- (D) Hugo Weaving, welcome to 891 our morning.
- (H) Thank you, David. It's a pleasure
- (D) You have worked in the last 10 years on two
of the biggest movies of the last 10 years: The Matrix,
and The Lord of the Rings, now the "Old man who reads love
stories". Was it a deliberate change of pace?
- (H) Well, actually, this was shot. So, a few years ago,
it came after the first Matrix, and before I started "shooting"
any of the Lord of the Rings films, and before the second
and the third Matrix films as well. To me, it was more like
a return to the size and the scale of films I do most the
time. The aberration, I think, is more Lord of the Rings
and The Matrix. They were much larger budget films to me.
- (D) Which do you prefer doing?
- (H) Well... It's all interesting; I like variation in
my life. I think, probably, from man acting point of view,
I like the pace that you can generate working on a smaller
film with a smaller crew, I like the constrains that are
upon all of us to shoot a film within a certain time, and
I think there is a reason that you get into as film makers
and as a crew as an actors working together, that is conduced
to good work, and its so much enjoyable… I don't like sitting
around, twitling my thumbs for too long, and certainly with
The Matrix last two films, which shot over a period of two
years, and, I probably could have shot all my scenes in
3 or 4 month, so there was a lot of down time, even though
that it was great to me all those people are to work on
a project that size, and scope, and scale… I think, I prefer
working by large on the small budget films, although "The
man who read love stories" is by no means is a small budget,
actually, for Rolf to hear it, that was a considerable shift
of gear, he normally works with very small budgets, and
keeps a tight control of a budget and producers the films
or cooproducers the films himself, and directs them, you
know, so this film was for him was quiet a departure, it
was shot overseas, with a much larger crew an cast, with
much more money, and… yes. So it's not small budget film,
but it certainly smaller than films like The Matrix.
- (D) And a very different style, a much quieter,
a much slower pace. It is not an action blockbuster here,
it's basically about an old man, who is sitting, I presume,
somewhere in Amazon? Explain to us what the movie is about?
- (H) Well, the film is about an old man, who has lived
in the jungle, and he's getting on in years, and he has
discovered reading through his friend the dentist and also
discovered love through reading, and through meeting this
woman - Josefina, who's local ho (?). The film is about
his relationship with love, his understanding of love, and
also, as he learns to read the books which are trashy love
stories, taking back into his past with the sure (?) Indians
who he live with for some years (!). At the same time some
bodies have been found around an Eledileo, the town in which
they live. And the local mayor, who's a pig, to put it mouldly
that some timothy spore (?) decides to hunt down the jaguar,
which's responsible for killing these… for producing these
bodies. So, there are number of elements in the film, but
I think one of the major things in the film is that it's
really homage to an environment; it's homage to the beauty
of the natural world, and the books very much like that
as well. It's an utterly beautiful film I think, and many
people who've seen it, fell it's Rolf's best work, so it
was certainly a joy to do, and it was wonderful when I finally
seen it last year at the (outlaid?) festival where it won
most popular film(?).
- (D) You say you enjoy the closeness working on
a movie like this. Explain to else ness, what that is like
you get a group of people, you own stuck in French kiano(?)
and you've got to produce this work of art I mean. Do you
sit around at night talking about this piece of art that
you producing?
- (H) I don't know its right to think about it as a work
of art or certainly we've all read the script and the book
and understand, as actors certainly, what we are doing with
our characters and talk to Rolf, the director about any
problems we may or may not have, so it's approached in much
more practical way and if there are problems how do we practically
solve those problems if there are problems with the (sad?)
or if there problems with locations of if there problems
with… whatever it may be, we try and deal with them in a
practical way. And I think we don't talk about it in terms
of "How we going to produce this masterpi… this art work?"
And after that night, after being in the jungle, the thing
they tended to do was come out and drink rum and eat lots
of good food.
- (D) This probably is a good thing to do in the
jungle.
- (H) That's right…
- (D) If, imagine, people wanted to be actors because
they like playing "pretend" and they want to be different
people, now, again, working on a movie like this, because
you're surrounded by a jungle, is it easier to loose yourself,
and become the person, I suppose, to say working in the
Matrix or in Lord of the Rings, where… I understand a lot
of these big blockbusters… you sometimes perform in front
of blue screen, because somebody else is later on going
to paint in the special effects.
