UP AND COMING AUSTRALIAN ACTOR ALEX RUSSELL IN “CHRONICLE”
A young man flies between the buildings, lifting cars into the air with the power of his mind - based on an original story by director Josh Trank and screenwriter Max Landis, “Chronicle” is the tale of three teens who find a power beyond their imagination, and the struggle they face in learning to control it.
Like so many of us, they’re obsessed with chronicling their lives, however mundane – or in their case, however extraordinary. For Andrew, Matt and Steve have stumbled upon something beyond their – or anyone’s – understanding. They’re now capable of, well, almost anything. They can move objects just by thinking about them, crush cars through force of will. They learn to fly…the ultimate wish fulfillment, until things get dark.
As the story opens, Matt is a cynical, know-it-all, too-cool-to-care teen. But like his two new cohorts, Matt undergoes radical changes after an encounter with a mysterious force leaves him with incredible powers. The two other members of the newly empowered high school trio are Matt’s cousin, Andrew (portrayed by Dane Dehaan), and campus king Steve (Michael B. Jordan). Australian actor Alex Russell reflects on playing the all-American high schooler in the following q&a:
Q: It's not like a traditional Marvel or DC superhero movie. Was that part of the attraction?
A: You get to do all these incredible action sequences. You get to do superhero stuff, but the characters are so layered. Not to say that isn't always the case, but if there's a superhero movie the prime thing is to sell that aspect of it—the superpowers and the function of a superhero. This is more about characters learning about themselves and developing as people. It's interesting to think about what Matt, Andrew and Steve would have been like if they hadn't had superpowers. 
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