News by Category  Entertainment Movies |
| Ben Stiller praises Fil-Am actor |
| Written by staff | |
| Tuesday, 12 August 2008 | |
|
Ben, who also stars in “Tropic Thunder,” was effusive in his praise for Reggie when we asked about the Quezon City-born actor in a recent interview at the Four Seasons Hotel. Reggie, whose credits include “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” (he played Tai Huang), “The Fast and the Furious” (Lance Nguyen) and TV’s “Prison Break” (Secret Service Agent Bill Kim), plays Byong, first lieutenant of a drug-manufacturing guerrilla army in the Golden Triangle that encounters pampered Hollywood stars doing a war movie in the jungle. These self-absorbed Tinseltown denizens who find themselves in a real war are played by Ben, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Jay Baruchel and Brandon T. Jackson. When Reggie’s character and his very young drug lord boss, Tran (played by the newcomer Brandon Soo Hoo) capture Ben’s Tugg Speedman, they learn that he is the star of their favorite movie, “Simple Jack,” where Tugg, in his desperate bid for an Oscar, plays a mentally challenged farmhand. The guerrillas force Tugg to re-enact “Simple Jack” as nightly entertainment. “Tropic Thunder” also features a movie-stealing cameo by Tom Cruise, Matthew McConaughey and Nick Nolte. More about these stars tomorrow. Here is the rest of Ben’s comments on Reggie: “I saw Reggie’s work on ‘Prison Break.’ He’s a real chameleon. He can play many different roles. He has played different types. He’s really smart, too. When he came in to read for the part, he took it very seriously. His character is the guy who was plays it very straight the whole movie. “And what I appreciated about working with him is that he really had a give-and-take attitude about how he felt those [guerrilla] guys should be portrayed. There’s humor in what he does, too. At a certain point when he’s watching the ‘Simple Jack’ performance, he got moved by it. He really got that character. Although he is an antagonist in the movie, he gave as much life as possible to his character." Reggie, who is fluent in Tagalog, just wrapped up filming “Drag Me to Hell,” a much-anticipated project of Sam Raimi, the acclaimed director behind the “Spider-Man” movies. In the indie film “Chinaman’s Chance,” the 1997 Drama-Logue Critics Award winner tackles the lead role, a railroad worker in 1870s America wrongly accused of murdering a white woman (Dominik Garcia-Lorido, Andy Garcia’s daughter) and who is viciously hunted down. Reggie is again in interesting company: Theresa Russell, Timothy Bottoms (“The Paper Chase”), Ernest Borgnine, Olivia Hussey (“Romeo and Juliet”), Jason Connery (son of Sean Connery), Coolio, Lorenzo Lamas, Christopher Atkins (“The Blue Lagoon”), the late Edward Albert (“Butterflies Are Free”) and Bo Svenson (“Walking Tall”). Below are excerpts of our Q&A via e-mail with Reggie: How did Ben Stiller surprise you as a director? Since he’s also an actor, how does that influence the way he directs? What surprised me most was how much he trusted us with the material. He has great respect for the actors that he casts and, in a way, almost “leaves you alone” to do your work which, I believe, is the most productive way to direct. When Ben did have a specific direction, he always conveyed it in a down-to-earth manner, so he built camaraderie between himself and his actors. Because he is an actor, I think, he directs with compassion and respect for the other actors’ process. That made working so much easier and much more enjoyable. Watching Ben as an actor, what were your impressions? I was particularly impressed by his ability to shift so easily from director to his character. That is a tribute to his ability as an actor. I also love his sense of comedy, it’s incredibly “real.” How close did the filming get to being like the movie’s plot of pampered Hollywood stars encountering less-than-ideal conditions in the jungles? Mud, mosquitoes, mud, rain, mud, humidity, mud, heat, more mud! Need I say more? But Ben took great care of us. Great food and great company! Did shooting in Kauai, complete with a water buffalo remind you of the Philippines? Oh completely! Not to mention that Kauai has such a large population of Filipinos. The village we filmed in reminded me so much of going to Tarlac to visit my great grandparents. The drive to the location reminded me so much of the winding roads to Baguio. How funny was it to see Jack Black wearing just his underwear, on top of a water buffalo? What surprised me was how unaffected Jack was as he walked around in his underwear, not a care in the