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PERCY JACKSON AND THE LIGHTNING THIEF (PERCY JACKSON E GLI DEI DELL'OLIMPO: IL LADRO DI FULMINI) - INTERVIEW (Integral English Version) to actors from ATHENS (GREECE)
31/01/2010 -
20th Century Fox - Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief - "Live from Athens, Greece, Overlooking the Acropolis: Meet the cast of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief"
About 1:24 in after initial "We're in Greece" chat...
Moderator: "You've all done roles before; you've all worked on different characters, but this time you step up to the plate as lead actors. Was that much of a growth, much of a step for you? Alex, ladies first, lets start with you".
Alexandra: "Er, absolutely! I mean I think that everything that you do in your career is leading up to something bigger and I
think everything I've done before this was sort of preparing me for this... sort of life-changing and awesome role".
Moderator: "What about you Jake, playing Luke?"
Jake: "Um, you know, I think it helps when you have, when you're surrounded by such a great cast, it really, er, suddenly that daunting task is kind of minimised and your job becomes a lot easier when you’re working with guys like these".
All: "Thank you".
Moderator: "Isn't he nice! Brandon, presumably for you, you didn't realise your first big lead role was going to be having such hairy legs?"
Brandon: "Oh yeah [laughs] well, you know, I
guess, it's more about, I guess um, you know, the roles are always good but it's about like he said, working with a great cast at the same time you know, er, like some of us worked with other actors before that's kind of prepared us you know for stuff like this but at the same time we're still, we're still new, we're still going and trying to just do the best job we can do, you know what I'm saying?"
Moderator: [to Logan] "What are the qualities you think made the filmmakers hire you as Percy Jackson, was it the
swordplay? What was it?"
Logan: "I'm not sure actually, I mean, I just erm, from my knowledge, I think Chris saw a movie that I did and had this idea that he wanted me to play Percy, I think, I don't want to speak for him, but er, yeah... [Chris] we met and we just hit it off and um, yeah, it's just history from there".
Moderator: "So it wasn’t your aquatic abilities, you're much of a swimmer?"
Logan: "No, actually I'm like the most, I'm probably the most un-athletic of all of us. I really had to train for like a long
time beforehand just to look like I know what I'm doing with a sword or be able to run in line".
Moderator: [to Alexandra] "If you had the abilities of your character in the film, what might make things easier for you in real life?"
Alexandra: "... I guess, it's always good to have, you know, battle skills and be tough and you can, fight people off".
Jake: "Because you never know when you're going to get in a sword fight!"
Alexandra: "Yes! You never know".
Brandon: "... people carrying around swords today! That's the problem... if you got a shield and a sword in
the street that doesn't work".
Logan: "And inherited wisdom for battle strategy right".
Moderator: "Luke, you are playing the son of Hermes the messenger of the Gods, you get these fantastic winged shoes, any applications for real life?"
Jake: "Oh absolutely... air travel, I mean a lot less on plane tickets! I think that's ever child's dream at some point is to be able to fly".
Moderator: [to Brandon] "This whole half man half goat thing, how did that work out for you, as an actor how did you approach that?"
Brandon: "It was cool because I got a chance to er... First of all, the way they did it, I wore tights and they put markers on the tights on wherever my legs moved, so it was cool because we had to create a way that I can have hind-legs. And I had to walk on my tippytoes for the whole time! So I'm in ballet shoes in the middle of the forest or wherever, in the mud... and we're just going and I'm pretty much in socks and if I didn't walk on my tippy-toes they would always yell at me and go, 'make sure you walk on your tippy-toes' because it doesn't create the effect of bouncing, it was really cool though".
Logan: "It was slippery too I remember you'd always be falling in the mud, it was terrible".
Moderator: "Ok, so tough for you but presumably a bit of a stretch for you guys as actors as well to see him in his final incarnation?"
[pause]
Brandon: "It was cool; I liked it".
Jake: "He sold it, you absolutely sold it man; he had the pair of pants on, you have to believe it".
Logan: "It takes a lot of confidence. Brandon would have to be walking around doing that like, little hopping thing... nobody knows what it's going to really look like except for him and the visual effects artist".
Brandon: "And you got girls on the set ... you're looking like, ok this is weird, I got these tights on, but you know later on-".
Jake: "Well you do so much even off the set, you know walking around Vancouver like". [impression Brandon walking]
Brandon: "I was walking around the house like that too".
Moderator: "If Percy Jackson becomes as big as Harry Potter are you guys prepared for that kind of level?"
Logan: "Yeah, I mean do we want the movie to be as successful as Harry Potter? Yeah sure. Do we want it to be as loved? Yeah... but they're different movies, you know, this is Greek mythology and that's wizardry so, they're completely different grounds as films, but um, popularity-wise, yeah we want it to be just as popular".