- (H) Yeah, I was found working on location much easier
for me as an actor, there seems to be less distance to travel
to get to an emotional or a psychological truth, and I would
much rather working in an exclusively beautiful location,
like the one we were working at, than in a cold studio any
day. I think that it's much more conducive to just finding
the truth… I think when a viewer watching a film like this,
you can tell that it was shot where it was shot and that's
not tricked up, that nothing mocked up about it and I think
that's width as beautiful as it is.
- (D) Some people, when they reading a book, if
the book really gets to them, it affects them, and if that's
a good affect, then they glad keep on reading. But then
the other books, I think we've all read books and think
"actually I'm not sure this is doing me any good, and I
need to put this down." What's it like if you're an actor,
because you've got to become that old person, have you ever
been in a movie or perhaps a stage play, and you had to
become somebody and you thinking: Umm… I'm actually carrying
this away with me; when I finish at the end of the day,
and I'd really just like to go for drink rum at the local
hotel with my mates.
- (H) Yeah, I'm always drinking rum. And no, yeah, there
are some characters that certainly quite some distance from
where I would like to be as a human being, and I get on
playing them. There had been working with Craig Monahan
some years ago on a film called "The Interview" and the
character I was playing was a serial killer. But, you know,
so in many ways, miles away from me, but on the other hand
- not so far away, from who we all are, you know. There
sometimes not such a huge distance to travel… we're all
very similar in some ways. I don't find it hugely difficult
to maintain my sense of self. Once I'm off the set, I can
still be me, and I don't feel I'm being taken over by other
characters, but certainly, the character like "The Dentist"
in "the old man who read love stories" was an utter delight,
he's a…
- (D) …He's a bit of a rascal.
- (H) Yes, he is.(?). He pulls teeth out in savory fashion
(?). He loves the women and he loves his rum, and he loves
chewing (?) on cigar, and he is a great friend to Antonio,
the old man, and a bit of a showman as well. He certainly
gets a crowd when he pulls teeth, everyone seems to turn
up and cheer when he pulls the tooth out. He's also an anti-authoritarian
figure; he pokes fun at the local mayor. It was a wonderfully
enjoyable character to play.
- (D) I don't know what the Richard Dreyfuss would
appreciate me saying that, but I'm sure the scene, what
everyone would remember in 10 years time, is that the scene,
where Hugo Weaving is pulling out ALL of the teeth of this
poor man's head, and this fella was come to you and said:
"You've got to pull them all out, and I'm going to say a
word, to prove his manhood in front of the crowd."
- (H) Yeah, that's right. He routs with the whole of a friends,
and he's made a bet with them, that he won't make a sound,
if I pull all his teeth out, and say that well I'm not gonna
do that, and he basically points a gun, says "You've got
to." So, of course, a huge crowd appears… it was a very
enjoyable scene to shoot. These guys appeared …(?)… with
them, and covered them all with this fantastic clay, so
they were like these amazing clay men who'd just risen from
the ground, and they all chanting "Pull, Pull!" you know,
and the actor who playing the character whose teeth I pull
actually was cast because he had no teeth, so the (?) were
able to make a set of "false" teeth for him, each tooth
came out individually. So, with a good deal of fake blood
you can go in for an extreme close up, so on the teeth being
pulled. It was an enormously enjoyable day.
- (D) That was his big brake in Hollywood, that
he didn't have any teeth.
- (H) *Laughs* that's right.
- (D) Did you always wanted to be an actor?
- (H) I think from a fairly early age. When I was around
9 or 10 I was heavily into play acting and dressing up…
you know, getting my friends to join in my… my imaginary
games. And I always lead a very, when I wasn't with friends,
dreamy, imaginary life, but I don't know when it was I first
thought I would like to, when I leave school, pursue an
acting carrier. I didn't really tend to think in terms of
what I was going to do when I grew up… I think I wanted
to be a writer, actually, more than anything else, but for
time that came to last couple of years in school, I'd heard
about NIDA, and was doing a good deal of acting at school,
in school musicals and plays, and decided that I would go
to NIDA, if I could get in. And I did get in, and went straight
there from school so, it's sort of creped up on me, I think.
