By the time I got into a room with Maggie Q and Mekhi Phifer to interview them about their new film, Divergent, I’d already shared two elevator rides with Phifer and talked with him about two different film franchise reboots and how to avoid the LA Marathon. So by the time I got the interview room it was appropriate that we’d already chatted a little because he and Maggie Q were going to take my TV interview virginity card.
When I told them they were my first, they were excited.
Is it compelling? Well, you’ll have to scroll down and judge my very first time. Please be as gentle as they were.
We mostly talked about their careers and, as an older part of the cast, if they felt like Hollywood had put them into one faction early on. Maggie and Mekhi are both members of “Dauntless” but their characters are opposite sides of the coin: one wants to help Beatrice (Shailene Woodley), the other has different orders.
For those uninitiated to Divergent’s (what’s left of a) world, here’s a synopsis: after war has decimated the USA, Chicago has built up a large enclosed fence around its city and divided up society into five different labor groups. Everyone has to take a test at age 16 to determine where their skill set would place them. They can choose to go through training of a different faction; however, if they fail during training they’ll be “factionless” i.e. without a place in society… homeless.
The five factions are:
Abnegation – meant for the selfless; they provide aid to citizens – including the factionless. Basically they’re social workers. They also head the government! The thought is that they’re incorruptible because they put society ahead of themselves.
The closest faction to abnegation is Amity – meant for the peaceful; basically they’re the farmers and provide the goods and wear autumnal clothes.
The other three factions are the more learned or brutish, so of course, these are the ones thirsty to overthrow abnegation by force or gossip.
They are:
Candor – meant for the honest; these are the lawyers and judges.
Dauntless – meant for the brave; these are the police, military and rescue.
Erudite – meant for the intelligent; these are the bookies, but also the baddies.
So what’s “divergent”? Find out this weekend, in theatres.
