THE DUALITY OF PAULA PATTON

Paula Patton does it all.

I had the pleasure of holding a conversation with the lovely Paula Patton.

Her radiance shines. It is not only physical; it exudes from her like a ray of sunshine while discussing a wide array of topics that all seem to align to a common thread: authentic, soulful, and a true artist.

Upon the dawn of what is sizing up to be an epic of a project, Warcraft, she took time to shed insight on the project, her outlook on life, and what she desires to bring to the world. Mrs. Patton plays key character Garona, half-human half-orc.

Monarch Magazine: In Warcraft you play Garona, half-human half-orc. Can you tell us a little about the character?

Paula Patton: Garona is a half-human half-orc, and due to this she is not solely comfortable in any worlds. She is not as large as the orcs or refined as the humans. But she fights through what could be seen as weakness and utilizes them as strengths. Her human side enables her to move faster and be a tad bit more intelligent than the rest of her community, therefore making her stand out in a good way.

Monarch magazine: How was preparation? Were there grueling hours of makeup?

Paula Patton: Honestly, the makeup artist was so pleasant that I can’t even recall how long the process was. LOL

Now the training; that’s another story!

Monarch magazine: What did you have to do?

Paula Patton: Hmm; well to start, 2½ hours of weight training for 6 days a week for months. Eating sooo much protein, I mean sooooo much protein; drinking it as well. I had protein coming out of my ears!!

Monarch magazine: Wow; very intense.

Paula Patton: Oh that’s that portion. Then there was 1½ hours of sword and knife training. Then horseback riding. Keep in mind you are speaking to someone who only rode horses on vacation, like guided horses. Live action horseback riding is a whole other experience. LOL With all this activity I was showering like 2-3 times a day.

Monarch magazine: What sparked your interest in the project Warcraft?

Paula Patton: Well I was aware it was a video game, but honestly I did not know it was so huge! I mean it’s very complex, and should not be dismissed as simply a video game. But meeting with director Duncan, we hit it off one of the rare times when creative and artistic sensibilities align. I said yes; and then when I left and sat in my car I thought, “I’m going to be green!” LOL

Monarch magazine: LOL This is what I thought, “My beautiful Paula is going to be an orc!! No way!” How does one prepare to become an orc?

Paula Patton: Well outside of the physical preparation, the mental steps I took included immersing myself into the character, digesting as much information possible about not only Garona and watching documentaries on the subject matter.
And then once makeup was applied it made a huge difference. I was given contact lenses to wear that limited my sight; so combining all these things you become the character. I cannot stress just how fantastic the makeup team – all of the teams – were. They truly helped bring this dream into reality!

Monarch magazine: You have been in so many projects co-starring with leading men across the board from Denzel Washington to Tom Cruise. I mean, those are some extremely high-profile situations. But yet you come across very down to earth and real. How do you maintain this centeredness?

Paula Patton: I just love what I do. Since childhood I imagined doing this. I feel like I entered the scene later in my career; but it gave me the opportunity to really be picky about the type of projects to involve myself in, and sidestep the limited roles that were around when I was in college.
This passion to see more diversity on the screen is what prompted me to begin my production company Third Eye Productions.

Monarch magazine: Third Eye Productions. What’s the meaning behind the title?

Paula Patton: The ability to see beyond what’s around you. My goal is to make projects that open our minds and expose us to all kinds of people with various sexual orientations. Male and female can play any roles. This is what I envision, and I’m excited because soon we are launching our first project Audrey’s Run.

Monarch magazine: Sounds amazing.

Paula Patton: I believe we utilize our gifts to keep pushing things forward. Each person does their part to expand the universe.

Monarch magazine: You are very passionate about your vision, and the idea that art can move us all to a higher consciousness. I can’t help but think of the unfortunate passing of what I consider to be the ultimate artist, Prince.

Paula Patton: The quintessential artist. There will never be another like him; a non-conformist in his approach to life and making music … blending genres of music, R&B, and Hendrix; masculinity in heels! His life and music challenged us, made us see you can become anything you want!

An artist like Prince and projects like Warcraft enable us to disconnect from the world constantly pushing us to conform. And embrace our inner child, the part of us that dares to dream and be a little, dare I say, delusional.
Although I am not a purist in the world of comics or fantasy games, Warcraft gave me the opportunity to be immersed within a world of make-believe for hmm, um, about 2 years now. Attending events like Comic-Con to promote the movie opened my eyes to so many who at least for that day allow themselves to live in their fantasy world, and let their inner child run free. This is what I would like this project to do: release the hearts and minds of all that connect with the film so they can let go of reality and become a kid again!

Monarch magazine: Will there be a sequel?

Paula Patton: I hope so. It would be a pleasure; but that can only be answered by the people!