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Chris O'Donnell Interview
by Judy Sloane
as featured in the August 1995 issue of Film Review Special #12
Posted by raleagh on Mon, 21st January 2008 at 6:06am
This article has been viewed 1048 times |
Chris O'Donnell , the 25-year-old star of Scent of a Woman and The Three Musketeers, trades his Mr Nice Guy for Mr Hot Stuff in a dashing appearance as the sexy and cocky Robin in Batman Forever. Meeting up with the new Boy Wonder in Atlanta, we asked him some thought-provoking questions.
Were you a big Batman fan as a kid? I owned the Batmobile, three Batboats and the dolls. But they were very different to the new toys. Everybody thought it was time for a whole different look. My favourite prop on the movie was the Batboat, and they are unbelievable. But from a technical standpoint, the Giant Bat is my favourite.
Did you ever watch the TV series? Growing up I saw most of the episodes. They're still on cable and I see them late night sometimes.
Why do you think you were selected as Robin? It's because of my dynamic, superhero abilities [laughs]. I was lucky. On Batman Returns they had hired Marlon Wayans as Robin, but then they decided not to introduce Robin in that movie. I had a general meeting with Joel last year, while he was directing The Client, and he told me he might be doing Batman. But he didn't mention me doing Robin. He only told me that he had liked my work in Men Don't Leave and that he wanted to work with me one day. Then I heard about the talent search they had for Robin. It can't have worked out better because when I was in between Circle of Friends and Mad Love my agent told me I was offered the part.
Did you do any research for the film? I did some pretty deep research [laughs]. I did go back and research comic books, and it was pretty intense. It was difficult trying to follow the little captions!
What was the best thing about being in the film? Driving the Batmobile. It goes incredibly fast. Unfortunately, I couldn't drive it fast 'cause we were in a small area. I'd love to take it on the open road!
Your film costume is a bit different from the TV Robin outfit. Thankfully I don't wear tights. Robin's costume is moulded, like Batman's costume. When you start to sweat, it's uncomfortable. And if you take the suit off for a while, then put it back on, it's cold. The most uncomfortable part was the mask - it was glued to my face.
You had a body mould done? Yes, they had life-size statues of us that they would dress the costumes on. They did an entire mould of my body. One guy was there to clear my nostrils so I could breathe. Later, I went to a toy convention in New York and they had the costume on my mannequin, and they had made up my face with natural make-up. It looked really like me, and I freaked out.
And what about the cod- piece? The good thing about that codpiece is that it was built with an emergency escape hatch. I could flip it up, exposing a zipper, so it was easier to go to the restroom.
And you dyed your hair. Only with temporary stuff, I was blond again a day after I finished shooting.
How did it feel going on the set with all those big stars? There were a lot of stars there but I think the sets and the Batmobile and all the gadgets and the costumes stole it away from the stars. It was like, 'Oh, God, look at that!' Then, 'Oh, how are you doing, Tommy? Look at that Batmobile!!'
Was it a friendly set? It was a really friendly set. They got us all together before we started filming, so we knew each other. And Joel's so sweet. He's constantly joking and making everybody feel important. Working with him is one of the best experiences I've had.
Why the change in Robin's image? Joel wanted to make Robin tougher. Robin has come from the circus and has led a gypsy lifestyle. He has a bike, leather jacket and an earring as Dick Grayson. Joel thought it was time for a different attitude.
What was the toughest part of the shoot? The fight scenes. I had martial arts training because there were a lot of fighting scenes. I was getting up like at 4am, to practise leg kicks with a martial arts master - and then I pulled a hamstring! Actually, most of the fight scenes, you do in such small pieces that it's like a punch and a kick and cut. So you don't need to learn too much.
Did you do all the stunts yourself? Mitch Gaylord did a lot of my stuff. When I saw the finished movie, I was quite surprised. Robin did things I never did. But I was happy because they made me look pretty good.
Was it wild to see it the first time? Yeah. It was cool. Usually I get really self-conscious when I see films that I'm in. I can't stand to watch them, but because this is a film where for so much of the filming I wasn't even there and with such an ensemble cast, it was like a whole new movie to me. When you put it all together with special effects, it's a totally different experience than watching yourself in a simple dramatic piece.
What impact did Tim Burton have on Batman Forever? I'm not really sure. I've never met him. If he was on the set, he wasn't there on the days I worked. But his mark is definitely on this movie because he created the look of the new Batman in the two first films. He brought it from the TV show to what it is now.
You have this amazing laundry scene in which you dry your socks in a rather peculiar way. It took me a couple of days to leam to do the socks. It looked strange walking around the set whipping wet socks around you. People were like, 'What the hell is he doing?' I'd spray water all over the place.
Did you and Val Kilmer work especially on the relationship between Batman and Robin? No. It's not like the whole film is about Batman and Robin and their relationship. But we worked well together.
How did you start in the business? I started doing TV commercials and modelling at thirteen. I'd always get the jobs because I looked much younger than I was and I was more mature than the other kids. Then my agent sent me on an audition to play Jessica Lange's son in Men Don't Leave and somehow I got it.
Did you always dream of becoming an actor? No, in the beginning I was more interested in School than filming, and I only acted during the summer vacation. I wanted to go to business School and get a job in New York at an investment bank. I enjoyed the acting, but I'm a realist and never thought it would be more than day-dreaming. After Scent of a Woman I got hooked on it and now it's my priority.
Did you ever finish your degree in marketing? I finished it during the shooting of Batman. Three times a week I took evening classes at UCLA. It was hard work. Often I did homework in between takes. Although I'm really into acting now, I think marketing is a very good background for somebody in my business. Marketing is playing a bigger and bigger part in films. They spend as much money on a lot of films in marketing them as they do in the production.
Do you keep in touch with your co-stars? On every movie I've worked on, there have been a couple of people that I've kept in touch with, usually a director or some crew member. The actors are hard to stay in touch with. We all travel so much because of work.
What are you doing next? Hopefullya romantic comedy. Not a big Spoof, more sophisticated, like a When Harry Met Sally kind of thing.
Do you get offered a lot of strange film roles? Once in a while I get something in which the character is so much older, or so much younger that you think, 'What are they thinking?' But they have the intention of re-writing it for me.
Are you signed up for many Batman sequels? For about six of them (laughs). No, no, just kidding. I'm supposed to do another one. And it looks like it from the last shot of the film, doesn't it? That shot was done with doubles though. Anyway, they can't force me to do any more movies if I don't like the script or the director. But it was a really good experience, So I'm sure I'll be back. |
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