We all wanted Clive Owen to play James Bond because he is the ultimate badass, but now he's rewarded us for his patience. Owen plays a totally original badass in Shoot Em Up. Known only as Mr. Smith (surely not his real name), Owen's character stumbles on bad guys chasing a woman in labor and ends up protecting her newborn infant from gun wielding maniacs throughout the movie. He uses everything from sharp shooting to carrots as weapons and even takes out the bad guys while getting it on with the leading lady. It's so wild and crazy, Owen couldn't help but keep up the wisecracking one liners during an interview.
CraveOnline: What attracted you to this script?Clive Owen: Its originality really. I’d never read anything quite as crazy and wild and mad as this script. That’s why I wanted to do it.
CraveOnline: How does it feel to kill someone with a carrot?Clive Owen: One of the challenges of the movie was trying to make carrots cool. That was the biggest challenge.
CraveOnline: I hate a lot of the same things your character does. What pet peeves do you have?Clive Owen: I don’t really. I’m quite calm but I relate to the road rage one. When there’s an idiot driving crazily in front of you, that can wind the best of you up.
CraveOnline: Did you create a back story for where this guy was before the bus stop?
Clive Owen: No.
CraveOnline: Isn’t the best part that he has no back story?
Clive Owen: That is. I like that. I think it’s important. Even when Paul’s character gives us that history, we don’t know if he’s right or not. And that’s good. All you need to know about that guy is that when it all goes off, he’s going to deliver. That’s all you need to know.
CraveOnline: If he hates everything, why does he care that the baby not get killed?
Clive Owen: Because he’s a nice guy. He’s a nice guy. All those guys that get killed, they all deserve it.
CraveOnline: Which came first of the two movies where you save a baby?
Clive Owen: Two movies where I’m delivering a baby. It was very bizarre, two films back to back shooting, with full on delivery scenes with my delivering a baby. It’s weird. I don't know why, but I’ve been there twice in real life too so I felt I could draw on that experience.
CraveOnline: Did you ever want to be a doctor?Clive Owen: No, but luckily when my two girls were born, I wasn’t being shot at.
CraveOnline: Have you seen any of the John Woo movies?Clive Owen: Yeah, I love those films. There’s no question he must have got his inspiration from Hard Boiled, with the scene with the baby. They're operatic in terms of their sort of action ambitions. I think they’re wonderful films, those early John Woo films.
CraveOnline: How was your experience taking the film to Comic Con?Clive Owen: I made it out. [Laughs] I’m here. I actually, to be honest with you, I didn’t think it was as crazy as everyone built it up to be. There’s a huge amount of people that are very passionate about what they’re into and it’s a cool thing that they all come together and share it. If you’re crazy about some character in some comic book or whatever and you can go and share it, there was about 10 versions of Rutger Hauer in Blade Runner walking around that hall. And they all get together and can realize they’re not alone.
Clive Owen: It was a little tricky and there were some pretty crazy characters there. I could. Yeah, I did. I walked through there but I couldn’t hang about. I had to have a bit of a pace on.
CraveOnline: How easy or difficult was the love scene gunfight?Clive Owen: He animated it. That was one of the scenes; you know he did all this animated pitch for the movie and that was one of the scenes he animated. All the action sequences, we kept very close to the animation shot by shot. That was a little trickier because some of it was physically impossible to do. Stick drawings could do everything but Monica and I, we had to adapt a little.
CraveOnline: So what were the challenges of filming that love scene with Monica Bellucci?Clive Owen: Oh, it was so difficult. It’s work, work, work. [Laughs] Actually, there were challenges because it’s actually a full blown shoot out. It just happens to be whilst making love. But it was still a big technical, had to be prepared and rehearsed and worked out because there was such a lot going on. But it is one of the wittiest, funniest scenes in the movie.
CraveOnline: Does this movie say anything about guns inClive Owen: There’s not a big gun culture in
Clive Owen: There was a lot of weapons because I shoot a vast array of different guns. It was an experience.
CraveOnline: Is this kind of therapeutic looking back on Derailed, where the character doesn’t do what you want him to do?Clive Owen: It was the same guy. I’m glad you spotted that. It was his revenge.
CraveOnline: What thought have you given to playing Mr. Smith again?Clive Owen: We’ll see how this one goes. Mike has already written a script and on my life, it makes this look like kids’ television. I honestly don’t think he’ll get it past the censors. That’s how ridiculous it is. The merging of sex and violence in the next one is verging on porn.
CraveOnline: Children of Men was awesome too. Why do you think it didn’t connect with more people at the box office?Clive Owen: It’s very hard to put your finger on why that happens sometimes. I know for a fact, I was actually with Chivo who shot the film, last night. He’s in
Clive Owen: I mean, it certainly gets an incredible reaction from a lot of people around me. People always come up to me and tell me how fantastic they think the movie is so I do think. And it feels like a movie that will stand the test of time. There’s something very real and authentic about it that I don't think it will date because it’s a visionary movie.
CraveOnline: If it has a life on DVD, could they make a sequel or prequel?Clive Owen: No, I don't think there would ever be a sequel. Excitingly, Alfonso and I are talking about doing another film together. I do think he’s a really incredible, special talent. But no, it’s amazing the impact the film’s had. Even if it didn’t get a huge, broad- - it wasn’t hugely commercially successful but it certainly made a very big impact?
CraveOnline: How far along is he on the script?Clive Owen: We’re talking about a number of ideas but we’re just both very, very keen to have the experience because I adore the guy. We got on fantastically. It was one of the best collaborations I’ve ever had in my career. I think there is something so unique and authentic about the way he makes movies and what he’s after. I want to be in movies that stand the test of time. I think he’s the guy to follow if you want to be in one of them.
CraveOnline: Have expectations of you gotten higher since your Oscar nomination?Clive Owen: No. I try every film I do to be as good as I can and that’s all I can do. I can’t step up again because I put everything I can into my movies anyway.
CraveOnline: Are you at all in real life like your character in Shoot Em Up?Clive Owen: Not at all. No, I think this film exists in the crazy, crazy Michael Davis complete cinematic experience. The violence and the craziness in the film I think has no relation to my real life. It’s pure unashamed entertainment that says we’ll deliver certain things in this film. One of them will be wicked action sequences with a wicked sense of humor.
CraveOnline: Do you think audiences get hung up on reality too much, even with ridiculous action movies?Clive Owen: Yeah. I do. I think that this film exists in pure cinema. Occasionally people might get upset with the violence in Shoot ‘Em Up and they’ll ask you to justify it. I say, “It’s like Tom and Jerry. It’s nothing to do with real violence in the real world. You will never see a shootout with guys skydiving from a plane. It’s not going to happen. It’s entertainment.” You have to admit that watching a really brilliantly well conceived action sequence is a satisfying thing in movies.