Brandon: "And the best thing is we're just trying to make the best film and we want to make it as entertainment, you know, we want to make a great film for you guys so hopefully they like it because we worked very hard on it".
Moderator: "Lot's of people asking if Logan will set up a twitter account. Are you twittering or tweeting Logan?"
Logan: "You know if I have anything interesting to say I'll do it but I can't imagine twittering all day and having people-".
Brandon: "I do".
Logan: "Yeah, he does... but he's a comedian, he's got all the things to say. You have to have the lines".
Brandon: "I like twittering because, the only reason why, because it's not just about being a comedian, it's a source of information today. At first I'm like, 'I'm not twittering, forget that', but it's like, ok now I'm seeing you can do things... I found out about Haiti through twitter. I was working and I was like 'Whoa, this is going on' so it's more of a source of news for me too. So can I give out my twitter to?" [point to screen]
Moderator: "Please do, I'm sure they'd be glad to know".
Brandon: "I'm Brandon T Jackson if anybody wants to twitter me around the world... And I'll just pass it to Logan".
Moderator: "You guys seem to get along quite well, how was it working on set? Fun? Playing pranks on each other? How did that work?"
Logan: "I wouldn't say we played pranks on each other but we had a good time you know, there would always be a guitar around or you know we'd just be doing impressions and stuff like that".
Alexandra: "A lot of jam sessions".
Jake: "A lot of injuries, getting bruised together".
Logan: "Oh yeah, a lot of fun and action and all that so".
Jake: "You kind of get bonded through training. In pre-production we did a lot of training and sword-work and martial arts".
Brandon: "He was really good too".
Alexandra: "He was intimidating".
Logan: "There's that trust you know. You know Jake was talking about it in one of the other interviews we've done, you know, you need that trust when you're fighting each other in a scene, that you're going to be there and you're going to be able to block it and hit the timing so, you know, it kind of also builds that trust in... real life too".
Jake: "Brotherhood".
Logan: "Brotherhood".
[Brandon says something here but the audio is too quiet to hear exactly what]
Moderator: "So what is it about the story, do you need to have read the books to enjoy this film?"
Logan: "No, it's a ride this movie, you know it's just um... I don't think you really need to read the books to understand the plot line especially because this is the first movie, it kind of explains everything for itself; you can just go in and watch it".
Moderator: "Did you read the books before; do you know the stories?"
[all nod]
Brandon: "Yeah, we didn't read it before, we all read it after, or while we were filming, we read the script".
Alexandra: "I read it before I read the script".
Moderator: "Ah, she came to Greece; she read the books".
[all talking and laughing]
Alexandra: "Oh no I... I actually wasn't allowed to read the script, so I wanted to get a sense of what the movie was going to be, and I loved it; I fell in love with the book".
Logan: "Yeah the script was really top secret when we were all like auditioning; they kept it all under wraps".
Alexandra: "Yeah it was all top secret".
Jake: "Every page had your name watermarked on it".
Brandon: "If you lose it, you're in trouble".
Moderator: "For you Alex, what's it like to be so close behind you there to the famous temple of Athena, that's your mum up there".
Alexandra: "Oh it's great. I've actually been up there before, I was here 3 years ago, it's beautiful, amazing".
Moderator: "You guys have just landed of course, Logan you were saying, are you going to get a chance to look around? Visit some of the sites? Get in touch with your Dad's and your Mum's?"
Brandon: "I might go to a club out here; I guess the music is called Buki? Or, if I'm not mistaken... I don't know...".
Moderator: "Bouzouki maybe?"
Brandon: "Bouzouki! Bouzouki, thank you. I love culture, I love different music, I love exploring different cultures, so if we have time, I definitely want to see some of the sites and take in the music".
Moderator: "A lot of action in the movie for all you guys, what was your favourite stunt in the movie?"
Jake: "We have a really great fight scene and er, that lasted, we filmed that for about, I filmed for what felt like a month. I think that’s not too far off".
Logan: "That was months".
Jake: "Yeah it was a lot of wirework, with the shoes, the flying shoes and fighting in the air... so it was one long stunt, but it was definitely the most worth it too, the final product was unreal".
Logan: "Yeah it was a lot of fun being up on wires all day long".
Moderator: "A lot of work all round, I mean you're learning how to be half man half goat and you've got all the stunts, a lot of sword-fighting going on".
Brandon: "... thing is, these guys were so lucky for working with the swords... I liked working with the crutches they gave me... they cut a lot of the fights out that we did, only as far as the Casino scene, but we got to all like train and... I actually had a method where we could fight with the crutches and different things, so everyone had their own kind of weapons and of course, this guy has the water, I mean".
Moderator: "Not a man to mess with".
Brandon: "You can't mess with the son of Poseidon".
