Michelle Monaghan (“Mission: Impossible III,” “Made of Honor”) stars alongside Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Josh Gad and Peter Dinklage in Columbia Pictures' new action-adventure “Pixels” from director Chris Columbus.
She stars as Lt. Colonel Violet Van Patten, a military officer who must oversee a rag-tag bunch of gamers called The Arcaders who are called into action in a bid to save the planet from aliens who attack using famous arcade game characters, such as Pac-Man and Donkey Kong.
Needless to say, The Arcaders would be nowhere without the help of Violet. “She’s a very tough character – very brainy, very sassy,” Monaghan says.
“I’d definitely say she has a love-hate relationship with Adam Sandler's character, Sam Brenner,” says Monaghan. “He’s the complete opposite of Violet – she finds him pretty repulsive. It’s only in attempting to save the world that he wins her over and convinces her that he’s more than meets the eye.”
Monaghan may have been the only female in a lead role, but she relished it. “Are you kidding me? I loved being the only female,” she says. “The guys are very inclusive, very sweet. Yeah, there was a lot of ribbing, but I’m really good at dishing it as well.”
With a slate of roles that reflect her strength, charm and beauty, Monaghan lights up every film with performances rooted in depth and humanity.
Last year, Monaghan starred in the HBO drama “True Detective” opposite Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. The debut series follows detectives working to solve the case of a serial killer in Louisiana that has been open for 17 years. Monaghan starred as Harrelson’s wife who makes a hard decision that has long-reaching and devastating consequences. The eight-episode anthology was penned by novelist and former “The Killing” scribe Nic Pizzolatto, and directed by Cary Fukunaga. Monaghan was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role as Maggie Hart.
Monaghan has also been seen starring in films such as Marc Foster’s “Machine Gun Preacher” opposite Gerard Butler and the well-received sci-fi thriller “Source Code” directed by Duncan Jones co-starring Jake Gyllenhaal.
For her breakout role in “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” Monaghan starred opposite Robert Downey Jr. and won rave reviews for her performance in the action adventure. Her other screen credits include the box-office hit, “Eagle Eye” co-starring Shia LaBeouf; Niki Caro’s “North Country” opposite Charlize Theron and Frances McDormand; “Gone Baby Gone” opposite Casey Affleck and Morgan Freeman; and J.J. Abrams’ “Mission Impossible III” opposite Tom Cruise.
She has also starred in the hit comedies “Made of Honor” opposite Patrick Dempsey, and “Due Date,” which had her reteaming with Robert Downey Jr.
Opening across the Philippines in August 26, “Pixels” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.
