Dungeons & Dragons: 3 questions to Justice Smith and Sophia Lillis

To coincide with the release of "Dungeons & Dragons - Honor of Thieves" on Wednesday April 12, we caught up with two of the film's stars, Justice Smith and Sophia Lillis. Find out more in our interview.

You discovered them in Detective Pikachu and Jurrassic World for one, and the diptych Ça for the other. Justice Smith and Sophia Lillis spoke to Sortiraparis on the occasion of the release of Donjons & Dragons, L'honneur des voleurs, on Wednesday April 12. They discussed their love of the capital and the place of the blockbuster in today's Hollywood. All in three questions.

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Sortiraparis: You've just arrived in Paris, how do you like the city?

Sophia Lillis: I used to go to Paris a lot when I was little, but always for short periods, a day or two, for Fashion Week or something like that. But we didn't have much of a chance to visit, so yeah, it's cool to come back.

Which places do you enjoy the most?

Justice Smith: The last time I was here, I went to a fair that I thought was super fun. Where was it again? It was a very long alley with lots of trees on either side.

The Tuileries?

J.S.: Maybe, maybe. [And I love the Louvre too, all the museums.

Oh, you speak French?

J.S.: Just a little, I've learned to speak French a little.

These days, it seems that action-packed comedy blockbusters, like Dungeons & Dragons, are more the style of Marvel films, which specialize in that. How can you tell the difference with those films?

J.S.: I think D&D has a lot of substance. I think the humor is circumstantial rather than at the expense of the lore, there's nothing meta about it. I think that's refreshing. We had a long period of blockbusters commenting on the fact that they were blockbusters, commenting on the fact that it's ridiculous to believe that people have powers. Back then, it was new and interesting, but I'm glad to see the consensual suspension of disbelief coming back: We all sit back and accept that half-elves, druids and magic exist. We don't have to like making fun of it to enjoy it. I think Marvel is very good at providing substance to its films, but I think what sets Dungeons & Dragons apart from other blockbusters is that there's a lot of new stuff that's important. It's more character-driven and spectacle-driven. There's a good balance between the two.

S.L.: I really hope that this will trigger a new era of fantasy action films, because I feel that recently we've reached a peak in this genre. We're stagnating in the same stories. I'm not saying they're bad at all. But I feel that with a little more originality, better practical and special effects on everything, and a good sense of mischievous humor, we're quickly above the average blockbuster. Dungeons & Dragons focuses on a precise point and doesn't go off in all directions with explosions for no reason. There's a very intelligent narrative.

J.S.: I agree, and that's what the game was already doing. The JDR only worked thanks to its high-quality storytelling.

S.L.: The film perfectly reflects the dynamics of the game, but not in an overpowering way, with all those references that only people who have played D&D will see. It's just the story of a band, not a succession of cold, hard facts that only insiders know. The pace of the film differs from other action and fantasy films.

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Dungeons & Dragons: 3 questions to Justice Smith and Sophia Lillis

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