world! Jack on top of the water buffalo was definitely funny but, seriously, he just has to look at you without saying a word and you’re in stitches! Sometimes it’s like trying not to laugh during a church service. We had a lot of those moments, how could we not with Ben, Jack and Robert? Your character reacts to what Tom Cruise’s scene-stealing, foul-mouthed studio boss says to you on the cell phone. Were Tom’s lines played back to you so you can react accordingly for the camera? After we did the initial table read for the film, I never actually saw Tom again! Justin Theroux, one of the awesomely talented writers of the script (who is also a wonderful actor and director) actually read the lines opposite me so I had something to react to. What do you think of Tom’s dance moves? Genius! Not only was it a throwback to “Risky Business,” but the dancing that he did was so self-absorbed and arrogant that I was laughing hard. As an actor, what can you say about Robert Downey Jr.’s performance as an Oscar-winning Australian thespian who undergoes a skin pigment dye job to play a black actor? I seriously have to say that it’s out of this world! As an actor... I can relate to wanting to embody a character so completely that you’d do anything to “feel” that other person’s life! We actors are crazy like that, what can I say? Playing the assistant to Brandon’s Tran, were you impressed that someone who was only 12 at the time of the filming can be that good as the very young leader of a guerrilla army? I think Brandon was probably smarter than most of us on the set. He’s one of the most precocious, down-to-earth, sweet little kids you will ever meet. I did my homework beforehand to feel my character’s simultaneous loyalty to and fear of his character. Brandon made it so much easier. He’s definitely a bad-ass when the cameras start rolling. What will you cherish most about your “Tropic Thunder” experience? What I’ll take away most of all is the integrity that all these A-list actors have for their work, from Ben Stiller, Robert Downey, Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey, Nick Nolte to Tom Cruise. They all respected their own work by being prepared and really letting it all fly when the cameras rolled. It’s inspiring and it has brought me a newfound respect for my own work and a great belief that we, Asians, can play with the best of them! Tell us about one of your next films, Sam Raimi’s “Drag Me to Hell,” which is eagerly being awaited by horror movie fans. “Drag Me to Hell” is the return of Sam Raimi (the director of the “Spiderman” franchise) to the thriller/horror genre. He is a master and much loved favorite filmmaker of that genre with such films like “Evil Dead” and “The Gift.” I play a character named Stu Rubin who is pretty awful but, hopefully, funny at the same time. The evolution of this character within the script is just written so well by Sam and his brother Ivan. It was an absolute dream working with Sam. He almost always works within your parameters of the character and scene and helps you take it to the next level. I think what turns out onscreen is pure magic! I don’t even have enough adjectives to describe how amazing Sam is and I’d be ecstatic if I could work with him again. Also, there was never any talk of changing the name of my character from Stu Rubin to something more “Asian.” I loved that! And “Chinaman’s Chance,” an indie film where you have the lead role and you play opposite Ernest Borgnine, Timothy Bottoms and Danny Trejo? I recently saw a rough cut of this film that I did back in 2006. I can’t tell you how many people came up to me and were so thankful and moved by the humanization of the experience of the Chinese railroad workers in America. As independent films go, “Chinaman’s Chance” is a long way from being totally finished. The experience of working on this film, of being the lead and grinding it out on a daily basis was really taxing and fulfilling at the same time. What’s next? Rest! I went from shooting “Prison Break” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” at the same time, to “Tropic Thunder” and then to “Drag Me to Hell.” I feel so blessed but I’m also ready for a little break, just a little one and I’m sure I’ll be aching to go again. I’m also producing a screenplay that my friend Dinah Eng wrote, entitled “Labyrinth.” It’s my first foray into producing so it’s exciting! Of course, she’s written an awesome role in the film for me. I can’t ever get too far away from the acting.
Set as favorite
Bookmark
Email This
Hits: 90 Comments (0)
 Write comment
Related items
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
