- And how was working with Ridley Scott? What was he like as a director?
He was funny because he was this cigar chomping man who would stand there as a still eye in the centre of a storm that he is whipping up and he actually looks like he is not really a part of the effect that it has on us he just lets us all go a little ballistic and then he says yes of no.
I remember one critic he had when he came over to me in the middle of a scene he just said ‘well that was good but could you do a little less Lady Macbeth and a bit more Connie Nielsen.’ (laughs) that was his critic for one scene. And I was devastated that he thought I was doing a bad lady Macbeth or something but at the same time it was also very sweet that he thought who I was was close enough.
- And what about Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix, you say that you were these three kids working on this movie, so how did you find working together?
It was fun (laughs). It was a lot of fun. It was exciting and everything that it should have been we had a lot of tension, positive tension, on set and it was tension in a sense that lead towards creating a film that was exciting to be a part of.
- 2004’s Brothers saw you make your first Danish movie so how did that compare to say working in Hollywood?
It was wonderful. You really do see something different in the cultures of the two films Gladiator is about an emotion and an ideal and the great spectacle, both from inside the film and also from outside. Brothers is about the search for truth, wretched emotions and at the same time an acceptance of the human as a very flawed object.
- And how important was it for you to work within the Danish film industry?
It was important but it wasn’t the reason that I did it. It was important because, I gave it a listen because they were from my home country, but I did it because of the director (Susanne Bier) who literally said to me, in small terms, that I would be an idiot if I didn’t do it (laughs). So I had to do it.
- Since the release of Gladiator in 2000 there has always been talk of a sequel so what do you think of this? Would you be up for it? And do you think it would work?
That’s a good question but I don’t think it’s a question that can be answered. Yes I would be up for it if it was well written but I don’t think it will actually happen. If it does happen it will probably not include any of the original players, then it may not work (laughs).
- You made your feature film debut in 1984 so how have your ambition changed in this time? And how has the way that you choose your roles changed?
Well I remember, when I was in Europe, discussing with my partner that I wanted to go and have that one shot at playing in a big American film with one big American actor then I would go home and be happy and I would not need to do this anymore.
But what I have realised is that as soon as I did that I immediately was hooked because more leads to just wanting more and I do want more and always want more.
But the notion of what more is changes over and over again and sometimes it’s more spectacle or more truth other times you want more substance and this more just keeps on transforming into something more.
- Finally what’s next for you?
I did a movie last year called A Shine of Rainbows and that’s premiering in Toronto in the next few weeks.
Gladiator is released on Blu-Ray 7th September.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Tagged in Gladiator