Priyanka Chopra tells the tale of a mother returning to piracy, protecting her family

Thriller The Bluff, which has reached the top 10 trending streams of over 30 countries and currently ranked first on Prime Video Malaysia streaming charts, has revitalised the pirate genre across the globe with Prinyanka Chopra Jonas and Karl Urban in the forefront.

Directed and co-written by award-winning Caribbean filmmaker Frank E. Flowers, the movie is set in the Cayman Islands and tells a story of fierce and complex heroine Ercell “Bloody Mary” Bodden (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) navigating from her violent past, when the return of her vengeful former captain Connor (Karl Urban) shatters her tranquil life.

Forced to confront her demons once, this skilled ex-pirate takes up arms once again to protect her family. Filled with gripping sword fights, tactical traps and intense brawls, this motion picture makes for a journey of redemption, through an adrenaline-fueled adventure about family, survival and the indomitable strength of a mother’s love.

theSun had a chat with Priyanka on playing Ercell in the film.

Can you introduce us to your character Ercell?

Ercell was the daughter of indentured servants in the 1800s and her ship was looted by pirates. They killed her family and kidnapped her, and she was raised on a pirate ship. This was true for some formidable female pirates that I researched, including Grace O’Malley from Ireland.

Ercell’s life was tough as a woman on a pirate ship – you can imagine the beatings, the slavery and assault. She decided to flee the life of the brethren and start something anew, when she fell in love with a deckhand. So, she stole her partner’s gold and fled to a beautiful island in Cayman Brac, and started her whole life but her past came back to haunt her.

The most amazing thing about Ercell – which I really relate to – is what would a woman do to protect her family? What would a mother do to protect her family? How far would she go? How far would she be willing to go? That really resonated with me.

How did you first come onboard the project – with your roles as both actor and producer?

I was filming season two of Citadel with Joe Russo and I have had an incredible relationship with Agbo through Citadel. One day, Joe sent me this script in my inbox and I could not stop reading it once I started. I finished it in one go and it moved me on so many levels. I was really excited about participating and grateful to get the part.

When I met Flowers, I knew that this would be something special for me as an actor in my filmography. To be able to go into the 1800s and play the part of a woman with so many layers was a privilege. Coming on board as a producer and a true collaborating partner was amazing. Agbo always made me feel like a collaborator and so did Frank E Flowers. I had the best time filming this movie.

As a female pirate protagonist – what is your perspective on being part of a story that puts a woman at the centre of this traditionally male-dominated genre?

It does not happen often in a woman’s life or a female actor’s life where you get a part where you are not just front and centre but also being supported by an incredible cast and filmmakers that envision you that way. It is something that as a female actor, most of us have to fight for so I was grateful to Joe and Flowers for having written a script which gave me the opportunity to play a part which is usually male-dominated.

Your character is described as someone whose “mysterious sins of her past” catch up to her – can you give us any hints about what those sins might be without spoiling the story?

I do not think there is really a spoiler here but my character’s life was stolen from her as a 12-year-old child, when she was kidnapped and her parents were killed. She had to do whatever she needed to do to survive and once she realised that, she could actually have a real life, love, family and children. She chose to leave the life of piracy behind and build a life of beauty, and when someone threatens that, she fights back.

As a high-octane action adventure film – how early did you start training for this physically and what was your routine?

I had a busy year – the year I took on The Bluff. I started my year filming Heads of State and then, went right into The Bluff with almost 15 days in between the two. Then, right after I finished The Bluff, I went into Citadel Season 2 – it was my Amazon year. I started training for The Bluff while I was filming Heads of State.

In between shots, me and my incredible stunt coordinator Anisha Gibbs would do sword fighting and training. We would work out together just to make sure I was in the right mind-frame and had the agility to be able to move my body the way it was required from me in The Bluff. It is a physically heavy part and I had to do it while I was filming Heads of State in France.

So, it was a lot of work but I am not one to be afraid of hard work and I was privileged to be able to play a part that tells a story of women that are usually not put out there, so I took that very seriously.

In your role as a producer, what other aspects of production were you involved with?

As a producer, my job was to be the best collaborator that I can. Both Amazon and Agbo were incredible in including me on all decisions with every department, including talking through marketing, scheduling and making sure that it was as seamless as possible to get the filming done, within the constraints of our production schedule. It was wonderful to be able to be a true collaborator with both Amazon, who I have worked on multiple projects with and Agbo. It was fun.

Ercell’s blast from her past – Captain Connor, is a brutal and strong adversary. Tell us about working with Urban and how you both explored your characters and scenes together?

It was incredible working with Urban. I had been a big admirer of his from his previous work and of course, The Boys. When we both sat down together with Flowers before we started filming, we spent a couple of days talking about the backstory of our characters and what our relationship is.

Because we are formidable foes, there had to be a strong foundation of “why?” and we spent a lot of time discovering that “why?” together. Urban is a genius when it comes to his characterisations. He is amazing on set and makes you want to be better with every shot that you give. I was grateful he chose to come on board the movie and play pirates with me.

How closely did you and costume designer Antionette Messam work together to create Ercell’s look in a way that enabled you to fight and move?

Messam was an angel in disguise. Not only is she a wonderful human being as well as her team, but she is a hard worker. The detailing that went not just into my costume but all the costumes in the film – the authenticity in making sure that anything from buckles to buttons, to stitching were all from the time of the 1800s.

She really brought me into the fold. I loved watching her work. She made sure that with all my stunt scenes that I had multiple versions of my outfits, so that I would be very comfortable and be able to do my job. She was on set every single day and gave not only her 100% but also brought in her expertise of the region. I was grateful to have someone like her overseeing how authentic my character and this movie could look.

If you could steal one item or costume from set (like a true pirate) to take home with you, what would it be?

I tried to take the treasure – the gold – and then I realised it was not real. Haha, I’m joking. The one thing that I would like to take is the bust that was created for Bloody Mary. It took so many people and so much work to be able to custom make it specifically to the contours of my body that I think it is something that I would want to keep in my home, just to remember this wonderful time with these incredible collaborators, just creating and immersing ourselves in time traveling to the 1800s and making that our truth.

You also perform the haunting vocals on ‘Ercell’s Lullaby’ at the end of the film – how did you and the team come to this creative collaboration?

This is a Flowers question but when I heard the lullaby for the first time and Flowers played it for me, I wanted to sing it live in the scene just like a mother would sing to her child. After we did that scene, it was Flowers’s idea to re-record it to be able to use it as Ercell’s theme in the movie and it is so haunting.

The composition and the melody are so honest to the fear and the anticipation that Ercell feels in that moment. It is a homage not just to her past but her present and her hope for the future. If you listen to the lyrics really carefully, it moves you and it moved me tremendously, so I was grateful to get the opportunity to sing that lullaby.

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 The Sun Malaysia