Alex & Ellen Head West For 'The East' Premiere
The politically-charged drama The East follows a group of passionate and relentless anarchists as they try to take down major corporations for their crimes. At the red carpet premiere, ET caught up with the stars of the movie and found out what gets their blood boiling in real life.
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Whether playing his True Blood character Eric or a rebel with a cause in the new film, Alex Skarsgard's characters clearly have a taste for blood. But in real life, Skarsgard feels some of the same frustrations portrayed in The East. "When I read the script, it felt very important to me and they were issues that I am passionate about for sure," Skarsgard says.
He adds, "It felt relevant because we are all frustrated with what is going on in our society and in politics today in terms of lack of accountability and the power that corporations have today. I think people are frustrated regardless if they are right, left, or center."
For co-star Ellen Page, who plays Izzy in the movie, she says that while she understands the plight of the characters, she "wouldn't go that far," referring to the extreme measures her character and a group of like-minded renegades take. Instead, she said that she can sympathize with the many problems that exist in the world today.
"We are destroying the earth and the people are exploited all over the world in the name of profit and all of that is obviously unfortunate," Page said.
In the film, co-written and directed by Zal Batmanglij, Patricia Clarkson steps into the role of the villain -- in this case a high-powerer corporate executive. Despite the heinous nature of her character, Clarkson says she can definitely get on board with the movie's message.
"I'm very passionate about a lot of things, and I believe in many of their (the character's) causes, but I play the opposite end in this film."
Brit Marling not only stars in the film, but also co-wrote it with longtime friend Batmangli. She says her inspiration came from when she and Batmangli took a road trip and spent a summer with direct-action groups. They later decided to translate their journey into an espionage thriller. It was also a good way for Marling to create a film for strong female characters, something she said she tries to convey in all of her movies.
"I wrote it because it's fun to write great parts for women. For all the great women that are in this film: Ellen Page and Patty Clarkson and Julie Ormond. It's fun to write a girl who is an espionage action-hero. You don't see that too often."
RELATED: Alexander Skarsgard Totally Unrecognizable In The East
The East hits theaters nationwide May 31.
For more interviews on the red carpet, check out the video above.