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Teresa Palmer and Dianna Agron talk “I Am Number Four”

One big reason to check out the new action thriller I Am Number Four is because it’s not the kind of movie where the boys are kicking ass while the girls demurely stand on the wayside. One look at sexy Aussie Teresa Palmer, who plays hardcore Number Six, and viewers know she is a force to be reckoned with both on-screen and in real life.

“I’m actually more a rocker like Number Six,” Palmer revealed to AfterEllen during the press junket for the Dreamworks release. Palmer, along with co-star (and Glee fave) Dianna Agron, also talked about the challenges in doing fight kicks in tight-fitting leather, Agron’s branching out from TV work and also provide a hint at the sexy ladies being two parts of a future sexy triangle in the sexy, kick-ass franchise.

In terms of how the sultry style of her alien-character crossed over to influence her own fashion palate, Palmer also said, “I definitely channel that rock-star look [of Number Six] in my own fashion.” One thing she still has her eye on even though the movie wrapped months ago — Number Six’s hot leather jacket.

“I wanted to keep the jacket big time but they usually hold onto the clothes just incase we have a re-shoot but hopefully in a few months I can ring [the film’s costumer] to give me one. I know there are like 10 of them so she can spare one for me!” Palmer said.

While Palmer’s wardrobe in the film is mostly made of form-fitting leather to extenuate her figure, the actress explained that there were some challenges in the fight sequences, especially some that fell between her long, slender legs.

“We actually had to make copies of the outfit with extra stretch in them so under the arms we had extra stretch,” she said. “In between the legs we had extra stretch because I have these huge kicks that I’m doing and in such tight pants I cant do that so we had lots of different copies of things.”

Number Six is a formidable presence from the start of the film but her appearance also leads the viewer to question whether she’s on the side of good or bad. “I think DJ [Caruso, the film’s director] did a good job of just placing Number Six in the movie at sporadic points. She comes on screen and then she goes as quick as she’s there and it makes you wonder ‘Who is she?'”

While some actors might want a character that is more defined from the start, Palmer displayed excitement when talking about that initial ambivalence. “I like that about her and it was such a blessing to play such a cool character.” The blonde beauty, who is signed on for three I Am Number Four films if the franchise takes off, added that it was “very empowering to play Number Six. She’s intimidating but also equally as alluring and charming and sassy. There’s definitely something mysterious about her, too.”

As with any big budget action film, there is bound to be some mishaps amidst all the action components behind the scenes. In one moment that is heavily seen in the film’s trailer, a house explodes behind Palmer as she casually walks away, not flinching at the fire and debris supposedly close behind her. “I was doing my swagger and DJ Caruso [the film’s director] said ‘Go get ’em girl! This is your shot!’ He said it was in slow motion [and] I was trying very hard to make it sexy and alluring but I’m wearing these high combat boots and I was walking in sand and I kept rolling my ankle and he’d yell ‘Stop wobbling! You’re wobbling too much!'”

The combat boots weren’t the only parts of wardrobe giving her trouble. “My sunglasses would fall off and I would trip over and everyone was like ‘What are you doing? This is meant to be the iconic shot of the movie!'” Thankfully, though, the director was happy with the end result. “The one that is in the movie is probably the only take that worked and you’d walk off and two guys running really quickly with a big green screen. Then you’d cut and walk out and we’d explode the house.”

Provided the first I Am Number Four is a hit, could we see some girl-on-girl action (perhaps in every sense of the word) in the sequels? Palmer hinted that a triangle could be in the works between her character, Alex Pettyfer (who plays the title character) and co-star Agron.

“I think it was hinted at vaguely. There’s definitely a bit of sexual chemistry between Four and Six but also some animosity and competitiveness between them but I think under all of that there is a bit of a romantic spark, as much as neither of them would want to admit that.” A Six/Sarah shipper could be just the thing to make a sequel truly rock to new heights.

For Agron, one bit of danger in taking on the human role of the love interest of alien Number Four (aka John, played by Alex Pettyfer) is that she steps far away from her role as Quinn on the popular Fox series Glee. The role of Sarah in the fill will not only expose her to a new audience but will also provide her with a chance to flex some different muscles than audiences have seen in her TV work. “I went straight from doing the [Glee] tour at Radio City Music Hall and then that night I flew to Pittsburgh. It was a real chance to step into a different world. At that point, I was at about two years of being on Glee and I think anytime, even if you’re on a TV show like ours and that’s the most of your year, if you have opportunity to stretch a different muscle, it can really invigorate that character again.”

While Agron is used to working with Jane Lynch, who plays the often-monstrous Sue Sylvester on Glee, in I Am Number Four, she was facing real monsters or at least the kind that look real once CGI and green screen are employed. How did she do acting horrified when there was nothing actually there during the time of shooting?

Agron explained that Caruso “did describe what was there for us and it would go to the tune of ‘Well, he’s about to the ceiling, coming through this window really fast and you need to get over there.'” Being the consummate professional, Agron wasn’t about to let the make-believe aspects of the job be too daunting. “There was a certain challenge to it,” she explained, “but at the same time you think ‘Let me change this around and think of a time when I was really scared.'”

Having seen the film for the first time just before this interview, Agron was blown away by the film and what the creative team pulled off with the special effects. “It was just amazing. The effects and they’ve accomplished, especially in such a short time. Normally, postproduction for a movie like this would take twice as long but they knew they wanted to come out sooner rather than later. I’m just really impressed and hopefully my reactions seem appropriate.”

Now that I Am Number Four is opening and she’ll have a short hiatus from Glee coming up, does Agron have any plans? “My backup plan is always that I’ll take a trip and that’s never a bad option. That’s a good option. It will definitely be good whether it’s working on a project or just taking my camera and going. I vowed that this summer it will be somewhere in Asia. I have done a lot of Europe and Australia and I feel if I go to Africa I may never come back!”

I Am Number Four opens nationwide this Friday. Glee airs every Tuesday at 8/7c on Fox.

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