Alex Pettyfer discusses his role in I Am Number Four
March 2011 Interview
By Claire Donohue and Audrey Romjue, 7th Grade, Mill Valley Middle School
The film I am Number Four starring Alex Pettyfer as “John Smith” and Dianna Agron as “Sarah Hart” has thrilling action scenes, romantic bits, and even comedy thrown between the lines. This film is about a teenage boy (John Smith) who is extraordinary, faking his true identity of a life form from the planet Lorien, and passing as an average high school student to escape his deadly enemies, the Mogadorians. There are nine of his kind; three of them have already been killed. John is “Number Four.“ While trying to make it through high school, he also must find the other numbers to defeat the evil enemies. We had a great time watching this film, and definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys action and romance.
When we walked into the room at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco, we were imagining some flawless airbrushed guy, who you only see in films and magazines. But that’s not at all what Alex Pettyfer was like. This twenty one year old English actor was sporting a navy blue cap, jeans, and a white tee shirt. After talking to him, we realized how down to earth he really was, and that he was just like us. Alex has been acting and modeling since a young age, and he is only beginning his bright career, He has been a star in many recent films including Wild Child, Tormented, Stormbreaker, and his most recent I am Number Four, a new film by DreamWorks coming out this month.
Q: What made you want this role in I am Number Four?
Alex: The story is amazing, and my character (John Smith) is this reluctant hero. Some of my favorite heroes are the guys you can relate to, like Batman—very vulnerable characters. I love the fact that John was like that, he was this young guy who really didn’t want to be a hero and, that was his destiny. He ended up having to believe in what his destiny was, and having to fight for it.
Q: Your role seemed very intense—how hard was it to train for?
Alex: Yes, it was a hard experience. Two months before we trained, we had to do all this wire work and we took what we learned from there. It was modeled up a bit. I don’t like heights very much, and I had to jump off a cliff, 80 feet in the air, backwards. This was kind of scary, but it was cool, it was fun.