She rose to international stardom with her break-out role of Mikaela in Paramount Pictures’ “Transformers,” and the second film in the franchise, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” both produced by Michael Bay. Now, Megan Fox reunites with the blockbuster producer in the kid-friendly action-adventure “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”
In the film, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles try to roam secretly in the sewers and shadows of New York, they are discovered reporter April O’Neil (Fox) who will become key to their attempts to free the city from The Shredder’s brutal grip.
Finding just the right actors to carry the human side of the story was essential. To play April, the filmmakers knew they needed someone who not only would have broad appeal but the plucky personality that makes the probing young reporter a great match with Turtles. It wasn’t long before they turned to one of today’s hottest leading ladies: Megan Fox.
“We took the archetype of April O’Neil, the damsel in distress, and really molded it specifically to Megan who brings her wonderfully determined personality to the role,” says director Jonathan Liebesman. “April is a character with a lot to prove. She’s beautiful, but everyone doubts her, so we needed an actress who could literally give that sense that there’s far more there than meets the eye. Ultimately, she becomes a real family member, a real hero to the Turtles.”
Fox, like so many people of her generation, grew up on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and she couldn’t wait to see them come to life anew. “I am a huge fan and I wanted this part really badly,” she recalls. “This is the most excited I’ve ever been to be a part of a movie.”
Part of the excitement came from the lure she remembers the Turtles having on kids of all kinds. “I love that each Turtle reflects different personality traits. I think one reason they really resonate is that everybody has a favorite turtle of their own – and it’s usually because that turtle reflects your own personality. It’s really brilliant,” she says.
When April discovers the existence of the Turtles, she thinks she’s just tracking a hot story, but she soon becomes indelibly involved in their plans to aid the citizens of New York. Fox loved April’s sense of justice. “She’s kind of a Joan of Arc in my mind – someone who believes in doing whatever you can to accomplish what’s right,” she says.
Fox also enjoyed working with Liebesman at the helm of a very complex, demanding shoot. “Jonathan is very analytical and he was just consumed by this movie! He was thinking about it day and night—which is what you want because he was always thinking of how to make each moment the best that it can be and inspiring you to go for the very best performance.”
As darkness settles over New York, the people of the city need heroes — and they’re about to get them in the form of the mostly unlikely quartet of crime-fighters ever to help humankind: the spunky yet relentless reptilian force known as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Based on the endlessly popular characters created by comic book writers Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman, the tenacious terrapins that have captivated audiences of every age for decades arrive into the 21st century.
Crime and fear are spreading through the streets as Shredder and his evil Foot Clan have been flexing their iron grip on everything from the police to the politicians. The future seems all too grim until four outcast brothers, survivors of a scientific experiment gone wrong, rise from the sewers, and take on their destiny as the ultimate masked vigilantes. Faced with Shredder’s diabolical plans for domination, these Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are about to team up with fearless reporter April O’Neil (Megan Fox) and her wise-cracking cameraman Vern Fenwick (Will Arnett) to save the citizens of New York.
Opening across the Philippines on August 13, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.