In this concluding part, we move on to talk about films such asVideodrome,The Hard WayandHercules.
But what did she make of some of your films then?
What about Cop or Videodrome?
I could kind of do no wrong to her.
She loved my work.
But shed say oh I think that movies kind of stupid.
If its not a narrative story, she wasnt keen…!
I literally called David up and said what do you think of the ending?
and he said Im not crazy about it.
I said Ive got some ideas, and he said come on up, well shoot some more.
So I flew up to Toronto to shoot another ending.
We shot three endings.
I didnt even tell my agent!
And he said yeah, I think thats what were trying to say.
He wasnt really sure what the story was, and I think my mom sensed that in a way.
She said look, I get all this video stuff, Marshall McLuhan and all that.
But the story just doesnt captivate you, you dont care about that character.
And I have to say she was right.
Why do you care about him?
Is that not one of your favourite roles then?
Are you not much of a fan of the film?
Oh I am actually.
Because Robert Aldrich, you know, brought a sensibility that was all wrong to it.
It was ridiculous, he just completely missed it.
I just thought it was horrible.
And Joe[Joseph Wambaugh]hated it, understandably.
But then I got to work with Joe onThe Onion Fields, which was a completely different experience.
And the nature of modern television would push it a lot harder.
We did push it that hard in the 80s, but it was really hard to get films promoted.
Hemdale would release a film into theatres and thatd be the end of it.
They didnt have a budget.
When I was up forSalvador, we didnt even have a publicist.
It was an article written in Oscar season about my performance that was in the L.A. Times.
And I got nominated.
People hadnt even seen the fucking movie!
Otherwise people would have never have known about that movie.
I loved that movie.
Its one of the best double acts Ive seen in a film of that ilk.
First of all, I was very pleased.
He has a certain stamp to his movies, a certain tone.
A little bit more of a light comedy feel, but he has a really good sense of that.
Hes another guy who can work on the fly and change things in the middle of a big sequence.
I loved John, and we got along great.
He said what do you think of Jimmy Woods?
So I had these two guys sort of liking me as a comedy actor.
We just had a ball doing it.
It was so fucking much fun.
I was working with people I really liked.
And Michael Fox is just the greatest guy.
John Travolta said a great thing to me once.
We were doingThe Generals Daughter, and Ive known John since New York theatre.
Wed done a reading of a play in New York.
And then the first episode ofWelcome Back, Kotter.
Id known John throughout.
And Johns such a fucking sweetheart.
Hes an incredibly funny guy.
Very funny and very right wing.
In fact when we were doingBe Cool, I did a little cameo in the beginning.
I was supposed to do Harvey Keitels part, but I had to have emergency surgery for an aneurism.
Theres a scene outside where it was who do we get to play me in the movie?
And he said because actors have a tacit contract between them thats unspoken.
Its always either to compete, which is miserable or to cooperate, which is a blast.
And I said you know what?
We have a great time, we compete, but in a fun way.
I liken it to a poker.
But you love each other!
The outtakes of that particular scene must be lying somewhere!
Can you talk us through how easily that came together?
Im going to tell you something: and this is a surprising answer.
The other day I was talking about that scene to somebody.
We just didnt feel it was funny.
And Michael came up with the idea.
He said you know the problem here?
Im just trying to be a girl.
Its not that shes a girl, its that shes really pissed.
Theres always one moment that opens everything up.
InOnce Upon A Time In America, we rehearsed all day on the scene where I kicked Tuesday Weld.
And it was supposed to be that the guys all laughed.
And Robert said its all phoney, it doesnt mean everything.
I said look, why dont you shoot.
Im supposed to give her a kick in the ass, you know.
So I turned and adlibbed do I have a way with women or not?
And nobody expected me to say it, everybody burst out laughing, and we got the scene.
Then it becomes funny, but we struggled to get that scene.
It came across so effective and natural, too.
People dont realise that that was like shooting aBatmanmovie.
People go, oh, its a comedy!
But up on that fucking hat, hanging over Times Square?
My stunt double was hanging from that thing by one hand.
When we were working, we were three stories up, and Im afraid of heights!
It was not fun, hanging around on that fucking thing.
It doesnt sound it!
Let me tell you, I got injured more onThe Hard Waythan any movie Ive ever done!
Ill never forget the stunt driver saying something to me.
Youve got to hit the wind shield so you go through it.
He was totally serious.
It happens, it happens in movies!
Was there ever any talk, at any point, of revisiting those characters?
Of doing a sequel to The Hard Way?
