Back in 2010, writer/director Edgar Wright took Bryan Lee O’Malley’s beloved graphic novels and adapted them into live action for the big screen’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Although the film didn’t initially make as big of a splash at the box office as the Last Night in Soho director had hoped, the project was well received by critics and gained a strong cult following in the years thereafter.
Starring Michael Cera as the titular character of Scott Pilgrim, the story plays like a video game with various levels of boss battles wherein Scott must defeat each of his love interest’s ex-boyfriends, literally K.O.ing his opponents into coins with each altercation. One by one he fights them, until he wipes out the entire “League of Evil Exes” and wins the undying devotion of his dream girl, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Don’t call him a hero, though. The damage Scott leaves in his wake isn’t just relegated to his fists. Along the way, Scott breaks a few hearts, as well, one of which belongs to Knives Chau (Ellen Wong), a 17-year-old girl lost in the throes of first love. In the midst of a rebound, Scott clings on to Knives for emotional support, and she clings back just as hard. However, when Ramona skates into the scene, Scott quickly forgets about his current girlfriend and instead chases after greener pastures, barely glancing behind him long enough to provide the closure his partner so rightly deserves.
Flash forward to 2023, and the saga of everyone’s favorite mousy bassist is back in full swing in Scott Pilgrim Takes Off—only this time, O’Malley has teamed up with Blindspotting’s BenDavid Grabinski to bring the story to life through the power of anime.
“I tried a few of her lines and I was like, that does not sound like Knives at all,” admits actor Ellen Wong about reprising her Knives Chau character through the medium of voice acting. “I had to dig a little bit deeper. I had to find this lighter, young girl, naive voice inside myself and it took a little bit of time, and a bit of peeling away the hardening of the last few years.”
Knives Chau and crew from Scott Pilgram VS. The World
IMAGE COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES
The Scott Pilgrim universe has provided a lot of firsts for Ellen Wong, who found back in 2010 that she and her character both had stars in their eyes; Knives from watching Scott’s band, Sex Bob-Omb play for the first time, and Wong from finding herself on her very first movie set. Now, taking on the role again, Wong realizes that this new iteration of the Scott Pilgrim universe represents her very first swing at voice acting. “It was like a full-circle moment in a way,” beams Wong.
There is one key difference this time around though, and that’s witnessing both Ramona and Scott’s exes as real people who move on with their lives after their heartbreak. For Knives, that means finding newfound love in music, both in playing the bass and writing songs for a musical. “I think that’s what all of the characters are finding out in their own way,” reflects Wong. “Learning how to confront codependency and Knives finding Knives within Knives.
Top Image Via KAYLA ROCCA