Moderator: "Lots of fans around the world want to know if you have a favourite soccer team? In to soccer guys?"
Logan: "No".
Jake: "Well I play FIFA, I play as Wayne Rooney all the time for Manchester United".
Logan: "I'd say basketball is my sport of choice; I love basketball".
Brandon: "Yeah basketball".
Jake: "Basketball is my favourite sport".
Alexandra: "Football, which I think is called-".
Moderator: "American Football?"
Alexandra: "Yeah American Football, big Giants fan".
Moderator: "... we need to get you more into soccer, the World Cup's coming up".
Brandon: "Yeah please... in the States they don't you know promote soccer like they do Football. I've always been into it, but it's like, they don't promote it".
Logan: "Yeah, you don't really see it in anywhere in LA".
Jake: "I grew up on it, my brother played since he was a little kid all the way to college, my whole life's been surrounded by it".
Brandon: "You guys make it look so cool out here. In America they don't do it, they don't make it look that cool [football impressions] you know it looks like a cool sport".
Jake: "Everyone's all got really cool haircuts!"
Brandon: "Yeah, cool haircuts... they got slow-mo shots and they need to promote it like that in the states".
Moderator: "For you guys particularly, a lot of stunt sequences, a lot of sword sequences, particularly between you two. Hard work? How did you prepare for those?"
Alexandra: "Well, they had months of training and I had about 3 weeks of training as I was cast a little bit late and just training through filming and working really hard and great stunt team".
Logan: "... we didn't really have any time off when we were working on this. Even if we had any time off, it would just be, learning the steps for a new fight and all that so, we just worked really hard to make sure that they looked good and everything".
Moderator: "Now of course, not just action, a lot of special effects, a lot of green screen and so on... now the whole movie is finished, what are your favourite creatures?"
Brandon: "Hydra, I love it".
Logan: "Yeah the Hydra".
Alexandra: "Medusa".
Brandon: "That's my favourite".
Logan: "The Minotaur... all of them, they're really well done".
Jake: "Even Hades when he comes up from the fire".
Alexandra: "Yeah, scary".
[All agree]
Brandon: "I just like Hydra because you see the legs... the way it comes out... the detail".
Jake: "The formation of it is really intricate".
Alexandra: "Yeah, it has a personality".
Moderator: "That's a good choice because we're going to finish this in a couple minutes with an exclusive clip and it's the Hydra scene... so that's a top choice Brandon, not that your other choices weren't good...".
Logan: "There's a lot to see in this movie, so everyone can have their own favourite. The Hydra is pretty awesome".
Moderator: [Harry Potter ref] "Tell me about working with Chris Columbus?"
Logan: "It was a dream you know, it's um, it's really what attracted me to the project in the first place, just being able to work with him... he's shaped my childhood so much with Home Alone and Harry Potter films. I just wanted to be part of another Chris Columbus creation".
Brandon: "And best thing about Chris, he's very good at collaborating. He's not a director that dictates, 'you do this and that's all you can do', he's really good at just saying lets all make art together... so he's very cool, he makes you feel like you're there, you know he's yelling out things and he gets you to use your imagination".
Moderator: "I'm always impressed with a film of this size that actually you see the director at all because there's an army he has to control... you guys are lucky he even speaks to you!"
Logan: "The truth is, we didn't really him much off set, he was just working around the clock, he um, he put so much time and so much effort into making this movie and he did a great job with it".
Moderator: "What are you most proud about it [the movie]?"
Logan: "Just the movie as a whole, we worked really hard to make this a film, not just a movie about any one person being bigger than the storyline or about puckering your lips and looking good, it's um... it's about characters and the whole storyline and we made a film".
Brandon: "The best thing about this film, you got to look at it and say... everyone can see it and enjoy it. We didn't make a corny film that people don't like, you know what I mean? I think it's one of those situations if it's a PG mo- It is a PG movie, so it can play anywhere in the word and everyone can enjoy it, because it's hard to do that, to get parents, teenagers and kids to enjoy one movie, that's a very hard thing to do".
Logan: "That's what Chris does best".
Brandon: "And kudos to Chris for that. It's definitely hard".
Moderator: "Well listen, we could go on for hours, my blackberry is melting, I'm going to have to take it to the repair shop... guys, thank you very much for joining us and thank you all out there for joining us as well. The movie itself opens on February 12th in the United States and will be going worldwide from there on in. Also don't forget to get the music soundtrack, which you can download from February 8th on digital music sites, and that'll also be available on CD in the US. Well, I promised that I'd finish with an exclusive clip from the movie, here it is; it's the Hydra scene as we heard. Thank you to you guys, thank you to you all for logging in, enjoy the clip".
LA REDAZIONE
Nota: Thanks to Bettina Sherick (20th Century Fox - Los Angeles)
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