from Chicago to Los Angeles to Hong Kong to Jakarta. Directed and produced by Michael Mann, the film stars Chris Hemsworth, Viola Davis, Tang Wei and Wang Leehom, and it is written by Morgan Davis Foehl and Mann. Legendary’s Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni produce alongside Mann, while Alex Garcia and Eric McLeod serve as the executive producers.