|
Compiled by: Jack Foley
Q. Your stars have variously described you as a barrel of
monkeys and a runaway train. How do you see yourself?
A. Well, I can imagine that I was rather possessed on this
movie. I guess I can sort of see myself on this movie like a mountain
climber, climbing Mount Everest and just trying to get to the
top and just put my flag in there.
Q. What's going to happen next? There have been various stories
about how you might further the franchise?
A. Some of these things are possible. I spent all the time
writing the script and coming up with the whole mythology, so
I kind of know all the different stories that have happened. So
I'm thinking about the idea of doing some graphic novels, that
could follow the story, or some of the other Deadly Vipers, if
I wanted to.
I thought about the idea of writing an anime feature, which would
be the origin of Bill, right? It would be a complete anime feature
about how Bill became Bill. It would deal with the three godfathers
of his.
And then I've thought about the idea of, 15 years from now, doing
a sequel to these two movies, that would follow Vivica Fox's daughter,
as she tries to get revenge on The Bride.
Q. It's turned out to be a brilliant concept splitting the
story, but did you have any fears at all about how it would work
in practice?
A. I had a little bit of fear about the second one, because
we hadn't cut it yet. I knew it would work for the first one,
because I knew the fight at the end was a really fantastic climax.
It was really about whether I had enough movie to be a completely
satisfying experience for Volume Two. There was a little bit that
I didn't know, because the way we did it, we weren't able to edit
the footage or anything for Volume Two when we finished Volume
One. We had to just go ahead and do everything on Volume One,
go around the world, sell it, and all that stuff. Last time I
was in England, for Volume One, we hadn't even touched Volume
Two yet, so as I was talking about that movie, that was the only
one I had done, and then we had to go and put it all together
afterwards. It ended up working out just fine, but there was a
little bit of thought that we had to really pull it out of Volume
Two to make it a volume on its own.
Q. We heard earlier about how you raided some of your stars'
wardrobes for the film? Did you actually go round to Samuel L
Jackson's house and raid him out of it?
A. How Sam Jackson got into the movie, was that he loves kung
fu movies, so when he read the script, he was just like, 'hey,
I've got to be in this; I got to be in this!'
So then I said, 'well, there's not really a part for you', he
said. 'well, make a part for me. How about the organ player? You
know? I'm feeling the organ player, let me play the organ player!'
I hadn't written anyone specifically for the organ player, he
was just an organ player then, so me and Sam came up with his
whole little speech pretty much on the day.
Q. Do you ever experience self-doubt, in your own abilities,
for instance?
A. I don't have that much doubt about stuff, when it comes
to movies that I'm trying to do, I guess if I did, I wouldn't
do them, I'd be more skiddish about it. It's not about arrogance,
it's coming out of me being a movie fan, and I'm making stuff
that I want to see. Now maybe it's stuff that no one else but
me wants to see, but I'm just betting that there's other people
like me out there.
Q. You're known for having a strong stomach. Is there anything
that has ever turned your stomach in any of your films?
A. No. Not in my films.
Q. In other films?
A. Yeah, I guess there's some gross stuff. Actually, I was
watching an episode of Jackass, where Johnny Knoxville put a bunch
of live leaches in his mouth, and I started gagging.
And I remember when I saw Monty Python's Meaning of Life, that
fat bastard guy that does all the puking, that was really gross.
I remember sitting in the movie thinking that if somebody vomits,
and I actually smell vomit while I'm watching this, I'm going
to hurl.
|
 |
Q. In casting David Carradine and Daryl Hannah in this movie,
you undoubtedly given their career a renaissance, which is something
you've also done with John Travolta in the past. Is there a British
actor or actress you'd like to help enjoy a similar renaissance?
A. Well, I guess after Lord
of the Rings, Christopher Lee doesn't really need my help
anymore, but I'm a huge Christopher Lee fan. One of my favourite
times ever, at a film festival, was at the San Sebastian Film
Festival, when I got to meet him. I went to dinner with him and
his wife, and he just sat there and told me stories about all
the Hammer movies, and stuff. It was really, really cool.
