Caroline Goodall has played plenty of memorable characters over the years, from her scene-stealing role in Hook to appearances in films like Schindler’s List and The Princess Diaries. In her latest film, Storm Rider: Legend of Hammerhead, a fantasy adventure centered on a young rider who may be the key to overthrowing a corrupt regime, she plays the mysterious Baroness, a character who may look like a villain at first glance but is secretly working behind the scenes to bring that regime down.
When I spoke with Goodall, we talked about finding the Baroness through wardrobe (wearing the cape helped!), and the character’s secret mission. She also shared the story of her unforgettable audition with Steven Spielberg for Hook, which involved a bit of improvisation with its star, Robin Williams. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Watch the full conversation in the video below or on our YouTube channel.
Your character looks so darn cool.
Caroline Goodall: She’s badass.
It’s got to be the cape, right?
Caroline Goodall: Oh, it’s the cape.
Should we talk costumes? Itamar [Zechoval], who was also the production designer, is extraordinary.
I arrived in Croatia and they picked me up and I had to go straight to a ferry late at night and get to an island. It took hours. There was this woman at the airport who took the bus with us and she was making all the costumes. She had been working for the opera in Belgrade, and she didn’t even need to know my size. She just looked at me.
Three days later I had the most unbelievable costumes waiting for me. They fit like a glove. And they said, “Oh, she just has to look at you and she knows your size.”
Caroline Goodall Interview on ‘Storm Rider: Legend of Hammerhead’
Are you the kind of actor who finds the character when you have the right costume?
Caroline Goodall: Oh, you mean like Laurence Olivier? He had to start with the shoes, I think it was the shoes.
Look, it always helps, especially in something like this but it all kind of works together. There are some actors who believe religiously that if they find the right prop, the right pair of glasses, or the right pair of shoes, then everything else comes, because you always just need a little hook.
For me it doesn’t necessarily have to be costumes, but with the Baroness I was really happy with what I got because it made my life a lot easier.
Your character is always keeping tabs on everything and everybody. You’re always around, watching and judging, kind of like my cat.
Caroline Goodall: Oh, what a lovely idea. If I’d met your cat, I would have based my character on her.
The Baroness is really living a double life; she has been for some time. She knows she has to break the regime from within, but she needs her champion, she needs to find her storm rider and until she finds him, she’s kind of stuck. She can get her spies out there and try to start the revolution in a very low-level way. But until she has him, she can’t really do anything. Once she finds him, then she knows she can move forward. That’s the fun turning point.
She starts off very mysterious and scary. One of the first times you see her, you see her from behind. They really worked hard to keep her mysterious when they were shooting those scenes. You see her marching and then suddenly you realize it’s a woman with this extraordinary mask.
That mask actually came out of the pandemic, because we shot in Dubrovnik during the pandemic. They were trying to find ways for us to work together with extras, actors, and the crew while staying safe.
Lastly, I love asking this question: what was your worst audition ever?
Caroline Goodall: Worst audition? Oh God, I can’t think. Probably something with an animal.
Cats?
Caroline Goodall: Cats. Yes, generally something like that.
But my best audition was with Steven Spielberg and Robin Williams for Hook. I improvised, and at one point I turned around to Robin Williams and said, “You’re not saying anything.”
And he said, “No, but I’ve got the job.”
And then they gave me the job too. I got lucky. And the rest is history.
Storm Rider: Legend of Hammerhead flies into theaters March 13th
