Abhiroop Das
Created by Danny Boyle, ’28 Years Later’ serves as the third iteration of the ’28 Days Later’ series, taking place nearly three decades after the second wave of the Rage Virus, as depicted in the second movie, ’28 Weeks Later.’ In the aftermath of the zombie attack, the whole world has adapted differently, with some chunks of civilisation enforcing a quarantine, and others choosing a more violent approach to dealing with threats. The main characters of this narrative occupy the former camp, but choose to make the daring move of going past their borders. The mainland, unguarded, appears to have been reclaimed by nature, but that also means that there are predators on the hunt. As we venture deeper into this post-apocalyptic thriller, more secrets about the infected come to light, with many challenging the known conventions of good and bad. The pregnant infected brings this thread to its crescendo, with a scene that is as primal as it is thought-provoking. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Actor Celi Crossland Steps Into the Role of the Pregnant Zombie in 28 Years Later
Some of the most memorable sequences in ’28 Days Later’ come with the entry of the pregnant infected, whose nature and sense of humanity go on to become one of the story’s most impactful aspects. In particular, the seemingly genuine moment of connection she shares with Isla suggests that there is more to infected zombies than meets the eye, sustaining the tragic undertones of the narrative. Such a demanding performance can be a challenge for any actor, but Celi Crossland steps into the role with absolute commitment and elevates it to a whole other level. In an Instagram post, the actor shed more light on her research process, revealing that she talked to a number of mothers, extensively discussing how it feels to be in labour. From this pool of first-hand accounts, Crossland derived her own rendition of the scene and poured all of her talents into making it come to life.
Despite its uncanny sense of realism, the sophisticated character design of the pregnant zombie is the result of extreme prosthetics and makeup, and in the Instagram post, Crossland thanked the entire staff who made it a reality. She then went into the details, explaining how every minute detail, such as the body hair on her prosthetics, or the crusting effect of blood, was painstakingly built by hand, and required a high level of skill and patience. Although the actor was not actually pregnant during her role, the creative team behind the movie added a layer of believability to the world and its characters. This made the climax of Crossland’s character’s arc all the more intense, with every audiovisual element packing a punch. The actor’s work in the television show ‘The Girlfriend Experience,’ where she plays the role of an assistant, likely also shaped her acting prowess, invaluably enriching the movie.
Celi Crossland’s Character Challenges the Very Boundaries of the Story
While Crossland is undoubtedly the star of the childbirth scene in ’28 Days Later,’ it is incomplete without Isla, who supports the pregnant infected throughout the process. Notably, in the face of raw pain, the infected momentarily regains a portion of their humanity and maintains physical contact with Isla without a hint of aggression or malice. This jaw-dropping twist opens many doors within the narrative, and actor Jodie Comer had her unique take on it. In an interview with Screenrant, she expressed, “So we’d imagine that she probably helped with a couple of births, and there was something about the kind of primal scream of that pregnant infected that only she recognized something in that, that kind of raw that she had to go towards (…) I think also because of her illness and, you know, her kind of fractured sense of reality, she doesn’t understand the, I guess, the dangers within that, but also is able to kind of push them aside in order to be there for another woman that she sees who’s in need of help.”
Notably, the exact chronology of the infected woman’s pregnancy is kept ambiguous, with the creators wanting to lean into the various possibilities that it entails. On the one hand, it gives way to the possibility of zombies reproducing independently, which can create immense trouble for the human populations that coexist with them. However, given that the infected baby is revealed to be a human with no influence of the Rage Virus, there is potential for a solution at the end of the tunnel. To that end, Celi Crossland’s character serves as the springboard for many big developments in the plot, while also reiterating the thematic drive of the movie, which is empathy as a core human trait. The actor, who holds enormous love for her co-stars and crew members, has described filming for ’28 Days Later’ as the best adventure she has ever had, which most likely fueled her craft as displayed on screen.
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