|
|
 |
|
|
|
Updated 6/12//03
Meet another girl/teen in our club who likes the same movie favorites as you do. To write her, click on the link to join the penpal club! Hangin' With Archives
|
We're Hangin' With..... ERIC BANA: THE HULK by: Lynn B.
The 6' 2" married dad of two is content to remain in his native Australia and travel the world on location. When we chatted with him on a Hulk-decorated stage at Universal Studios in L.A., Eric looked nothing like Bruce Banner in the long hair and beard he sports to play Hector opposite Brad Pitt's Achilles in the huge historical epic Troy. The awesome Aussie was happy for the break to talk about his comic book character before returning to Malta to the Troy set. AGW: Have you run into any of the Hulk comic book fans yet? Eric: No, not a whole lot. Hugh Jackman is a close friend of mine and we've had some interesting discussions. I was in London recently when X-Men 2 was premiering there. I looked at him and said 'Hugh, do you realize something?' He said 'what?' and I said 'You're Wolverine and I'm the Hulk. Do you realize that?' It was kind of weird. It's very funny. AGW: What brings out your inner Hulk? Eric: It's the small things. I don't Hulk out over big stuff. It's the build up. I have two kids so I'm generally Hulked out by 8:30 in the morning. I actually studied my son intensely for this role because, at the time he was two and a half. There's the Hulk as a two and a half-year-old boy going through the terrible twos. He's a short cut to witnessing what adults would be like if we didn't have the political correctness or social restraints. AGW: What made you want to play the Hulk? Eric: More than anything else I was attracted to playing a character that had so much baggage and so much going on. I love the idea that Bruce has no control over what's happening to him and that he's on this journey of personal discovery and there's always something going on in his head. As a character actor that's what you are looking for. AGW: How has your life changed since doing this work? Eric: It's kind of two phased. Personally it hasn't really changed at all. I have a great normal life back home in Australia. Professionally it does change. It provides wonderful opportunities. The role in Troy is the role of a lifetime so it's fabulous. The most exciting thing for any actor is choice and to be given that choice and spend the time looking for the right projects. I enjoy living at home so I tend not to make more than one film a year. AGW: Josh Lucas [who plays the Hulk's nemesis in the film] says he beat you up because you were Bruce and not allowed to fight back…true? Eric: [laughs] Be warned, actors who have a fight scene with Josh Lucas. I said the next film I do is going to be a boxing film. I'm gonna cast him opposite me and I'm gonna beat the c*** out of him. Maybe one of those ultimate fighting movies. He grabbed me by the neck and I said, 'Josh, you don't actually have to squeeze. Just make it look like you're squeezing because I'm actually passing out'. AGW: Why do you think nobody wants to play Superman? Eric: Because Superman is Superman. There's no escaping looking like you do. There's the cape and the tights. I get to completely be lost as the green guy. Even when I'm the Hulk, I'm not really the Hulk. There he is and I'm Bruce Banner. AGW: How was working with Jennifer Connelly? Did you work out each scene together? Eric:
I think we worked out our own thing pretty much. We did a little bit of
rehearsal in pre-production. We're obviously well-guarded by Ang [Lee,
director] but he left a lot of responsibility to us to come up with these
characters. I really liked that relationship. When you think about it,
she and I aren't granted the usual tricks to portray a couple. There's
not even a screen kiss. There's no intimacy there but, at the same time,
it's really obvious their feelings for each other which I knew was going
to be a big challenge and something I'm proud of and I hope she is too.
