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Compiled by: Jack Foley
Q. One of the many things you've said about yourself is that
you are an adrenaline junkie and you love the action side of movies;
so what's the one scene in the making of this that really rocked
your socks?
A. I loved the variety of it. I loved the polling upside down,
I loved landing in the back of his Jeep, and many, many things.
The horse was the most difficult, because any time you work with
an animal, they don't really listen to you; they tend to knock
you off into the bushes.
Q. The upside down thing... Gerard Butler has said that he
made a very bad decision to eat beforehand. Were you much too
sensible?
A. Yeah, I was prepared from the first one not to do that.
Q. Was there some small part of you that thought, 'oh God,
not again!', when doing some of these stunts?
A. No, it was more when I put some of the clothes on, I thought,
'oh no, not again!' But it's a pretty great job that you get to
do in your life, when you get trained by all these amazing people
to travel the world and learn these new skills and go on this
adventure. So even when it gets crazy or it's hard work, I don't
take it for granted.
Q. Were there moments that you wanted to do more than the
producers were prepared to let you?
A. Yeah, I think there were moments, but I think it was beyond
all of our control, in terms of insurance purposes...
Jan De Bont: Yes, I wouldn't let her jump off the building,
for instance. That's not a good thing to do. She's a good skydiver,
but there are certain things you cannot let your lead actress
do.
Q. There seems to be an explosion in young women taking part
in martial arts movies, kick boxing, and things like that. What
do you think about that?
A. It's wonderful. I came out of a generation of a lot of
women who were overly concerned with being too skinny, and being
unhealthy. I think to be athletic, and to be strong, and to be
physically fit, to inspire travel, or adventure, or any of that
is all positive.
Q. What do you think Maddox is going to make in, say, ten
years' time, when he finds this video of his mum.
[Turns to Djimon, who answers]: I think Maddox will love it.
Already when he sees her on-screen, he goes, 'mom, mom, mom!'
Angelina: He'll find it funny. I guess he'll think that
mum's a bit nuts. I'm sure it'll just be hard when I try to tell
him not to ride a motorcycle and not to get a tattoo [laughs]
He'll probably rebel against me, which means he will have to be
a really passive intellectual.
Q. With the first film, there was a feeling that you weren't
entirely happy with the way it turned out, so how do you feel
about this one?
A. That was part of the reason of wanting to do a sequel,
I think we felt there was a lot we had established in the first
one, and we got some things right; but there was a lot I was not
satisfied with....
I really am very happy with the second film.
Q. Do you get worried about the pressure that comes with having
your name above a poster?
A. Yes, there is a certain kind of pressure, but fortunately,
because of being a parent and other things I've been doing, I
don't take it so seriously. I enjoy making films now, mroe than
I did before, when I was trying to be established and trying to
work a lot, and just be in this business.
Now I feel that if I have the opportunity to continue to work,
then I am happy. But sometimes I wish there were more people on
the poster with me!
The other day I saw this cab go by with me in a silver wetsuit,
which is just weird. But I'm proud of the film, so that makes
it easier.
Q. Your a huge star, a goodwill ambassador for the UN, and
a full-time mother, do you find it hard or exhausting?
A. I think sometimes, yeah, it can be hard. But it's so wonderful,
and it gives my life so much purpose, especially Maddox and my
work at the UN, it's just such a pleasure to have a day filled
with so much responsibility. I'm finally enjoying myself, over
this past year, because of all that. And I'm tremendously grateful
for all that.
Q. Do you have any more UN commitments you can talk about?
A. I'm leaving for Russia the day after the premiere, and
then I'll be going to the Congo.
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Q. Lara Croft has a home in England, but you have a home in
Cambodia. Is this true?
A. I have a home in Buckinghamshire, actually. But I do have
a place in Cambodia. It's not a big house; it's right near a wildlife
sanctuary that I've started and we have this small area next to
it, that's basically a little wooden house on stilts and an out-house.
We're right now trying to deal with snake bit kits, and things
like that, and figuring out when it's safe. I mean, it's just
been de-mined, and they found 48 unexploded mines on the property...
Q. Was there any trepidation about moving somewhere like that?
A. There is a bit, but because my son's from that country
and there are little children running around with their parents
actually alright, I thought that if their children are expected
to do that, then mine shouldn't be an exception.
Q. Going back to the stunt sequences and the upside down sequence,
in particular, was there the option of a stunt double, and were
you ever tempted?
A. For that one, specifically, it was kind of fun, especially
as it was one of the first times I got to do something like that
with another person. I got to watch Gerard struggling with it
as well...
But I like heights, I'm very comfortable with them. I was probably
much more comfortable hanging upside down over 100ft that I was
on a jetski in a bikini. We all have our fears. It was just long...
I mean after we had been up there about 22 hours, you start to
get dizzy, and you're shooting guns. I think there was one time
when we started spinning and shooting...
Q. Was it more difficult doing the stunt work or three lines
of mandarin?
A. Three lines of mandarin. It was quite hard, yeah. I think
I spent a week in a row rocking Mad to sleep, just speaking it
over.
Q. What's it like being a single woman again?
A. Marriage is not my strong point [laughs]. I haven't really
indulged in life as a single woman in any way, because I've been
quite busy with things at the moment; but I'm sure at some point
I will, whatever that means....
Q. Returning to the question about your house in Cambodia,
was there any trepidation about moving to Buckinghamshire?
A. Pinewood Studios is so close by, Lara Croft's stuff is
moving around with me.
Q. Is there any difficulty in maintaining your level of visibility?
A. I'm looking at an apartment in New York, to have a base
there. But I don't think so, I haven't come across that yet. Buy
maybe I'll just go and do European films.
Q. Why do you think England has more to offer to you and your
young son, than any other part of the world?
A. To be honest, I grew up learning about American history,
and I've become very aware of the world, and all the different
parts of the world and its people, and I've become a student of
that and other cultures. I want my son to know that, and I feel
he will have a better education for that. I think the news is
different here, and the papers are different.
I mean without trying, even, last night there was an hour special
on Channel 4 about the Congo, which was on general television.
I don't feel that this would have happened if I was in the States.
I appreciate a lot of that here and I feel closer to other parts
of the world.
Q. There can't be many actresses who are as sought after as
you are, who decide to get involved with the UN and go off and
become one of their goodwill ambassadors. What do you think you've
achieved by doing that? And is there any sort of thing that's
really opened your eyes and thought, 'there but for the grace
of God, go I'?
A. I didn't actually intend on becoming a goodwill ambassador.
A few years ago, during the first Tomb Raider, after travelling
in Cambodia, I started to realise that there was a lot about the
world that I knew nothing about. I'd heard stories about Sierra
Leone at the time. I came back to the States and I wasn't able
to follow it as well...
So, I called this organisation in Washington and asked if they
would teach me, and if I could travel with them, I would pay for
it, if they would just point me in the right direction and give
me a contact. And so suddenly, I was in Sierra Leone.
Then a year later, I became a goodwill ambassador, so everything
has changed my life; every country I've been to, and every experience
I've had. I'm really, really aware of how fortunate we are in
countries like this and America, and how little we know about
all the other people's of the world, and what they're going through
and who they are, as well as how much we can all do.
Q. And was there one moment that really opened your eyes?
A. It's a very heavy thing to get into at something like this.
But in Sierra Leone, I met a two-year-old girl who had had her
limbs cut off... that had happened and everything that that says
was just shocking....
Q. You're obviously comfortable in the English accent, would
you like to play an English role again; perhaps less aristocratic?
A. I'd love to, yes. Maybe a part in EastEnders! Although
that was strictly off the record.
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