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Compiled by: Jack Foley
OWEN Wilson talks about performing underwater stunts, working
with Jackie Chan and his next project, Starsky
and Hutch, during the London press conference for Shanghai
Knights recently. Scroll down to find out what he had to say...
Q: In Shanghai Knights we discover that your forte is for
underwater stunts. Tell us about that?
Owen Wilson: I grew up near the ocean and I am pretty comfortable
in water. Even though I don’t think of myself as very great
at the action stuff I would give myself credit for that one scene
in which I felt I was a little stronger than Jackie. For some
reason I was more comfortable than Jackie.
Jackie Chan: I am not good with water. I am scared of water.
It makes me uncomfortable, I don’t know why. That was when
we had three days of very difficult scenes. We were hanging upside
down and it was really tough. I would throw up. You would get
a headache.
Q: Do you ever wonder or worry about whether Jackie is going
to make it through a movie?
OW: I don’t worry that much about Jackie making it
through, he has made it this far. I know that when Jackie did
the barge scene, that took two weeks and I went back to Los Angeles
and when he did the revolving doors I went to Amsterdam. So I
look forward to the stunts being as elaborate and drawn-out as
possible because it gives me a chance to catch my breath.
JC: I remember when I was doing the market fight for six
days, suddenly Owen showed up, “Hi Jackie!” I told him
not to go away because I had a shot for him. Then he did a shot
with a punch where he caught the hand.
OW: That’s why I stopped visiting the set.
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Q: Is there a chance of you two doing a third movie in the
series?
OW: They are talking about Shanghai Dawn and maybe going
to Egypt. It does seem like a Hope/Crosby thing where you can
put these characters in different situations. We have talked with
the writers about Shanghai Dawn but they have not started writing
yet.
JC: These films are fun and maybe the next one will be
in Egypt and then South Africa.
Q: Do you suggest things for the script?
OW: Jackie and I meet with the writers and director and
have suggestions. People talk about how these films are different
from the films I wrote with Wes Anderson but I think that in important
ways there are similarities. I know that Jackie’s character
has a real sense of innocence and that the comedy isn’t mean
spirited or cruel. I would say that is also in the Tennenbaums
and Rushmore. I know that Wes likes these movies too.
Q: What’s next?
OW: Next for Jackie is Around The World In 80 Days and
my brother Luke and I might do cameos in that. Maybe as the Wright
Brothers. I think there are going to be lots of cameos. Then I’m
going to do Starsky And Hutch with Ben Stiller.
Q: In Shanghai Knights Britain means bad weather and bad teeth.
What about Britain surprised you when you first came here?
OW: I was always a big Winston Churchill fan so it was
fun for me to go to his bunker and the War Room and hear the tapes
of his addresses during World War II. I don’t know why Churchill?
But in Rushmore we had a big portrait of Churchill behind the
headmaster. He was half American.
Q: Do you think you could write a part for Jackie, should he ever
decide to give up action movies?
OW: Just his book I Am Jackie Chan would be a good movie
with all that stuff that happened to him as a kid. I know from
acting with Jackie that aside from the fight scenes that we do
that it is good to play straight scenes off Jackie.
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