The release of Allegiant, the third installment of the Divergent franchise starring Shailene Woodley, couldn’t have been timed any better.
Lionsgate hosted the New York premiere of the sci-fi film at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square Theatre on Monday night.
The thriller explores the danger of authoritarian leaders trading on fear. This issue, of course, is timely — set against the presidential election as angry protesters suggest that GOP frontrunner Donald Trump is a tyrant.
But Woodley wouldn’t talk about politics. When asked what she thinks about Trump, the actress said, “Let’s talk about the movie.”
“There’s a lot of messages,” Woodley said of the third of four films, which have grossed nearly $600 million worldwide. “One of the biggest themes in this movie has to do with trust, who Tris is going to trust, is she going to trust the antagonist or her partner, Four, and trying to dabble between those two worlds.”
Naomi Watts, who plays a power-hungry dictator, explained that the parallels between Allegiant and the current political landscape create added value. “Veronica Roth wrote these novels before all of this took place with Trump,” Watts said. “But it’s fantastic that the fan base gets a little bit more than what they bargained for, and a little bit more of a conversation, perhaps.”
For her take on the GOP frontrunner, Watts joked, “In case I get stuck on the other side of the wall, I have a harness, and I have been practicing rock climbing.”
Director Robert Schwentke and actors Theo James, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Jeff Daniels, Zoe Kravitz and Maggie Q also attended the premiere.