But I was certainly always interested in going to the theater,
and seeing film, always love film… I had a… a headmaster
at school, in England, when I lived over there, when I was
about teenage from 10 to 13. And he would screen a film
every Saturday night, in the school hall and the dining
hall, and some of this films were wonderful, so he was responsible,
really, for getting me passionately interested in film.
- (D) I suppose, what I really want to ask you,
is what's like being Hugo Weaving? So many people dream
of doing what you do. Few people get to achieve what you
have achieved, I mean, you're in this wonderful movies,
that you get enormous enjoyment from you're in this blockbuster
movies, that millions, tens of millions of people see around
the world, and yet, you must know what its like… to struggle,
because all like this… I mean, you don't just walk at night,
and you do a blockbuster. There are various Hugo Weavings…
Does the Hugo Weaving of today look back on a Hugo Weaving
of 20 years ago and say: "How am I got here?"
- (H) I don't think that there any difference to any human
being, I think we all do our own jobs, and we move on from
where we were, and we change, and certain things in us don't
change, and I don't think that there any difference between
me and anybody else in this world. From that aspect (?),
there certainly difference in that actors tend to have their
faces splashed around, a great deal, whether it be in film
or pictures of them in film, or pictures of them in magazines,
or they get talked about (?), and they have to promote their
films, so they talk, they get heard talking, and they get
what they say gets written down, so we get a great deal
of air play, far more then we probably deserve. But it's
as a result of the industry we are in, and this is a way,
which that industry thinks its best to promote the films
that being made, to promote the actors, and therefore people
have images, people have an image of me, and, as you say,
there are different Hugo Weavings, but depending on the
image people have of me in their minds.
- (D) Do you have something within yourself, that
keeps your feet firmly on the ground, or do you have people
around you, who say: "Come on… You're not Agent Smith, you're
not Elrond, you're Hugo"
- (H) I think my dad always was very good for me, from that
point of view, he… my parents encouraged me, because I wanted
to act, I think they encouraged me to do whatever I wanted
to do, but at the same time they was very clear, that it
was important to maintain sense of self, and my dad was
very clear about that, that it was important to do that.
Whatever that was, whatever was your sense of self is, it's
important to know who you are and try and be or keep becoming
that person. So, I guess, my parents initially were important,
and now my part like a trainer in my family, might to son
or daughter. I keep returning to them, spending time with
them, and so, I'm just a dad, you know, who lives in Paddington,
and hangs out in Dalenhaston, goes shopping and takes my
kids to school, so, that's who I am. I also happen to work
as an actor, and try and choose films that I love, and I'm
interested in.
- (D) When you got the call about the part of Elrond
in Lord of the Rings, did you immediately think: "Oh yes,
I'm got to be part of this", or did you think: "O…Hang on,
Lord of the Rings, this is either going to be a huge success,
or a gigantic flop. And I'll have to think about this."
- (H) No, I never think of this is going to be success or
a flop. I will read a script and think: "I really love this
script, I would love to see this film, and therefore I'd
like to be in it". And if the director is someone who I
think is some interesting or if they made a film before,
or I've talked to them (?) and I think that they sound like
they know what they are doing, than basically you go on
the script and the people who involved in making of that
script, and you don't think, well, that this MIGHT be a
success, as MIGHT be a failure, because that's true of everything,
that's true of many of the projects I've done, that I think,
that I think personally, are very successful, they have,
perhaps, been failures at the box office? I think some of
the best films to come out this country haven't necessarily
done particularly well at the box office, and often films
are considered failures when in reality they are not. I
knew Lord of the Rings was being made, and I'd actually
think that it was cast up, and Barrie Osborne, the producer,
who also produced the first Matrix film, rang me up and
said: "Listen, this is role of Elrond, one of the elf lords,
and would you like to do it?" They flew me over to New Zealand,
and I met Peter Jackson and Fran, well… she's his partner,
and… so 20 minutes of what they've shot, which was utterly
remarkable, so I did get to see quite a bit what they've
already shot, and it was very easy to make a decision. I
mean I'd really made a decision anyway, because it was a
pretty exiting idea to be involved in something like the
Lord of the Rings.
