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MI6 caught up with Michael Madsen while he was
on hiatus on his latest European based project "Red
Light Runners". In this two part interview we
talk about his career on and off screen, "Die
Another Day", and much more…
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Michael Madsen Interview (Part 1)
9th December 2003
MI6 caught up with Michael Madsen while he was on hiatus on his
latest European based project "Red Light Runners". In
this two part interview we talk about his career on and off screen,
"Die Another Day", and much more…
Bonding It Up..
How did you land your role as Damian Falco in Die Another
Day?
Pierce Brosnan is a friend of mine. He lives down the road
from me in LA and our kids play together. I also know Lee Tamahori
because he directed Mulholland Falls - it's a film I did with
Nick Nolte. So when I heard that Lee was going to do the Bond
feature I thought it might be fun to do a role in there, and virtually
there wasn't very much for me to do, but I told him, I said that
I just wanted to work. You know I just wanted to go to London
and work at Pinewood Studios and be part of the Bond, the mythology
of Bond.
I didn't care that the part wasn't that big I just wanted to
have some fun with it so that's how that happened and they decided
that they would make me a recurring character so I guess I'll
come back in another one.
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How did it feel being part of the worlds most famous
movie series?
Well there again it is the most successful franchise in
film history and you know I got a real big kick out of it,
I loved Barbara Broccoli she's a really sweet woman and
I really liked shooting at Pinewood. I mean there's some
real history there the Bond films they were all done there
except for one. It was a long shot but it really introduced
me to London and because of that part of it I've got a lot
of good memories.
What do you believe your pivotal role has been which
launched you into the limelight??
I guess it would have to be either "Thelma and Louise"
or "Reservoir Dogs."
What is your favourite Bond film?
I really like Thunderball.
And the last film, "Die Another Day"?
Really Good.
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Above: Reservoir Dogs Poster |
Are you a fan of the Bond series as a whole?
I was a fan of the Sean Connery Bond. Of course, those are the ones
that I remember the most. I didn't think much of many of them up
until "Die Another Day" because I thought Pierce was so
good. I was really impressed by Pierce. I thought that he did a
really good job. I think that he resurrected the whole franchise.
I don't know how many more he's going to do but he's definitely
the best one they've had for a really long time..
Above: Michael Madsen |
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Do you have any favourite memories from the production
of the film?
Yeah, I got a bicycle that was actually in one of the sound
stages and everyday I took a ride on it. I rode all over
Pinewood Studios and even rode inside the building and the
famous hallway that has all the posters in it from all the
Pinewood pictures.
I had still photography take a picture of me riding that
bike and I gave it to Barbara Broccoli at the end of the
shoot as a gift.
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Looking Back...
Did you have any crappy jobs before you got your first acting
job?
Oh man, I drove a tow truck and I worked in a gas station as an
auto-mechanic. I was a pipe fitter in a hospital, a plumber, painted
houses and cars. I built cars, raced cars, I did a million things
before that ever happened.
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The Personal Touch...
When did you begin writing poetry, can you tell us
a little about how you got started out?
Well, I never planned on writing any books, that's for sure,
and it just kind of happened over time. And I guess I started
10 or 15 years ago just writing down things on napkins and
matchbooks. Hanging out in hotels and airplanes and being
an actor is somewhat of a lonely life and you have time
on your hands.
Sometimes I would write things down for whatever reason
and they ended up with a publisher. I wasn't sure whether
I wanted to share those kind of memories with the rest of
the world but that's exactly what happened. The first book
I think sold out of print and the second one is doing really
well.
I've got a deal with Borders now so I'll get nationwide
distribution and I've finished my third book which is called
"36 Down". It's at the publishers now. But I'm
not likely to write anymore. I haven't written a word since
I finished the third book and every time I feel a story
or a poem coming on I just kind of chase it away I'm not
sure why. But I have this feeling that I'm not going to
write anymore.
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Above: Michael Madsen on location -
"Red Light Runners" Image courtesy of Empire Online
Click
here for more behind the scene images. |
"Red Light Runners" And Other Projects...
Can you tell us about your current project "Red Light
Runners" and a little about your character?
"Red Light Runners" is a movie which evolved over a
long period of time (almost two years). I'm also trying to take
destiny into my own hands and produce films instead of being just
a gun for hire, so I reached out to some actor friends of mine
Harvey Keitel and Peter O'Toole and a director friend of mine
Nick Egen and we tried really hard to put it together. It just
didn't seem like it was going to work and then a guy came along
from Ireland with some money to finance it. So the script went
through so many different changes that it's impossible for me
to tell you how many incarnations it came through but now that
we finally started shooting we are doing pretty well.
It's a heist movie about the British Museum. My character (Killian)
works for the CIA and he has a change of heart. The character
starts off a kind of rough kind of guy and then he has a change
of consciousness over an accident that happened and decides that
he wants to do something good with his life. So, he gets a cast
of characters together to get some religious artifacts back from
the British Museum and return them to their originating countries.
Above: Michael Madsen as Wallace Sebastian
Blount in his forthcoming film "Blueberry". Image
courtesy UGC International. |
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Has there been Any news on the Vega Brothers Films?
Once upon a time there was going to be a "Vega Brothers"
movie and then as time went by Quentin decided that it was
impossible. John and I are like 10 years older and so we
couldn't really make a prequel.
How could we make a story about two guys who before they
are both killed were 10 years older.
So he told a big crowd of people in San Diego that there
wasn't going to be a "Vega Brothers" movie, but
then he went off to Mexico for a couple of days and he called
me right when he came back from there to tell me that he
had came up with an idea and a concept that would make the
characters work and I can't tell you what it is but I can
tell you that it is definitely back on his mind and I do
think there is going to be a "Vega Brothers" movie.
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What is your next role?
Well Kill Bill: Volume 2 is coming out in February and I
also did a western "Blueberry" that is coming out in
February, and I'm very much looking forward to that.
Look out for part two of this interview in which we talk about
Damian Falco's future in the Bond franchise and touch on Kill
Bill: Volume 2.
Many thanks to Michael Madsen.
Related Articles:
Interview - Michael Madsen
(Part 2)
Die Another Day MI6 Movie
Coverage
Official
Blueberry website
Official Kill
Bill website