It's a very unconventional relationship cinematically but I think a very
interesting one. Eric: You're aware of the pressure of Bruce Banner having to work. Otherwise we're all in trouble. But no, there were never a lot of conscious decisions I would make that would be about 'Okay, well, later on when the Hulk does this…' I knew that ILM would be chasing what I was doing in a lot of respects. And when I saw the film I felt like they had totally managed to drag character into that CGI figure. That was what blew me away. AGW: How much did you know about the Hulk? Eric:
I was very familiar with the television series. I've probably seen every
episode but I wasn't a huge comic book reader as a kid. So, I guess the
television show was the only thing I was really familiar with. I looked
at the comic books but was told that basically we're starting from scratch
and your responsibility is to develop this character which is exactly
what you want to hear. You want to be given the freedom. Eric: No, no, they're not. They're very young. My son is not quite four and my daughter is one, so they won't be seeing this for quite some time. My son doesn't have a clue. I have all the toys hidden in the garage. AGW: How was working with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon director Ang Lee? Eric: It was really incredible. It was intensely draining because not only were you trying to capture performance but then you had to do it a billion times because of the coverage he wanted to have to choose from. It's not just about nailing it. It's about nailing it from 40 angles so he can choose to do things with the split screen and all the rest. So, it did help to have a lot of respect for the director on those days, as opposed to saying, 'How many more freakin' times?' It did make those days a little easier. There's a scene with Sam Elliot after I Hulk out and I'm at the dining room table with Jennifer. He comes with all these security guards. I think we did close to 140 [takes]. AGW: Are you concerned about how you'll be received in the film? Eric:
You spend so long deciding what to do and finally find something that
you think is right and give everything you've got to it and kind of walk
away from it and surrender all your trust to a bunch of other people so
it's scary. I was very nauseous the last week leading up to the screening.
I was just a mess. But I was thrilled. I think it's really beautiful.
Eric: Luckily for me, with a sketch comedy background, I've had to do it for a long time. But I always figure there are two American accents. There's the one that kind of sounds okay and there's one that sounds perfect and I think if we're going to come up and take jobs, it needs to sound perfect. So yeah, I'm pretty conscious of it. AGW: What was your standup routine like? Eric: I'd describe it as funny, of course. It was kind of laid back and anecdotal. I did stand up for ten years. I did sketch comedy for six years and made the switch to drama. I'd always wanted to be an actor. I never, for a second thought that that would mean being a movie star but I always thought I could act and had something to offer. I was never a big joke writer, so the stand-up was more kind of storytelling interspersed with some voices and characters and stuff like that. It was something that happened early on and I loved it. I do miss it occasionally, definitely. AGW: Are you thinking of moving here to California? Eric:
No I won't move. It's pointless. How many films get shot here? I'm doing
one now and I'm in Malta. I move to L.A. and my next film will be in Sydney.
It's not at all tempting to move. Eric: It's actually quite simple. We live back home in Australia, in Melbourne and I've been known at home for a long time and we're able to live a very, very normal existence that doesn't really change. I mean, it changes professionally obviously, but personally, to be honest, my theory is it's as much as you want to bite off and I'm not interested in biting too much off. AGW:
How did you meet your wife Rebecca? Eric: It's very boring. Lots of exercise and lots of boring food, unfortunately. I've discovered the secret to weight loss which is the fact that there's no secret. Read this book. It's one page long. 'Don't eat fatty food and exercise'. AGW: Are you nervous about being forever associated with The Hulk? Eric: I did think about it obviously. It was a consideration but I'm more than comfortable with it, especially after seeing the film because I think there's so much there that takes it away from just me, that I'm comfortable with that.
|
 
|
Angela
& Gina's Room |
Brigid
& Kayla's Room |
Christine
& Erika's Room |
Lauren
& Sarada's Room | Circle of Friends PenPal Club | Site Map |
|
Since 1996, your space on the web : written and edited by girls and teens from all over the world. Media Kit Feedback Newsletter Write FOR us Contact Us |
|
Copyright © 2006 A Girl's World Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
|
Hunky,
hulky Eric Bana is part of the charming Aussie invasion of hot actors
to hit our shores in a past few years. Chopper, a small Australian film
in which he starred as a legendary criminal, drew the attention of Hollywood
heavyweights and this former stand-up comedian (that's right…the
Hulk did stand-up) was off to much bigger and greener things.