Jungle Cruise, currently out in theaters and on Disney+, is a loving reimagining of the iconic park ride. While the themed journey has a backstory already, thanks to the ride's half-century history, the film expands on its characters and sense of adventure alike.
One of the well-known characters from the ride is Trader Sam, who has been reinvented as a woman ahead of her time and looking out for her tribe. Actress Veronica Falcon spoke to Screen Rant about her memories of the ride, her experience on the film, and what she imagines as a perfect sequel.
Screen Rant: This is the very first time Trader Sam is going to be seen cinematically. Can you talk to me about how the project came to you?
Veronica Falcon: It came the usual way, through an audition. Mary Vernieu, the casting director of the movie, invited me to audition through my agent. I did one audition, and then it took more or less two months until I got an interview with the director. And then two or three days later, they told me I got the job, which was amazing.
Are you familiar with Trader Sam's backstory at all?
Veronica Falcon: Yeah, but it's very different of course [once] you read about it. And even in the Jungle Cruise ride, it was probably one of the first rides I took the first time I visited these now when I was a young girl. I never in a thousand years imagined I was going to play Trader.
But this is a new take on Trader. So, of course, we tried to use the backstory, but I also tried to reimagine the character with all the information that I had on the script. And these characters are so iconic, and they're so well thought [out] that you basically just try to honor them. The costume designing of Paco Delgado is extraordinary; same with the makeup of Joel Harlow and all his team.
Really, you just need to step into the work of so many people and just try to honor it.
What appealed to you the most about that character when you read the script and saw the updated version of the character?
Veronica Falcon: I think it's the sense of wonder. It's a character that has such a joy of life, and everything is fascinating and wonderful. She has a great sense of humor, she's very protective of her people, she's very smart, and she can make all these deals happen.
She has this wonderful friendship with Frank [Dwayne Johnson] - and the fact that she's a woman, and she's the boss, and she's the chief of her tribe. She has this spiritual quality because she's also very wise. So, the combination of all those things, I think, is quite fascinating.
You also get to share the screen with some of the biggest actors in the world: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, and Jack Whitehall. Can you talk to me about working with them and your experience being on such a massive project with them?
Veronica Falcon: It was incredibly easy and happy because what you see is what you get. They're not faking it. They're great actors, but what you see is real. They have a great relationship; they are fun and kind people, they really are. They made me feel very, very welcome.
At first, I have never worked on a project of this magnitude. I was a bit intimidated since I want to do well with the character and I don't know how they're going to be. And they were the loveliest, kindest, most generous people I've worked with in a long time. And they were funny; we laughed a lot.
It was funny because I started filming more or less two months after they started. So, they already had this rapport. I came in, and they were very welcoming. And at the same time, for me, it was so much fun. When you see Trader eating a little fruit and watching the whole thing? If you see us backstage, it was kind of the same thing. They were doing all these jokes, and I was just surveying and laughing with them. So, it was a great experience.
You also learn a lot. You learn a lot because they're incredible. Not only are they incredibly prepared with what they're doing - they know what they're doing and they're great at it - [but] they're also very present with everybody on set. They're kind, and they're relaxed. There's no screaming and there's no attitude - and it's lovely to work with people that are some of the best in the world, and you still see this kindness and this generosity.
Frank the Skipper has a ton of great puns and jokes in this. Do any jump out is your favorite?
Veronica Falcon: You know what? I think the one of the eye... I don't remember what he says, but he makes like three jokes about the eye thing. And it just cracks the hell out of me, because it's just funny. It's very simple, but it is funny.
And I really love the reaction of Jack. Emily's like, "Ugh, your jokes," and Jack is cracking up. Just to see him, that's funny and then funny again.
Can you talk about the collaboration process when working with director Jaume Collet-Serra? What did his directing style bring to Jungle Cruise?
Veronica Falcon: Well, he is incredible. He is a very, very dedicated director. He was on top of things 24/7. I don't know how that man got through it, because he really worked hard. He was on top of everything. He was very passionate about it.
I think everybody had a lot of heart. Disney really believed in this movie; Dwayne and Emily, the same. But Jaume? I think if they were the heart of the movie, Jaume was the soul. He was incredible. He's a very serious director. Sometimes it would be funny, because he's really serious and is really doing his work - and then we were all laughing because we were just having fun. And Jaume was like, "Okay, we have to do this take." And I felt a little bit like we're at school, you know? We're having fun, and the director's like, "Come on, guys. Just do the work."
He's a great example. Because when you see a director so dedicated, and putting all his heart and all his time and all his effort - and he was about to become a father when we were doing Jungle Cruise. Sometimes we were like, "Jaume, go do something and rest." No, he was absolutely dedicated to the movie, so that's incredibly inspiring. Because when you see your stars being totally into it, and your director and everybody else, that's the least you can do. It's inspiring for all of us, and it's like a synergy that starts being created.
