Sharlto Copley Interview: Beast VFX and His Itch to Make a Movie With Balls

Sharlto Copley knows a thing or two about tackling films with heavy VFX. He starred in District 9 acting opposite aliens designed by Weta Workshop and Imagine Engine, used performance capture to bring the title character of Chappie to life, and also tackled a number of other films with a considerable amount of digital effects like Maleficent, the criminally underseen Europa Report, and then some. However, even with all that experience, his latest movie, Beast, demanded Copley tackle some VFX firsts. Copley plays Martin Battles in the film, a game reserve manager, wildlife biologist, and anti-poacher working in South Africa. When Martin’s good friend Nate (Idris Samuels) comes to visit with his two daughters (Iyana Halley and Leah Jeffries) after the passing of his wife, Martin is eager to help them heal via the wildlife on the reserve. However, Martin is shocked when the group encounters a vicious rogue lion, one with a relentless determination to kill the creatures responsible for slaughtering his pri