- (D) My guest this morning is Hugo Weaving, who
would be best known to a lot of else ness as Elrond from
Lord of the Rings, or, perhaps, Agent Smith from The Matrix,
but then, of course, all of this wonderful movies, and this
latest one, that is going to be released in the next couple
of days "The old man who reads love stories", in which he
stands along side Richard Dreyfuss, Richard Dreyfuss plays
the old man. What makes, in your view, a success for movie;
say some movies which are, perhaps, considered box office
successes, in your mind are. What is that in Hugo Weaving
assessment makes a good, successful movie?
- (H) Something I like seeing. *Laughs* something, that
in someway illuminates us to who we are and that illumination
may come in different forms: it may be a sheer, it may be
a peer entertainment, or it may be usury (?) series piece
of work. So, the genre doesn't necessarily matter, but if
there's something that is illuminated in there for you when
you're watching it, once you've come out, then I think from
that point of view it's successful. And that seed of illumination
is usually held in the script, it's not necessarily realized,
but it usually there, and I think that's what makes an interesting,
that what makes a good script as well, and that's the thing
that draws people to a script, and often you can tell there's
a bit of an excitement about a particular script and when
you read that, you know why, because it seems to have that…
it seems to shed some light on humanity in someway, and
as I say, the piece can be very light, or really quite serious,
but one way or another, it needs to have some sort of illumination,
I think.
- (D) Just in the last few days we've seen an Academy
awards handed out, that's a top of success. Is it a success
that all actors cry for?
- (H) I don't know, I can't really talk for all actors,
but, look, I think, obviously, it's a measure of success,
because, generally, the academy award films have been seen
by many people. That's not necessarily true, but then if
you look back over the years, and read who won this Academy
award, and which film won an Academy award for which year,
a lot of this films really don't stand up, don't stand the
test of time, and compared to some other films that didn't
succeed in that year they seem very impoverished. So, I've
never thought of the Academy awards as being a great marker
of success as a film. They certainly may be successful at
the box office, and the Academy awards as star system. There
ways of trying to get people involved in going on to see
the movie, in other words - spending money, so they spend
the money on the awards, to get you to spend the money on
films, and that's what they all about.
- (D) Hugo Weaving, I have couple of questions left
for you, and you choose which one you'd like next. One question
was: "Do you have tips for young players, if there were
little Hugo Weavings at the listening right now. Any advice
for them?" And the other question was: "What next? What
does Hugo Weaving want to do next, because I would think
that, well, world is your oyster?"
- (H) Well, I like suppose that questions should be like.
The first one…I think everyone has there own path in life,
and you just do, what it feels right for you, really. And
try and do your own thing, play your own game and be as
good and bad as you can… Be as good as being yourself, as
you can, be the best John Smith as you can, be the best
Hugo Weaving as you can, and that's the important thing
in life, you know. And the other question was what I want
to do next? Well, I'm not really sure; I certainly like
to work in Australia more, and predominately in film, but
also in theatre. I had a very enjoyable experience last
year, working with the Sydney theatre company, and would
like to do that again in near future. But more than anything,
I would like to work here, on Australian films, with Australian
scripts with Australian directors, so that's my main love,
and outside my family, that I would like to do. I continue
to be involved in I'm.
- (D) Because it seems to me, that that there's
a certain irony with major film stars, and you are now a
major film star and there's something that so many people
crave to achieve and yet, once it's achieved, it can actually
be very limiting and quite laney (?). We all know the big
blockbuster movie stars, who retreat to their ranch, somewhere
in, I don't know, in Idaho, or… you know what I'm saying.
And actually become very isolated people, it's difficult
for them to move in the world that they've captured.
- (H) It's because that world such a… so much for this,
such a fake one, you know when you in that world, how false
it is, and how much it is to do with image, and how little
it is to do with truth or reality. It's clear that it's
very, very removed from who you feel you are, and I think
it can be scary for that reason. That's why people probably
run away from it.
- (D) Hugo Weaving, thank you, thank you for talking
to us, and thank you for all joy you've brought us trough
your work.
- (H) Oh, thank you. That's my pleasure!
