Ok! Fiennes!!!




By Martyn Palmer
ABS-CBNNews.com
Celebrity
October 23, 2002




By Martyn Palmer


Some people have got it all wrong about Ralph Fiennes. Everyone agrees that he's a great actor -- undoubtedly one of the best of his generation -- but, says the man himself, the perception is that he doesn't really want to work in the mainstream, that somehow he's a bit of a tortured soul who would far rather tread the boards onstage and occasionally appear in art house cinema.

And that couldn't be further from the truth. Just look at his recent film work - playing the emotionally damaged serial killer Francis Dolarhyde in Red Dragon, a role as an uptight politician who falls in love with a lowly hotel worker in Maid in Manhattan, and playing a disturbed man trying to piece his life back together in Spider. All that indicates a man who relishes the diversity of roles on offer. Mention this little perception problem and he's quick to put you right.

"I know and I find it very frustrating," he says. "I've been wanting to do a romantic comedy for ages and this came along at the right time. And Red Dragon was a great script, fantastic cast, a cracking part in a very well done thriller.

"I suppose I have chosen to do films that when they get written up, they get labeled as certain things, and I guess I get perceived as overly selective or not wanting to play the celebrity game or be in commercial films or something. But I don't feel I'm taking a position. I feel as if I'm just responding to my heart."

Question: Do you think people will be surprised seeing you in a big mainstream Hollywood movie like this?

That's what people keep saying to me, but they could also say, "You know, you always play these toured souls and here's another one that happens to be in a big movie."

Question: Did you know Anthony Hopkins (Hannibal Lecter in Red Dragon) prior to filming?

No, but I've always been a big fan, a big admirer. And I'm a little frustrated I never got to do any scenes with him. I would have liked that very much, I think he would have as well and maybe there will be another chance. I hope so.

Question: Did you meet on set?

Oh, yes, there were overlaps. I remember coming in and he was in makeup tests and I was in for fittings, and I was there when he did some of his scenes. It was amazing actually, I was there to see the first scene when Edward Norton's character visits Lecter in his cell, and he's lying on the bed and then gets up - that was thrilling to see it. He just transforms. It's great.

Question: Is it unwise to overanalyze films like Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs? People are forever asking why the audience loves to be scared_.

Absolutely, my answer to that is that question. It's nothing new, it's just good old good-vs-evil. It's the old myth dressed up as a modern detective story, and the demons are psychopaths and serial killers, with Edward's Will Graham as the knight going out to protect his family. Actually, the Jungians will have a field day with Red Dragon - I mean, it's pretty much like going out to slay the medieval dragon. It's the same thing, and we've always loved it. I think on some fundamental subconscious level, that story is always being played out. Was there a lot of physical preparation for this? You have a quite striking tattoo all over your back - that must've taken ages to do.

Yes, about seven to eight hours to put on the first time. They knew the camera was going to come right in on it so (the artists) had to do a great job, you know every little bit of shading to create the homs and the points spreading out. It's not actually a dragon, it's like they pulled bits of the William Blake dragon and did their own design for it, a sort of abstract based on that figure.

Question: Was it meant to stay on for the length of the shoot?

No, it was designed to stay on for two or three days before it needed to be totally redone. There was the scene with Philip (Seymour Hoffman) and the scene in the attic. I remember the scene with Philip was a two-day shoot, so I had it put on and it lasted comfortably for those two days and they touched it up - it didn't need much work. And then I think I had a weekend which I had to wear it and try and protect it, but it needed a lot of touching up for the scene in the bed. So it was really only two times that I had a completely redone.






 

Please visit the other link pages on this site:
Ralph Fiennes Links Page

 Ralph Fiennes Astrology Page

Back to the Jennifer Lash Links page
 

Back to the Ralph Fiennes - Jennifer Lash Main Page

This page was created with the Stonehenge.ttf font and is best enjoyed if you
have the font yourself.  If you want it please click on the green name Stonehenge.ttf above to download and install it to your PC.
Sorry not available for Mac's.  Thanks.
 

These pages are Copy written by Mary Sibley.  All rights reserved.
Please do not use anything within these pages without permission.
Please send an EMail to Mary Sibley for permission, thanks.