Casting a spell

 

 

You are reprising your role of Robert Langdon in the upcoming 'Angels and Demons'. What attracted you to the role and what did you find most fascinating about Langdon? What are the differences and similarities as far as Robert Langdon is concerned in "The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels and Demons"?

What engrossed me (was) Langdon’s impressive and arcane intellect (which) is satisfying and stimulating to play and a big part of the project’s appeal. It’s challenging to play someone who is an expert in this very obscure field. He makes connections that nobody else can see; one symbol can represent different points of view that make sense to only him. It’s incredibly original, thought-provoking, and, on a cinematic level, irresistible. One of the reasons that I’m interested in Robert Langdon is that he sees history as layered; you have to take nine other facts and nine other opinions and nine other understandings of where, what, and when humankind came up with these symbols in the first place before you can infer truth.

Not many things are similar except the character Robert Langdon .Each moment is brand new. Each idea has to be connected to a reality. Each beat has to be created fresh. A familiarity may help you – the audience has knowledge of Langdon's past and carries his experience from the first film – but still, Langdon begins “Angels & Demons” at square one.

Your collaboration with Ron Howard goes back a long way. Between “Splash” and “Angels & Demons”, what’s new? What’s it like to work with him? And what do you think he would have to say about you?

Ron still treats me the same way as he did at the time of “Splash”. He wants me to show up prepared and to have ideas. Then, as now, he never stops asking me (and the rest of the cast) “what do you make of this scene?” Ron is prepared, frantic, calm, panicked, under-the-gun, and certain of his shot list all at the same time. He is, at heart, a collaborator on the set, trusting everyone to follow their instincts when doing their job. This is the best part for which any actor could fall for his director; perhaps this is the reason why even I am enthralled to work with him.

Ron is actually more fearless now, as a filmmaker, and takes much greater risks than he did when there was much less at stake. It’s not easy to make these types of movies; it is a huge kind of engineering feat that is required. You’ve got to go places, you’ve got to build things, but you also have to have a, you know, a vision for how to bust open a genre version of making this movie, so that it becomes very personable and very, very palatable.

I think in the past years we both have grown sustaining with our respective careers. He has already said enough about me, nothing new then…sorry you are trying a wrong source…Ron would help you better with this part.

“Angels & Demons” and “The Da Vinci Code” have both dealt with controversial themes in the past. What has been the reaction of Vatican this time?

I am very happy that the Vatican have shown a positive attitude towards "Angels and Demons". I think the premises are truly defensible with movie; it is almost like the morsel of Jigsaw puzzles, any one of the morsel goes astray and the integral game is mottled.

You have been known for choosing roles that are very diverse and one of your most memorable characters is Woody, the cowboy in "Toy Story". You are voicing him again in the next installment of the "Toy Story" franchise. What can we expect in "Toy Story 3"? "Toy Story" is amongst those movies that I have always loved to do. If there's something that makes you laugh, then every day's going to be okay, and literally, I felt that after working in "Toy Story". I just hope that even "Toy Story 3" succeeds in entertaining the audience and benchmarking itself in the minds of the people.

You have been a regular on Saturday Night Live (SNL). What's the most exciting thing about the experience?

Ah… Well it’s very intriguing; you can find here a late night comedy show featuring several short skits, parodies of television commercials, a live guest band and a pop-cultural guest host each week. When I am there I feel I am in an utterly assorted globe and sense quiet tranquil.

Recently at the Film Society of Lincoln Center Gala Tribute in New York, Julia Roberts gave you quite a 'colourful' tribute. How do you look back at your career? Have you ever looked at categorising yourself as a certain kind of actor, producer or director?

I am really grateful to them. My career has been a roller coaster ride; there have been times where my movies haven’t worked and I felt the same as what all others would feel when their movies bomb and happy when movies would succeed. But I always whispered that each movie has been a majestic acquaintance.

For an actor it’s important to be flexible and at the same time good. So I think that categorising myself in unambiguous assemblage would not explore my talent pertaining to acting, directing or producing.

An asteroid is named after you. Left to you, what else would you wish to be named after yourself?

Ahhh….It really feels great if you get so much admiration and love for what you have done. Though I originally wanted to be an astronaut but I didn’t have math so failed doing that. But I would certainly wish that my name would be used somewhere in this field where I wanted to be a perfectionist.

You are reported to be the chosen one to switch on the Large Hadron Collider, after it is operational again. What does it mean to you?

It means a lot to me. Large Hadron Collider is basically the world’s largest energy particle accelerator. It makes me feel honoured that people really like my labour and I am being given such an opportunity which not even one in a thousand might get.

You’ve been part of some of the biggest grossers in Hollywood. How much credit would do you take for them?

Frankly speaking, it's God and some part of my durable work that has brought me in this position. I would certainly not take any credit from them as it is they who have helped me in numerous ways to be where I am today and own a position that has given me an identity among millions of nameless faces.

According to you, how can those from Hollywood hold up long and happy married lives?

Oh my God!!! Ha Ha! Frankly it’s just as hard - staying happily married as it is doing movies. Marriages are very individual and susceptible things to talk about. So I would really not like to comment on it...