Avatar. One of the few examples of a highly anticipated film that actually delivers on its hype. Not only that, but it’s also the biggest movie of all time.
At the New York Comic-Con 2010, I got the chance to go one on one with Avatar’s main baddie, Colonel Quaritch, played by the immensely talented Stephen Lang. You might not know it from his no-nonsense, jacked up appearance in the film, but the man is an accomplished stage actor with a whole lot of technical know-how. We talked about the success of Avatar, it’s upcoming Extended Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release on November 16, and the difference between acting on stage and on set.
CraveOnline: Stephen, thanks so much for taking the time out to talk with us today.
Stephen Lang: My pleasure.
CraveOnline: So, stepping into your role in Avatar as Colonel Quaritch, did you have any idea what you were walking into, that it was going to be the biggest movie of all time?
Stephen Lang: I didn’t know it was going to be the biggest movie of all time, but I knew from the very beginning it was going to be really challenging and I was going to make sure that I worked as hard as I needed to work hold up my end of the bargain on the film.
CraveOnline: How was it working with James Cameron? Avatar was his first feature film in a while, did he push you really hard?
Stephen Lang: Yeah, sure. Jim does push you really hard, he pushes everyone hard, but he leads by example. He pushes himself harder than he pushes anyone else. By the same token, Jim is one of the most fun people to work with possible, and I imagine the cast down to everyone would say that. He’s highly improvisational, he’s very, very collaborative, he really wants you to bring everything you can to it. So he’s a pleasure to work with, and he’s got one of the best senses of humor.
CraveOnline: I imagine a lot of that probably plays into why the film is so good and so successful, that you’re all so driven but still collaborative, and it all plays off of each other.
Stephen Lang: Well, I think that it comes down to this: on any given day of filming, there’s no place one would rather be. You know, you just look around and see all this tremendous collection of creative people with this energy that’s all focused on creating this crazy, imaginary world and I found it really invigorating.
CraveOnline: That’s awesome. Now, you have a strong stage background. It’s a huge difference, but do you prepare yourself in a different way from doing a stage show in comparison to a giant blockbuster movie?
Stephen Lang: I think that there are technical challenges that are different sometimes in both the stage and film. They both present plenty of challenges. Look, I’d say that at its most fundamental, acting whether it’s for stage or film or television, is the same. I mean, if Quaritch were on stage, would I be approaching him differently? I guess probably to some extent, but not that much. They always say God is in the details, and that’s true. In film, you’re allowed the resource of extreme closeup, which you may not have on stage. So you gear your performance accordingly, it seems to me. Acting under any circumstances always presents its own unique set of challenges depending on the project that you’re in. And I’ve been doing it for so long that I’m not particularly thrown by challenges, I dig ‘em. I really dig having them.
CraveOnline: It keeps it fresh.
Stephen Lang: Yeah, and I’m terrified of them at the appropriate time, but I know enough to know that, okay, that’s a feeling that you have, that’s not a bad feeling [laughs].
CraveOnline: Right. Do you prefer one over the other? You’ve got a lot of film and TV coming up, but would you like to go back to the stage?
Stephen Lang: Well sure, I love the stage. It’s terrifying in a way that film and television is not. When you’re about to go out, and you’re adrenaline just gets out of control and that can be really daunting.
CraveOnline: And that feeling never goes away, even as your career moves onward?
Stephen Lang: Oh, no. With me, I think as I’ve gotten older it’s probably intensified. [laughs] Absolutely.
CraveOnline: I would imagine that drives the desire to do it, though.
Stephen Lang: It does, but you also want to be able to kind of control it, in a way. I mean you want to be able to unleash yourself but you also don’t want to just fall off the stage [laughs].
CraveOnline: [laughs] Now, the Blu-ray release of the Extended Avatar is coming November 16, have you done anything extra for the disc?
Stephen Lang: Yes! November 16, right. There’s a lot of extras on it, and all stuff that I have done in the past. I mean we were doing behind-the-scenes and interviews, and I think there were 48 scenes that had been deleted that are now available to be seen. Plus, an extra 16 minutes added to the print. When you get the DVD you get 3 DVDs, one of which is what was released back in December of ‘09, then the one with the additional 8 minutes that was released several months ago, and then the new one which has 16 minutes of additional footage plus a whole ream of other features.
CraveOnline: That’s insane.
Stephen Lang: [laughs] It’s a lot of stuff! I mean if you’re into Avatar, it’s the thing.
CraveOnline: Yes, definitely. Has the success of Avatar opened up new doors for you at all?
Stephen Lang: It has because it was such an identifiable role. Although I’m scarred, I’m not hidden under a beard or a lot of makeup. And look, there’s nothing like being in a hit film because you get a certain amount of collateral credit for it, which is good! [laughs] So, yes. It’s been the best thing that’s happened in my career, for sure.
CraveOnline: Can you talk at all about Terra Nova, your upcoming television series?
Stephen Lang: I’m setting off in about three weeks to make it, I can’t say too much about it. It’s a high concept series, the pedigree of the creators goes without saying, sort of unimpeachable. Pretty good people with Steven Spielberg and Fox. I expect it’s going to be a great adventure.
CraveOnline: Best of luck to you Stephen, and congratulations on the success of Avatar thus far. Thanks again for taking the time with us, and enjoy the rest of the show.
Stephen Lang: Thanks so much.
All images and video courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox.
