Dylan O'Brien, who plays the lead protagonist in the upcoming sci-fi action thriller film "The Maze Runner," said that aside from the expected action and adventure aspect of the movie, what makes it more interesting are the relationships among the characters and how these are played out on the big screen.
Based on the first book in the young-adult trilogy of the same name by James Dashner, "The Maze Runner" follows the story of teenager Thomas (O'Brien) who wakes up to find himself without any memory of his past in a giant maze called The Glade, which is already inhabited by a group of similarly amnesiac boys - and later, a girl - working to plan an escape. The routine of The Glade has gone erratic since his arrival, and it becomes apparent that Thomas is the key to their great escape, according to Zap2it.
"What makes it so special is that it is truly all about the characters and all about the relationships with these kids in this world... It became our responsibility to nail down those relationships and really understand our roles with each other," said O'Brien, 23, who is best known for his role as Stiles in the hit MTV supernatural series "Teen Wolf," according to Miami New Times.
"I think people really thought that this movie wouldn't be very character-driven," added Will Poulter, who plays The Glade's bad-boy authority figure Gally. "People might initially think that the flick would be "more about the action and the adventure of it - and that's all there in abundance - but what's awesome about this film too are the characters. People really tend to enjoy the character dynamic and how kind of well-formed they all are."
O'Brien and Poulter said that they became really good friends while filming, even though their characters often clash with one another. In fact, their friendship made their fight scenes look awkward, shared Poulter, 21, who made his debut in the 2007 film "Son of Rambow," according to USA Today.
"It was pathetic to watch, basically, these two actors being really prissy around each other. Wes [Ball] is like, 'Just throw each other. Let's get this over with,'" Poulter said with a laugh, referring to the director of the movie.
"Everyone sort of arrived within a few days of each other," recalled O'Brien to QMI Agency's Jim Slotek. "I had my first preproduction day and met Ki Hong [Lee] (who plays Minho, one of the fastest Gladers in the film). "Then I met Will, then Thomas [Brodie-Sangster] (who plays Newt). I exchanged numbers with Will, and I texted him when I was done, and back at the hotel everyone was in Will's room cooking stuff."
Kaya Scodelario, who plays Teresa Agnes, added "It was like we were a family from day one and no one was an actor. It was just a group of kids who wanted to have fun and wanted to make a great project."
"The Maze Runner" opens in theaters on Sept. 19.