And you cant release a fucking comedy the weekend a war starts, believe me.
SoThe Hard Waydidnt do that well, and only because it was horrible timing, thats all.
Can I jump forward to Disneys Hercules, another film Ive got lots and lots of time for.
Were you aware of that at the time when you were doing your work on the film?
Jeffrey had doneStraight Talkwith me and Dolly Parton, hed been a big proponent of mine.
Jeff is still a good friend of mine, hes a wonderful guy.
Very, very hands on.
Its very interesting about voice work.
Everybody has to audition.
Mel Gibson had to audition for fuckingPocahontas.
They dont offer you anything.
You have to audition, because they have to know those voices work.
And at the time, one of my very close friends was doing the part of Hades.
That was John Lithgow wasnt it?
It was revealed a year or so back.
It wasnt Johns fault at all.
The directors said this, they said we dont have a concept for this character.
We gave John just the wrong direction to go in, its our fault.
The character was conceived in an incorrect way.
They do all the voices before they do all the animation.
They said yeah, I said its not very funny.
I said look, Ive got nothing to lose here.
Im not right for this.
Im certainly not right for that version of it.
And I started talking, and they came back said look: would you be willing to do something?
Would you be willing to wait a month.
I came up with the idea of the hair being on fire.
I said hey, hes got this fire-y hair.
Is my hair out?
Im telling you, that andSurfs Uphave some of the funniest adlibs Ive ever done!
I think my greatest comic performance is inCasinoanyway!
I have a rule that I try not to talk about a role that another actor took.
There are some that are rumoured or known: can we talk about those?
Reservoir Dogs, Back To The Future, An Officer And A Gentleman?
Was their truth to them?
My agent turned it down without telling me, and of course it was written for me.
That was Steve Buscemis part.
And that Reservoir Dogs story is 100% true?
Oh yeah, yeah.
I fired my agent after that.
But then Lou Gossets part inAn Officer And A Gentleman.
Lous one of my best friends.
I said I dont want to play a drill instructor!.
I thought it was a brilliant idea to use an African-American actor, a great actor like Lou.
There was Christopher Lloyds part inBack To The Future.
He was fucking brilliant.
My agent says I was offered, but again it was one of those things.
Youre offered it, but you cant do it because youre busy doing something else.
You never really know what that means: were they interested, or was there an offer?
Salvador, of course, I was offered Jim Belushis part, but I didnt want to take it.
I said Im not a B personality, Im an A personality, the character is inside me.
You should have me play the lead.
He [Oliver Stone] said Ive already got a lead and I said well youre making a mistake.
He said yeah, he doesnt want that in the movie.
I said how do you make the movie without violence of swearing?.
So I said why dont you ask him if hed be willing to step down?
What a wonderful guy, Marty Sheen.
For me, that was as good as it gets for an actor.
Ive always greatly admired him.
Also, Tom Berengers part inPlatoon!
My words to Oliver were Im not going into another fucking jungle with you!
Joe Pescis part inJFK, I said no to that.
Do remember though: oftentimes theres a shortlist of actors for a part.
And you could imagine a part in many different ways.
Tom Selleck was the original Indiana Jones.
But that sometimes someone makes a role their own, which I did inCasinoor Hercules.
I love quirky projects where you might bring a character to life.
Ive always been more interested in the story.
I think that I always was more interested in the story itself.
So when I put myself in the story, I let the story play me.
Im a very definitive personality.
Some people are, some people arent.
Bob De Niro is almost a non-existent personality, because hes able to morph himself into roles so much.
My personality is very present in my work.
Some actors are like that.
Jack Nicholson and I do that.
Bob De Niro and Bill Hurt, for example, morph themselves different ways.
So I would try and find characters that people didnt expect of me.
He said yeah, were going to do some funny stuff.
I said I should have a moment where I go gee, wow.
Let me just try something.
Keenan was literally on the floor.
I walked in, saw the devil, said fuck this and walked out.
So how do you want your work to be remembered?
What would your epitaph be?
He loved his family, for one.
I think Id buy that.
They may have been better, but nobody would have played the role the way I did.
And thats the best I can do.
Give it my best, give it my all, take it or leave it.
And hopefully people will, you know, take it more than not!
Lou Gosset played that role inAn Officer And A Gentlemanbetter than I would have done!
I really should pull all my career together, and get it down.
Maybe we can do a book together!
Now that might just be a plan.
Finally, your favourite Jason Statham movie?
Oh,everyJason Statham movie is my favourite Jason Statham movie.
I love the guy.
James Woods, thank you very much.
