Comics2film recently sat down for a discussion with actor James McAvoy, who stars in the new movie 'Wanted', opening in theaters today. Check out what he had to say about depression, firearms and speaking with an American accent in part one of our Q & A.
We resume the rest of the conversation in progress:
JM: I had a little glimpse of it with TV when I did a thing called 'Children of Dune'. I had more a movie glimpse of it when I was in 'Narnia', but I wasn’t in a lot of Narnia. I think on this it’s totally different.
Making any movie is the most chaotic thing you can imagine, There is never enough time, there is never enough money no matter how big your budget or how small your budget or schedule. The thing that I didn’t know that money wise there are more people on set concerned with money than on a small film. The producer and director are sometimes uptight about money, but other people…even stunt men are concerned that they’re about to blow $50,000 on a stunt that will take three seconds to go wrong, if it’s going to work at all.
You might have a big old epic acting scene in the middle of it all, but no one gives a shit cause they’ve all got their own financial things they’re thinking about. That was new because that leaves you in a place of isolation, but also great freedom because nobody’s watching, I can do what I like. I like that.
Q: Last year when we talked to you at 'Starter for Ten' you were about to start shooting this and you said you were excited to work with Timur (the director) You said he had a kind of evil/ genius thing. How did he stack up to your expectations?
JM: He lived up to them. He was very evil and very genius. He inverts things quite a lot. He applies this technique like inversion. He will get you to do the scene as written and then he will come up to you and say cry your eyes out. You’re like why and he’s like because. Sometimes it doesn’t work, but sometimes it really does work. You just want to get it right, which stops you from exploring things. Sometimes by purposefully trying to fuck it up, the actor is so thrown out of the preconceived notion of the way the scene should be and you find something new. That was such a good thing. One I hope to use in the future as well if it doesn’t piss the directors off too much.
Q: So he’s good at getting you out of your head?
JM: Yes realty good and good at managing the chaos.
Q: The fact that your character starts off as a loser, do you find he will be an inspiration for the average American man?
JM: I hope he’s not an inspiration. I hope he’s a good person. I hope he’s a provider of fantasy. It’s an adult male and female fantasy…a guy just going fuck it all and rebelling against it. It starts off with a lambasting of his boss, which is something we can all identify with. I’m sure we’ve all had what should I have said in that moment. It’s quite empowering just to think of that. Hopefully it’s a little bit of wish fulfillment. Hopefully not an inspiration. Don’t want anyone going out and killing anyone.
Q: Did you read the graphic novel beforehand?
JM: It’s quite different. I read the graphic novel after I read the script, but before I did my screen test. I was a little bit freaked out because the character is so clearly based on Eminem and Angelina’s character is so clearly visually based on Halle Berry. I thought this was fucking weird. I really liked it, but totally different though. The first half hour of the film kind of rides along the same path I think and then it really goes off in wild tangents. The guy who wrote it is from Glasgow as well. There are quite a lot of Scottish graphic novelists and comic book writers.
Q: You’re doing a big action film and at the end when you wrap the possible reactions are it’s really empowering or this is bullocks I want to go for a pint. Which reaction was your reaction?
JM: I think I had somewhere in between. I was very pleased to finish the film. I was absolutely shattered physically; I was just spent. I spent a long time away from home and I was really looking forward to getting home. So a pint was on my list of priorities. Making the film in the Czech Republic means you have access to some fantastic beer. I just wanted to do something different again. Hopefully the next thing I do won’t be action based or won’t be Atonmenty and won’t be Last Kingy and won’t be anything I’ve done before. I just want to try new things.
Q: Can you talk about working with Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie? You and Angelina had incredible chemistry, but as an ensemble you had great chemistry as well. Can you talk about that?
JM: Thank you. When Morgan got cast, I was beside myself and quite nervous as well. Being on set with him is brilliant. Even when I was in high school and young, he resonates with kids I think even with films like Shawshank Redemption. It was one of those films that every kid had seen when I was in school. He just leaps out at you so getting to work with him was just incredible. It was such a privilege because he’s such a brilliant actor and full of great stories as well. Angelina is first and foremost she’s a fantastic actress, but also just a chilled out lady and quite a normal person. Contrary to all the things you are led to believe or that you imagine with all the hype and I’m an actor and I should know better. You fall pray to it a little bit. Yea she was really cool, really nice. We got on well. She was totally capable of having a good laugh at her own expense, at the job; at the script…it was good fun.
Q: You’re kind of rooting for the bad person at the end and you’re kind of happy they pulled off the bad thing that they’ve done.
JM: I hope so. I like the ending. I thought it was camp as knickers. I quite like it. I suppose it’s a guilty pleasure at the end because his entire journey at the end is questionable. It’s quite artistically aggressive and violent, but I quite look it and it’s good fun.
'Wanted' opens in theaters everywhere this Friday.
LOGIN
REGISTER
RSS
HOME
