New 'Ghostbusters' Photo + Kate McKinnon On Making Crazy Science
Kate McKinnon's character in 'Ghostbusters' is tasked with science-ing the sh*t out of the proton pack.
A new Ghostbusters photo released today on Entertainment Weekly, offers up a brand new look at Kate McKinnon and co. doing some first class ghostbustin’.
To supplement the freshly released marketing material, McKinnon spoke to EW about her role playing scientist/jovial nerd Jillian Holtzmann, who is clearly meant to be the weirdo in this upcoming iteration of the beloved franchise. Among the topics that came up was the proton packs, a holdover from the original franchise. Jillian has a big part to play in fine-tuning and updating arguably that most important piece of ghostbusting equipment, which goes hand-in-hand with something called the “Neutrona Wand.”
“She’s in charge of inventing all the cool stuff. The proton wand is undergoing a constant evolution,” McKinnon said. “Thats her role, to perfect these machines. She’s obsessed with coming out with different doodads and improving them. I think my colleagues and I would agree that the proton wand was near and dear to all of our hearts. They were very close to us the whole time, on our backs.”
It was a perfect fit for the actress, who said said she felt a connection to the character through a shared loved of circuit boards and electronics. McKinnon told EW, “When I got on the set and it was littered with circuit boards, it felt really close to home. This is me. I’m just playing myself with cooler accessories.”
There’s already speculation (and a fair bit of hope) surrounding McKinnon’s character about a possible onscreen love interest.
Vanity Fair’s Joanna Robinson points out that McKinnon’s Holtzmann made a pretty significant impression on fans with “the wink” and her interactions with Kristen Wiig’s Erin Gilbert — particularly fans who would be thrilled to see some LGBT representation in this new Ghostbusters film.
Though the speculation is based largely on tidbits of subtext in the trailer, Robinson points out, “it’s exactly these kinds of crumbs and subtextual clues that audiences who are more than ready for a same-sex romance in big-budget studio films have had to content themselves with for years.” It seems like audiences may very well be ready to see things change.
We’ll find out much more about Holtzmann and the rest of the Ghostbusters as we approach the theatrical release on July 15th.
