KING ARTHUR
 Q&A with Antoine Fuqua		 Search all of phase9.tv






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With so much acting talent out there in the world, do you think the era of the big star is coming to an end?

We’re not coming to an end of the era of the big star. The Denzel Washingtons and Al Pacinos of the world aren’t going anywhere. And those guys are only considered stars because everybody calls them stars. But in reality, they’re great actors. I think a big star is a separate and different business than the movie business. The big star business is all of the magazine covers, all of the entertainment news shows, all of the hype. What I would like to see is more actors from other parts of the world being introduced to American audiences. Take a film like CITY OF GOD, for instance. The majority of the kids in that film are still living in the slums because nobody’s reaching out and pulling them over here and saying, “You know what? I’m going to teach you English so you can play some roles here,” or “I’m going to write a role for a guy who’s from Brazil.” There’s so much talent out there, and I think our movies are suffering because we’re not getting to see it.

When you’re directing a film, how do you know when you’re on the right track?

You show people you trust. You bring in other artists or friends and you say, “Take a look at this and tell me if it works. Just look at it.” So you kind of go through this process with people you’re close to, and then you show it to a test audience and you get further direction from that. What parts didn’t satisfy them? Is there anything they want more of?

How much computer animation went into the battle sequences?

I was really only focusing on the characters. Of course, I wanted to make them visually interesting, but I really just wanted to concentrate on the people. I think that sometimes we get too far away from any human emotion in movies because of all of the computer-generated imagery. It’s sort of like a decision is made to do all of this digital stuff and then there’s some guy in a room by himself creating it. I just wanted to make these battle scenes as organic as possible. I wasn’t trying to outdo anybody. I didn’t think about that. I was just thinking about the characters because ultimately, that’s what it comes down to. Do you know whom you’re watching, and do you care? That’s what I learned from watching films like SEVEN SAMURAI. The only reason films like that work is because you love the characters. The filmmakers took the time to explore the people and build their emotional arcs.

Why do you think the legend of King Arthur still resonates with people?

Because a group of men sacrificed their lives for something bigger than themselves. Everyone in history whom we admire, whether it be Gandhi, King Arthur, Martin Luther King – we still talk about them today cause they self-sacrificed. And if the truth be told, there’s very few of us who exist today who would do that. I don’t know of a leader today that’s out there really fighting for the right cause. And I’m not talking about passing a policy – I’m talking about somebody out there marching, fighting, getting their hands dirty, picking up children that are being abused. I don’t see it. I don’t see Tony Blair doing it. I don’t see George Bush doing it. Do you?

So would you be willing to take on another epic film?

It was difficult, no question, but I enjoyed the challenge of it all. I just don’t know if I want to go work with horses again or film in Ireland right away ’cause the weather there is so unpredictable. When we were shooting there, my driver, who was Irish, used to crack jokes everyday about turning on the Weather Channel. I’d say, “Mike, what’s the weather going to be today?” He’d put it on and it would say, “Possible clouds, possible rain, possible snow.” It was very funny. Actually, I was really kind of lucky. I think the Irish gods were smiling down on me because I had some decent days.

What can you tell us about your next project?

My next film is another big one. Denzel Washington and I are hooking up again, this time with Benicio Del Toro. It’s called TRU BLU and it’s a true story about America’s involvement with the heroin trade from the Vietnam War back to Harlem. It takes place from 1969 to 1973, and it’s a big film with big battle scenes in Vietnam. But just like KING ARTHUR, it’s character-driven. It’s all about the characters. It has to be. Otherwise, what’s the point?

Question & Answer Text Copyright Buena Vista International

King Arthur – movie information
PHASE9 movie review
PHASE9 Q&A with producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Antoine Fuqua, writer David Franzoni, historian John Matthews and actors Clive Owen, Ioan Gruffudd and Ray Winstone
Q&A with producer Jerry Bruckheimer
Q&A with actor Clive Owen
Q&A with actor Ioan Gruffudd
Q&A with actress Keira Knightley

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