Gosh, I've always liked Tommy Steele.
Q. Is this a secret passion for Half A Sixpence?
A. When I think of Tommy Steele, I think of that movie, Rock
Around the World, or Twist Around The World. But also when I think
of him, I think of The Happiest Millionaire, that Disney movie.
[does impression]
No, the British actor I would have cast is Dick van Dyke!
Q. You were supposed to make a World War movie before Kill
Bill? Are there still plans?
A. I'm probably going to do that next. I've got to have a
little bit of rest time and everything, but it will probably be
the movie I do next. A Dirty Dozen kind of movie.
Q. What's been your reaction to the outstanding $25 million
weekend gross?
A. Well, God, it's pretty terrific, you know. I've worked
on this movie, if you count the writing of the script, which I
do, for four years, so admittedly, if we'd poo-pooed at the box
office, you would feel anti-climactic. We wouldn't be done, of
course, as it would still be up to history to judge it, but we
would definitely be anti-climactic.
But now, having done really well at the box office, on our second
time at bat, after working for four years, it's pretty gratifying.
Q. You didn't appear in this film. Does this mark the end
of Quentin, the actor?
A. I haven't been acting for a while because I've been working
on Kill Bill for four years. But during that time I did a little
part on the TV show, Alias.
If somebody offered me a good role, and I read it and like it,
I'll do it. And if I have a role that, as I'm writing it, makes
me think I'm the guy to play it, then I'll play it, but there
wasn't really anything for me in Kill Bill.
Q. David Carradine mentioned that one of his scenes - a duel
scene - got cut. Was there anything that you really hated to lose?
A. I'm going to put this really cool little fight scene between
David and Mike Jay White, who is a terrific actor, from the movie
Spawn, but I didn't hate to lose it because it just wasn't right.
I didn't need it. The movie was long enough as it was.
But it would be perfect to put in a special section of the DVD,
as a stand-alone cool scene. But the really cool thing about doing
it as two movies was that I didn't really have anything left.
It's pretty much all been used.
Q. How do you feel about being head of the jury at the Cannes
Film Festival and do you think you're going to surprise people
with your choice of films?
A. Well, it's like a dream come true to be the president.
I've always considered Cannes to be the pinnacle of world film-making;
the greatest directors in the world go there. So to be going there
ten years after winning the Palme d'Or to be president of the
jury is terrific.
I'm looking forward to going. But the thing is, the head of the
jury is not a bully, but one of the things he gets to do is pretty
much figure out what the aesthetic of this jury is going to be
- is it going to be political, or national - mine is that there's
no politics, there's no nothing, it's all about movies and may
the best one win!
Q. Patrick Stewart said recently that films like Kill Bill
don't actually empower women, as they claim, so much as they glamorize
violence towards women. What would you say to that, in relation
to Kill Bill?
A. Naturally, I don't think it's a correct comment in relation
to Kill Bill.
Q. As a cult filmmaker who has been responsible for some big
box office hits, do you feel as though you have played a role
in glamorizing violence?
A. No and no.
Q. As all of the Kill Bill stars took on martial arts training
for the film, who would win in a fight?
A. No one really learned martial arts, they learned movie
martial arts. So if we're talking about that, then it would have
to be The Bride, because she learned everything to be able to
fight everyone according to their own fighting style.
Q. Which is your favourite volume?
A. I think of it as one movie, really, so it's hard to say.
Both are the same, and both are different in ways that make them
equally special to me. Volume Two is more emotional and has greater
characterisation, but I love the fight scene in Volume One.
Q. Are there any plans to make a Bond movie?
A. I would really love to do a Bond film. But I would like
to do Casino Royale, which hasn't been filmed, other than that
stupid version in the Sixties. It's one of the best stories and
the first film, so it's ironic that it's never been done.
My movie would be different to Bond movies of late, but if the
producers agreed to do it, they really couldn't lose. And if I
could do it my way, then I'd love to have the opportunity. But
I'm not sure where we are with that one.
|