I met him on the phone for an interview and, funny enough, I was on a holiday in Barcelona in Spain. That's where he's from. He was like, "Where are you?" I say, "I'm in your town." He was like, "Oh! Well, have a paella," because they have great food in Spain, as you know. I just thought it was funny that the time I met the director, I was on a holiday in his hometown. Yeah, he was fantastic.
And Jaume was incredibly patient. He would patiently explain to you what he needed. He was very clear at communicating with us actors, so it was fun.
You had such great comedic moments as Trader Sam, such as ditching McGregor (Jack Whitehall) on the submarine. Can you talk about infusing comedy into the character?
Veronica Falcon: Well, it's all in the script, and it's the direction of Jaume. And I'm playing with Jack, and Jack is phenomenal. The man can do stand-up - can do basically anything. So, I'm basically incredibly protected by all of that: by a wonderful script, by a great director, and by my castmates. So, it's really not on me.
Yeah, the character is funny and is so well-written, and the timing [is perfect]. When you work with someone like Jack that has such great comedic chops, you really just have to be very present and let him get you there and jump into it. It's like dancing with a great dancer: you may know how to dance, but then they will help you around. Then you do something, and it works. And then it starts building from there. But it's all in the script, really.
Do you remember your first time riding Jungle Cruise? And if you do, do you remember some of the things that stood out to you most about the ride?
Veronica Falcon: The first time I rode Jungle Cruise, I was very little. It was my first time in Disneyland. We had been wanting to go to Disneyland for a long time, but I lived in Mexico and came from middle class family, so it took a while. And then when we went there, it was in winter so it was very cold.
We took the ride, and I remember my brother was three years younger - I was 11, and he must have been seven or eight. He really wanted to touch all the animals in the water, but it was very cold. My mother kept pulling him, and he kept going - and it became a tug of war between both of them. That's one of my images, seeing my mom not wanting him to get wet and him wanting to jump with the animals.
I remember his face. He was like, "They're real!" I didn't want to tell him that it's a ride. He probably thought we were there, because he was younger. And then you get into that convention, and it almost starts feeling like it's real. It was a great time, and we laugh about that now.
What did you want to bring to the role of Trader Sam that wasn't necessarily on the page?
Veronica Falcon: Really, everything was on [the] page. One of the things I love about the character is, as I said, the sense of wonder and the joy. It's not something I bring, it is there. But I like the fact that she's a woman, and that she can play all these roles to her people - because she is buying and selling stuff, she's protecting them, she's guiding them spiritually, and she's also having fun. I could totally see her spending time with the kids in the villages playing, and discovering things.
Being that empowered, I think, is something that's important to watch. She was a female that that was ahead of her time. That is in the script, and the thing that I tried to bring to the character is that joy of being able to do so many things at a time where women couldn't do it.
You see it very clearly with the character of Emily. We were talking about how these two characters are ahead of their times. She's a doctor and a scientist, and she's a fantastic woman that is willing to explore and go to the end of the world. And wear pants, which in those days was unheard of. And then this other character is in the Amazon, and she's protecting people, and she's creating all these ideas to get more money to maybe make her village a little better. She gets into these dealings with Frank, and I love that. I love the sense of independence and empowerment of the character.
If there was a Jungle Cruise sequel, would you want to explore more of Trader Sam's story? How would you like to see that story evolve?
Veronica Falcon: However Disney wants. I'm sure they know very well what they would do with that. I would be blessed just to play it again. If that ever happens, and they decide to invite me to play Trader, I would absolutely love to.
I'd love to see how the relationship with Frank happened, how they became such good friends would be a fun part to see. Or what happens after. What happens when they are in England? Maybe they come back, and maybe Trader already has another kind of business going. I don't know, that's up to them. They have incredible minds that create wonderful movies, so I'm sure they will come up with something fantastic. And I just would love to be part of it if they invite me.
You're also on one of my favorite shows, Ozark. I'm sure you're shooting season 4. Anything you can tell me about that show and the upcoming season?
Veronica Falcon: I can tell you that it's going to be fantastic. If you like the first three seasons, I think they're really doing [more]. They always did an extraordinary job, but because it's probably the last season, it's beyond.
I got the opportunity to read all the scripts - I'm not in all the season, but I'm in part of it - and I couldn't stop. And then I thought, "I'm so lucky." I get to read all this before anybody sees it. As a fan - because I was a fan of the show, and I'm a big fan of Laura [Linney] and Jason [Bateman]. They're fantastic actors. The fact that I'm able to play with them and to be part of this show is amazing.
I hope it's not the last season. I hope it goes on for much longer.
Veronica Falcon: We all would, but I think that's what they said. It's gonna be a long one, though. A very, very long one. And I think people are gonna love it. Yeah, you're gonna like it. It's great.
Jungle Cruise is currently playing in theaters and streaming on Disney+ with Premier Access.