Hera Hilmar was cast for Mortal Engines through a skype call

Peter Jackson talks about how Hilmar's audition tape convinced them that she was the one without ever meeting her

For the success of the film, it is of utmost importance to find right actors to play the characters. For Peter Jackson’s next, Mortal Engines, too, it was very crucial to find an actress for the role of the protagonist, Hester Shaw. The search for Hester was extensive, global and critical. Often, it takes a several audition rounds for actors; but for Hera Hilmar her audition tape did the job for her. Finding an actress who could convey strength, vulnerability, mystery and danger, righteous anger and wounded spirit, proved elusive until, an audition tape arrived from Icelandic actor Hera Hilmar.

The filmmakers claim that the tape was so flawless that it only took them a Skype call with Hilmar to bring her on-board without ever meeting her in-person. Hilmar will be seen in Universal Pictures International India’s upcoming movie Mortal Engines which releases in India on December 7 in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

Speaking about Hilmar’s audition tape, writer Philippa Boyens said, "The audition tape was so strong that after a Skype call with Hilmar we cast her without meeting her in-person. Hera reminds me of Ingrid Bergman, A classic beauty and an old soul with a calmness about her—absolutely perfect for the role of Hester."

Director of the film Christian Rivers, praising Hilmar, said, "She was just perfect, relatively unknown, captivating, beautiful and fragile, and we knew we could put a scar on her" Mortal Engines is the startling, new epic adventure, hundreds of years after civilization was destroyed by a cataclysmic event, a mysterious young woman, Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar), emerges as the only one who can stop London — now a giant, predator city on wheels — from devouring everything in its path. Feral, and fiercely driven by the memory of her mother, Hester joins forces with Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan), an outcast from London, along with Anna Fang (Jihae), a dangerous outlaw with a bounty on her head.

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