"I must admit that I knew very little of
Trollhätten before I got here. But I'm learning and I'm having a great time
in Trollywood", Claire Danes said - she was the most open of the two
Hollywood stars. The Danish reporters even had their moment when she said:
"I love Copenhagen. I had such a cozy apartment there -with
"hygge". Hygge is a typical Danish phenomenon - no translation in
any language.. but the English word describing it closest - is the word
"cozy".
A
The Danish Newspaper
"Berlingske Tidende" wrote the 7th of February 2001 that
Joaquin infact already was in Denmark in the end of January this year. The
Nimbus producer Lars Rahbek told the newspaper that Nimbus really
wanted Joaquin to meet the press when he was here , but Joaquin
wanted to wait until after April when the shootings would start ! "
Joaquin thought it was a bit to early" he says. The filmcompany should
have been a bit dissapointed about that
!
A
Berlingske Tidende" had
with Joaquin in Cannes last year ! He was there because of the
"The Yards" , and the newspaper got the chance to get an
interview with him !
Your character Willie is really
a kind of a fop ?
Yes the clothes is very
important for this figure, since he is trying to camouflage his insecurity
with the help of his clothes. I have with time discovered that people
who are very vain normally in reality are very insecure. Since
Willie is heavy built, I had to put on some weight for the role, and
kept that weight gain in my role in Gladiator. But now I have lost the extra
weight !
Willie is kind of a villain -
but on the other hand still not ?
I don't see him as a
villain. He is a man who is looking for the perfect family, and it is an
important point that you never see his real family in the movie, all the
persons in this movie are from broken homes, and unfortunately
that is very typical for our time.
At the same time Willie
represents the American Dream, that means the dream about material
prosperity , but he never gets a proper guidance that could have taught him
how to get this prosperity in a decent way.
I am not approving Willie's
actions in the movie, but I have symphaty for him as a human being !
You are the brother to departed
River Phoenix, and belong to a whole family of actors ?
Yes , our parents encouraged
us all to express ourselves artistically, and I would wish that all kids get
the same experience. We painted, played music and when one child in a family
of brothers and sisters starts on something, the others have a tendency to
follow. River was the first of us who became an actor, and the rest of us
followed him - we are five siblings !
Your sister Summer Phoenix has
the leading role in Annaud Desplechin's movie " Ester Kahn" that
also are being showed here in Cannes, what do you think about it ?
It is very hard for me to be
objective. I know how hard Summer worked for that part, because when she was
in London to shoot " Ester Kahn" I was in town to
be in " Gladiator". I think my sister is an outstanding
actress, and I am very proud of her.
Were there no conflicts between
you and your siblings ?
All kids go through a phase
where they revolt against their siblings and want to be different, but
things like that just could not happen at our place. An example is when I
started to ride a scateboard to be different, then they all started to
do the same, and in that way you never escape from your family !
You must be very pleased that
"Gladiator" was such a success ?
I am, but I am very
naive, and during the shootings I never thought about if the movie would be a
success or not. I only thought about the work with my own character.
But it is really due to Ridley Scott that it was a success. Many
doubted that it would it be a success, afterall it is a movie about guys
running around in a toga - right ?
Latest you have been in the
movie " Quills"
It is directed by Philip
Kaufman and based on a play about Marquis de Sade, it is a fictive
store , and actually pretty funny, untill the ending takes a very
dramatic turn. My character is the head of the
Charenton-institution, where Marquis de Sade was. All the patients there,
got the same treatment no matter what kind of mental illness they were
suffering from.
In the movie my figure get
warm feelings for the lady's maid played by Kate Winslet, but it does not
develope to a sexy and sweatdripping relationship, but more to a
romantic one. And besides this the movie is about humanistic longings and
national suppression, and the funny thing is to have a sexmachine like
Marquis de Sade trapped in a story like this. In some ways "
Quills" reminds me about an old Disney Cartoon, just with a lot of
sexual subharmonic and a very outspoken form of humour.
The big fight in "The
Yards" with Mark Wahlberg seems incredible realistic ?
You have to remember
that it actually are two very good friends who are fighting, so this
fight as in other movies should not be totally without feelings.
Mark and I wanted to
describe a streetfight as realistic as possible, and how the adrenaline is
pumping in two good friends who gets into a fight. The director James Gray,
was just standing besides us shounting " Great, continue, kill
eachother !"
The next day I was full of
blue and yellow marks and my head hurt, but to be honest I think it is one
of the best and most realistic fights, I have ever seen in a movie !
And the future ?
I am not sure, at the moment
I am waiting for a movie project that I really like. I have just been in 3
movies in a row, and when I finished, I was lying on my bed only
wearing boxershorts for a whole week, I have never in my life been so
exhausted !
Here are some interestíng details
from the press conference from an article in the Danish newspaper
"Politiken" June 1st 2001.
" It is all about
love" Thomas Vinterberg said about his new movie with the same title.
But is was not exactly love that the movie's star Joaquin Phoenix had to
the project and its future destiny, when journalists from all of
Scandinavia came to the press conference.
While the other star "
Claire Danes fought a heroic battle to save some selfrespect, Joaquin
Phoenix simply demonstrated a contempt for the movie's future audience
with some impertinent and arrogant answers. If he answered at all !
When asked how come he chose
to be in a Thomas Vinterberg movie instead of one of the big offers he
gets he said to great fun for himself :
" I was really in Trollhättan
to make a documentary about snow owls. But unfortunately we could not get
any financial help for it, so I thought I just as well could be in
Thomas's movie ."
When a journalist asked him if
he had to compare John in "It's all about love" with
Commodus.......... - well the journalist did not finish his question
because Joaquin interupted him and said " I am not going to "
" To compare roles is one
of the most crazy things to do , so I won't !!"
Mean while Thomas Vinterberg
and the producer Birgitte Hald looked more and more uncomfortable.
And the mood at the press conference became more and more frustrated.
Afterwards Birgitte Hald
said to Politiken :
" We should have
predicted this, he is known to hate press conferences, but it says
in his contract that he has to go to some of them to promote the movie
"!
But instead Birgitte Hald
could be happy about Claire Danes, who knew how to sell the movie !
" I am part of this movie
because it is an amazing manuscript, and because it is Thomas Vinterberg
who is directing ! His movie " The Celebration" is one of my
favourit movies , Thomas's creativity is fantastic, he has the ability to
push us in all directions, he is great .
Infact I play 4 different characters
is this movie, one of the them is as a Polish ice scater, it is a
beautiful story, very traditional but also very experimenting ! "
were some of the things Claire Danes said !
What Joaquin Phoenix thinks
about the movie, and what he thinks about his character, were not
mentioned, maybe another time.
" I feel great with the
press, and I have never felt better then this moment "
he said, while he demonstrative clapped with his small hands !
After the interview, Thomas
Vinterberg talked with some of the journalists !
When Politiken asked him if he
could " controle" Joaquin he answered :
" I am very pleased
to get some stars who are so dedicated to the project, and who uses all
their energy to give me what it says in the script, both him and Claire
Danes are very sweet and charming. They are 100 % minded on doing their
best for the movie, and they are extreme humble towards everything
new and our way to do things ! It is really a great pleasure to work with
them if I have to be totally honest and not ironic " Thomas
Vinterberg said with an obvious hint to the chaotic press conference
earlier !
Very Big thanks to Marissa for
translating this articles
