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Compiled by: Jack Foley
Q. What was your most influential sci-fi movie?
A. 2001, actually…
Will Smith: We know what year it was, what was
the film…
Alex: [Laughs] I was driving a cab up until that
point. I saw that film when I was really young and it just completely
blew my mind. I had no idea what it was about, and probably still
don’t actually, but it was really an amazing experience.
Q. The film clearly states a bleak depiction of man versus
machine in the not too distant future. How are you both with technology
/machinery? And what’s the thing you most fear happening
to man, with technology?
A. Well, firstly, I don’t think that it necessarily
does paint a bleak picture. I think some bad stuff does happen
in the film, and I won’t deny that, but I like to think
of the film as an optimistic statement about the future. Personally,
I embrace technology; I think you have to, and I look forward
to the future as an individual.
As for the second part of the question, I don’t think I
dread any part of future technology, as long as it’s used
intelligently. That’s really the key. I think that’s
partly what science fiction does; it allows people a chance to
think about the possibilities the future holds for us, and hopefully
approach them with some level of intelligence.
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Q. But does it concern you
that we might stop reading books, for instance?
A. I don’t think we have, have we?
Q. Hollywood churns out huge blockbusters like I, Robot
all of the time. Why can’t Europe manage it?
A. It’s just an industry. I can answer the question,
kind of, because I come from Australia, and you could apply the
same question to why isn’t Australia making big Hollywood-style
blockbusters, and it’s literally because we don’t
have an industry there. Hollywood is an industry that’s
been operating for 100 years now, and it’s really that momentum
that’s being created, that allows people to invest the amounts
of money that it takes to make a film like this, and have some
hope that they’ll recoup it. Anyone else in the world might
be a little terrified of that prospect, probably.
Q. What were the biggest challenges of making this film?
A. It was a huge challenge for me, because we wanted
to make the robots as authentic and as believable as we could.
So yeah, that was the biggest challenge, particularly with Sonny,
to make him as credible as we could. We go into great, elaborate
detail for people who want to hear it on the DVD.
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