Nimona arrives on Netflix this weekend, finally adapting the world of ND Stevenson’s beloved graphic novel into film. At the center of Nimona is its titular character, a shape-shifting teenager who takes her world on a wild adventure. Chloë Grace Moretz, who has been attached to the project for several years, manages to uniquely embody the unique spirit of Nimona, and now we know how she arrived at that performance. While speaking to ComicBook.com about Nimona, Moretz detailed the creative process of bringing her character to life — including worrying that her improvisation and experimenting would be coming across as psychopathic.
“A little bit of the time it felt like black box theater, where you’re just playing around and throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks. And Nick and Troy are such incredible directors. And from the get go, the first things they said were, “We want you to go big, go small, go left, go right, do things that we don’t even expect.” They gave me the gift of saying, you’re free to improv, you’re free to expand this space and go for whatever you feel. There were times that I was sweating in there going, “Am I being a total and complete just psychopath right now?” And it wasn’t until I saw the finished product that I was like, “Oh my God, thank God it works.” I was like, “It works. Okay. Okay. Phew.”
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What Is Nimona About?
In Nimona, when Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed), a knight in a futuristic medieval world, is framed for a crime he didn’t commit, the only one who can help him prove his innocence is Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz), a mischievous teen with a taste for mayhem — who also happens to be a shapeshifting creature Ballister has been trained to destroy. But with the entire kingdom out to get him, Nimona’s the best (or technically the only) sidekick Ballister can hope for. And as the lines between heroes, villains, and monsters start to blur, the two of them set out to wreak serious havoc — for Ballister to clear his name once and for all, and for Nimona to…just wreak serious havoc. Nimona is directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane. The film also stars Eugene Lee Yang as Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin, Frances Conroy as The Director, and Beck Bennett as Sir Thoddeus Sureblade.
“I just can’t wait for people to sit, to meet Nimona, and what Chloe has done with Nimona,” Ahmed told ComicBook.com in a separate interview. “It’s just next level. We all know she’s an amazing actor, but I just think this incredibly kind of sprightly, mischievous, hilarious character that she has brought to life. I honestly think is just kind of a classic personality, a classic character, and I just can’t wait for people to meet her.”
Are you excited for Nimona? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
Nimona will debut exclusively on Netflix on Friday, June 30th.
