What kind of different spin, creatively, do you think your Invasion has that separates it from the 1956 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Kaufman’s 1978 remake?

Yeah, I’ve heard from a lot of people that they have really vivid memories of those films. I had not seen either when I signed on, so what I was drawn to were the elements of the script that dealt with the mother-son relationship and the sort of thrill-ride quality.

The Invasion has the power to induce a primal fear in all of us. Do you believe the element of fear should be heeded as a cautionary tale?

Definitely I want people, first, to be (entertained). This film genre is all about having a communal roller-coaster ride. But I also think that the storyline lends a kind of resonance that, hopefully, enhances the experience.

Part of your experience involved that nasty car crash during filming. How does a frightening incident like that alter your perspective when fleshing out a role?

I was in shock for at least a few hours after it happened. I think that’s a natural physical reaction to any sort of trauma, you go into a kind of suspended state. My ribs were still healing when I went back to work, but I seem to have a pretty high tolerance for pain, so I was able to finish, just a bit gingerly!

Your name has become synonymous with many different film genres, but not really sci-fi or horror films. What about the sci-fi/horror stylings of the script made it appealing?

What appealed to me in this script was the relationship between the mother and child, that powerful urge to protect the young, so there were things to explore as an actor, both psychologically and physically, because of the action elements too. I actually have a film in development at my production company based on this fantastic Colombian horror film, Al Final Del Espectro and the same director will be doing the English language version, so that’s pretty exciting...

Is there a type of movie out there that you haven’t done that you’d like to attempt?

I’m always looking for challenges. I think that projects appeal to me not based on whether they are a certain genre, or not, but on whether the material is strong, unusual, bold, and if the director is someone who will challenge me.

Was it happenstance that Daniel Craig and you got together again after The Golden Compass, or was it by design, given his talent and charisma?

Complete happenstance, but aren’t I lucky! We actually shot Invasion before The Golden Compass, and it was before Casino Royale had opened, so it was great fun to watch him go from great actor to great actor/movie star.