NEW CRADLE OF
LIFE PRODUCTION REPORT
Copyright 2003 The Straits Times
[ February 17th 2003 ]
There
she was, in cream-coloured figure-hugging jacket
with frog buttons from Shanghai Tang, walking
in knee-length fancy boots outside Hong Kong's
Causeway Bay station. Her eyes were squinting
from the bright morning sun and her bee-stung
lips in a supermodel pout were easily recognisable.
Inevitably, Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie,
who was filming a scene from her upcoming movie,
Lara Croft and The Cradle of Life: Tomb Raider
2, became the centre of attention in this busy
street. Passers-by, from tourists to students,
stopped to gawk, while star-struck fans frantically
made calls to their friends: "Come here quick,
it's Lala (Croft, her larger-than-life character
from the movie)!" The Hollywood beauty, however,
remained calm and unperturbed.
She was
busy rehearsing her lines while holding a small
global positioning system gadget - a device her
character in the movie always refers to in her
adventures. Occasionally her eyes would dart to
the huge TV screen in front of a nearby building,
where she would gaze for a few moments before
looking at the ecstatic crowd and giving a friendly
smile. Jolie - hair pulled back in the signature
Croft braid-and-ponytail - was accompanied by
her strapping Scottish co-star Gerard Butler (from
Reign of Fire, Dracula 2000, Tomorrow Never Dies),
who sported a swanky black leather jacket and
matching dark Armani jeans. And while Jolie commanded
full attention, Butler was hard to miss. The suave,
silver-haired six-footer, with brooding, sophisticated
good looks and "injured" fists (probably from
the preceding fighting scene) would be perfect
as the next James Bond.
Could
he be Croft's sidekick in this sequel? As we all
know, the action hero(ine), first introduced to
the silver screen two years ago with the box-office
hit Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (following the massive
success of the computer game of the same name),
always "works" alone. Is he Croft's love interest
in the sequel? Whatever role he plays, the film's
director Jan De Bont didn't look like a happy
man in this cordoned-off area on the set (where
only the cast, crew members and members of the
Press were allowed).
Since
the movie is scheduled to hit the screens in July
(the original release date was June), De Bont
only has a few more months of filming before post-production
work starts. As the camera rolled, the stern-looking
director was busy figuring out the best angle
for the scene. Each take was repeated at least
eight times and shots were even done from the
top of a nearby tall building. "Cut!" he shouted,
again and again, sending the crew members into
a frenzy to change reels and set up new positions
for the cameras, etc. And it was between these
shots that Jolie rushed to her trailer to get
her two-year-old adopted son Maddox.
Immediately,
you see a different person. Jolie is no longer
the no-nonsense, tough-as-nails archaeologist
and explorer extraordinaire who enjoys life-threatening
assignments. As she wrapped her arms around Maddox
and carried him around the set, she turned into
the doting, caring mother who loves nothing more
than spending as much time as possible with her
child. "I never knew I could love someone so much,"
she said in an interview later during the day,
referring to the toddler whom she adopted shortly
after filming Tomb Raider in Cambodia.
It was
also during the filming of the movie at the historical
temple of Angkor Wat that Jolie experienced a
spiritual awakening which she admitted altered
her life forever. Since then, she is no longer
a girl, interrupted (couldn't resist that...).
With Maddox accompanying her during the filming,
"I was up until 1.30am last night finger painting
with him while everybody was sleeping. Maddox
enjoys playing football and bright lights, that's
why we love it here (Hong Kong)," she said, adding
that it was her first time in the country.
She described
the experience filming the sequel as thoroughly
enjoyable. While shooting a scene inside an active
volcano in Tanzania, she recalled hearing the
sound of molten lava from the ground, reminding
her that "there is a greater power around us".
Another location where the film was shot was the
scenic islands of Greece "but I hate water and
wearing a bikini... Maddox loves it though". Her
character is also more complex this time. "Now,
Lara is a three-dimensional human and no longer
an action figure from computer games. You will
see the feminine side of her - the 'lady' in Lara
(the character comes from an upper-class English
family), and more layers of her personality such
as her fears, strengths and weaknesses. She is
also more vulnerable."
Even
the villains, played by Hong Kong star Simon Yam
and Ciaran Hinds (The Sum of All Fears), are more
invincible. "They have a noticeable similarity
to Lara in terms of strength and agility. With
the Tomb Raider, she didn't have strong enough
enemies. But this time, it is gonna be more edgy
because she meets fighters equal to her," Jolie
explained, adding that the sequel is "funnier,
sexier and darker". She added that the good-looking
Butler plays Croft's "love interest Terry Sheridan"
but refused to elaborate since the plot was classified
information. Other cast members include Chris
Barrie (Red Dwarf), Djimon Hounsou (Gladiator)
and Noah Taylor (Vanilla Sky). She also learned
new skills including "jet-skiing, stick-fighting,
bull-riding and rifle drill" for the role.
De Bont,
who directed such box-office hits as Speed, The
Haunting and Twister, described the fighting scene
between Croft and the baddies as "sexy". "Think
of the sword fighting scene in The Mask Of Zorro
(starring Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones),
but with an edge. The difference between the first
movie and the sequel is that there was less conflict
in the former to create tension in the storyline.
But this time, it will be more prominent. In addition,
there are between 30 and 35 action scenes and
about eight to 10 highlights which are spectacularly
done," he explained.
His most
challenging task while filming the movie? "To
retain the movie's action-packed elements as seen
in computer games and at the same time, bring
out the human side of the characters," he said,
adding that "working in a pressure cooker" to
meet the release date was giving him sleepless
nights." As such, he said, post-production work
began after each scene was completed. On working
with Jolie, he said the athletic star "is ideal
to work with. She is willing to do anything the
role demands; she trained for months preparing
for it. She's an amazing actress."
Later,
during a lunch break at a hotel in Kowloon, where
the cast and crew gathered for a scrumptious eight-course
Chinese meal, I spoke to the talkative Yam who
plays the villain in the movie. Accompanying us
was the film's publicist Susan d'Arcy, who had
worked on such movies as Robin Hood: Prince of
Thieves, Gorillas In the Mist and all the Indiana
Jones films, and was assisting with the interviews.
Excited
about being in a Hollywood production, Yam said
he attended auditions held by October Pictures,
a Hong Kong-based production company which helped
identify locations for the filming and sourced
talents including extras for the movie in the
country. "Weeks later, I was told I got the part.
I was so proud and happy!" he recalled. "Everybody
on the set, from the crew to cast members, is
like family and I am very honoured to be part
of it. And Angelina (Jolie) is great to work with.
She is very helpful and casual on the set - she
makes me feel so comfortable during our fighting
scenes. It was a real challenge because we didn't
use stunt doubles."
Yam is
also proud to "introduce a bit of Hong Kong culture
to the crew" - the restaurant was recommended
by him - and, during filming, he even brought
Chinese siew pau for Angelina and Maddox ... "they
loved it!" He added that he couldn't reveal much
about his character except that "he is a businessman
who has an orb which can destroy the world. It
is very difficult to say whether he is good or
bad." Describing his experience in a Hollywood
production, Yam said: "The crew members are very
professional. They don't stop during filming to
take calls on their handphones unlike the local
productions I have been with!"
Copyright
2003 Straits Times & FARIDUL ANWAR FARINORDIN
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