Wrath of the Titans‘ demigod Sam Worthington talks getting beaten up, the humour of Christian Bale and the pleasures of getting up late, with Flicks’s Hamish McKenzie in New York.
Sam Worthington as Perseus in 'Wrath of the Titans'
Australian beefcake Sam Worthington endured a heavy round of criticism in the almost universally derided 2010 fantasy action blockbuster Clash of the Titans, and the actor himself said publicly that he wasn’t pleased with his performance – or, by implication, the film, which was a schlocky and too-serious remake of a 1981 classic with some ill-fitting 3D effects pasted on in post-production. Despite its flaws, the film made a whopping profit, and so Warner Bros saw fit to make a sequel, Wrath of the Titans (opening in New Zealand today).
That must have made Worthington a tad apprehensive. Would he get another critical walloping? Would he be able to break out of the Avatar-induced fantasy pigeon-hole? Would the film be any good?
But this time, Worthington is a lot happier. As well being joined by a stellar cast that includes returnees Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes and adds Toby Kebbell, Bill Nighy and Rosamund Pike, Worthington found a superior story, kick-ass special effects, and a new director, 35-year-old South African Jonathan Liebesman, who got him excited about the project.
It was with good cause. Wrath of the Titans picks up on Worthington’s demigod character Perseus 10 years after his heroic defeat of the monstrous Kraken. Perseus is living as a simple fisherman with his son, Helius, when he is suddenly called on to save humanity from warring gods Zeus (Neeson), Heads (Fiennes), Ares (Edgar Ramirez) and the hellish patriarch Kronos (big fiery volcano thing). Perseus’ quests takes him through an apocalyptic world of frightening multi-headed monsters, giant-cyclops-ridden forests, and a spectacularly imagined labyrinth.
On the eve of the film’s US premiere, Worthington, wearing heavy stubble, a dark hoodie and a white T-shirt, sat down in a New York hotel room and talked about a surprising titan revival.
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FLICKS: You were quoted as saying the first movie could be improved upon. What motivated you to do Wrath of the Titans?
WORTHINGTON: Jonathan [Liebesman] had a list of ideas for where he wanted to take each of these characters, and I know that he talked individually to all of us and discussed what we wanted, and the main thing that sold it to me is he wanted to make a big kind of Western. That’s what it was. [Perseus] is a gun-slinger – a retired gun-slinger. That to me was a great idea – he’s like Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven, except he’s 35 and he’s rusty. That was something I hadn’t seen in an action movie for a long time.
And then when I watched Battle Los Angeles [also directed by Liebesman], I knew that he had a great way of combining special effects with real life, so he excited me and the more he kept talking about character and action scenes, the more I went, ‘Well, now you can make it bigger and better’. It was his enthusiasm that got me excited for it.
What do you think of the movie?
I love it, I think it’s great. I’ve done a better job. I hope so – but in my opinion I have. I think the 3D’s better, I think the story’s better. The themes of the family are better, the special effects are better. I love it. It’s weird, because sometimes you try to sell a movie and it’s hard to sell it, because there’s something about it. But with this one I was like, yeah, because it’s what I wanted.
“I think I’m f**king funny… I said the other day, I’d like to do a comedy, me, Russell Crowe and Christian Bale.”
It seemed like you got bashed up quite a bit in the movie. Did you expect that much physical action?
Yeah, I was dumb enough to suggest, “Let’s beat him up the whole way”. So I knew what I was doing. I looked at movies that I liked growing up, where Mel Gibson would get beat up all the time, or Bruce Willis in Die Hard is cut to ribbons. As an audience [you] like that a bit better. It’s not seen as a superhero, it’s not seen as a guy with a rippling six-pack doing a classic, very structured choreography. I didn’t want that, I wanted to get back to these fights being brutal and desperate and rough, and therefore if you’re just talking about it, you know then you’re going to have to do it and it’s going to be brutal and desperate and rough and not choreographed as much – well, choreographed, but in a different way, in a primal way.
"Come break my chains, come help me out. Livin' in the city ain't so bad."
How did you train for it?
I just got bashed up. When I was 14 I got beat up a lot, so there’s your training. [Laughs] I didn’t go to the gym or anything like that, because the guy is a fisherman, he hasn’t done anything for 10 years and I’m lazy and I don’t like lifting weights. When you’re on set, you literally choreograph those action scenes – or you beat those action scenes – within an inch of their life. I know full well when those explosions come in and I’ll just wear the explosions. You know you’re not going to get hurt, really – they’re not going to kill you. But I don’t mind pushing myself a bit more, throwing myself around. I think an audience demands it nowadays.
Even with the whole seriousness of the movie and the seriousness of mythology, there’s a couple of really funny scenes and funny dialogue. Do you need that because it’s so tense?
Well it’s something different from the first film as well, which I liked. It’s daggy humour. It allows the audience to breathe. It allows the audience to be involved with the characters.
Is it also important to you, as an actor?
Yeah, because I think I’m fucking funny, but I never get offered it! I said the other day, I’d like to do a comedy, me, Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. Because the three of us don’t get offered any comedies, but I know Russell’s very funny, Christian’s got his moments of humour [laughs]. He’s not as sour as what you think. You try to infuse other films with those moments that you wish you’d get offered.
“My real life is spent doing the washing, picking up dog poo, shopping. I like that normal stuff.”
When you’re battling gods and monsters for a living, does real life get boring?
My real life is spent doing the washing, picking up dog poo, shopping. I like that normal stuff. That’s what I love doing. I love getting up late, watching TV and not doing much at all, to be honest, because my job is going to Pandora or going to fight demons. You’ve got to have that balance.
So you’re shooting the Avatar sequel next?
Well [director James Cameron is] about to go on his own expedition under the water, and God speed, my friend, and touch wood that he doesn’t get eaten by a sea serpent that no-one’s ever heard of, because he’s going fucking deep. But that’s the boss – whenever he calls, I’ll jump. That’s a given.
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