Not
many
people
can
say
they
got
a
shot
being
a
trainee
of
the
great
Akira
Kurosawa
–
how
did
that
transpire?
Well,
it
was
really
my
first
pro
experience.
I
had
worked
as
an
unpaid
intern
at
several
very
small
commercial
production
companies
in
Hawaii
but
the
invitation
from
actor
Toshiro
Mifune
to
work
alongside
the
masters
of
Japanese
(and
world)
cinema
was
quite
overwhelming.
Originally,
I
was
to
work
under
Mifune
and
Kurosawa
on
“Dersu
Uzala”,
but
eventually,
Mifune
backed
out
of
that
film
so
my
time
with
Kurosawa
was
limited
by
both
time
and
by
my
complete
inability
to
understand
Japanese.
I
then
went
on
to
work
at
Mifune’s
own
TV
production
but
with
Kurosawa’s
great
cinematographer,
Takao
Saito.
And
it
is
to
Saito
I
owe
much
of
my
way
of
seeing
cinema
composition
and
use
of
color
to
tell
a
story.
Your
first
feature
was
The
Sword
And
The
Sorcerer
–
to
many
this
is
still
a
cult
favourite.
Please
did
this
project
come
about?
It
took
four
long
years
of
going
door
to
door
to
virtually
every
Hollywood
studio
and
production/distribution
company.
I
happened
to
be
visiting
for
the
umpteenth
time
a
small
distributor
called
Group
One
on
the
day
after
“Excalibur”
opened.
Because
of
that
film’s
exciting
opening,
“The
Sword
and
the
Sorcerer”
was
green
lit
almost
on
the
spot
and
eight
weeks
later
we
were
shooting.
So
persistence
pays
as
it
often
positions
you
in
the
right
spot
at
the
exact
right
moment
to
succeed.
Dollman
also
has
great
cult
appeal,
as
does
the
Band
and
Full
Moon
family
–
how
did
you
find
that
experience?
A
bit
frustrating
because
of
the
rather
meager
flow
of
funds.
It’s
always
a
challenge
making
films
for
small
companies
like
Full
Moon
because
their
eyes
and
dreams
always
exceed
their
cash
flow.
I
was
glad
to
get
an
opportunity
to
make
Dollman
What
is
it
that
you
prefer
about
action
related
films
as
opposed
to
a
slow
drama?
I
think
growing
up
on
a
steady
diet
of
action
films
on
the
military
bases
I
lived
on
around
the
world
and,
because
my
mother
was
from
Japan,
Japanese
samurai
and
fantasy
epics
of
the
50’s
and
60’s…I
think
films
about
imagination
and
visceral
thrills
are
what
I
loved
as
a
child.
I’ve
been
making
films
since
I
was
ten
years
old
and,
in
a
sense,
I’ve
continued
on
just
making
films
I
wanted
to
see.
An
odd
hybrid
of
foreign
sensibilities
fused
with
American
whiz
bang.
Are
you
a
fan
of
Horror
or
is
it
a
means
to
an
end?
I’ve
always
been
a
fan
of
horror.
But
more
of
the
sci-fi
horror
genre
and
less
of
the
nubile
woman
or
kids
in
peril
variety.
Horror
like
Invasion
of
the
Body
Snatchers
and
gothic
horror
like
the
Hideous
Sun
Demon
really
got
to
me
as
a
kid.
How
did
Left
For
Dead
come
about?
I
was
sent
the
script
from
a
teacher
at
Chapman
College
whom
I
was
friends
with.
She
thought
I’d
be
taken
with
the
originality
and
complexity
of
the
piece.
Separately,
I
had
been
talking
to
a
writer/producer
in
Argentina
who
was
trying
to
get
me
to
shoot
down
there
and
I
had
formed
a
partnership
with
the
film’s
producer,
Michael
Najjar,
on
another
project.
Left
For
Dead,
which
I
saw
as
a
kind
of
modern
spaghetti
western
with
gothic
horror
seemed
perfect
for
where
I
was
at.
The
other
great
thing
is
the
film
allowed
me
to
work
with
South
African
filmmakers
and
artists
like
Ben
Cowley
on
the
film’s
post.
What
were
some
of
the
ups
and
downs
attached
to
the
production?
None
really.
It
went
very
smooth.
Shot
in
11
days
in
Buenos
Aires
with
an
all
Argentine
cast
and
crew
(in
order
to
get
that
“spaghetti”
foreign
flavor).
It’s
been
my
best
production
experience
in
25
years
and
42
films.
(Except
for
Victoria
Maurette),
was
it
a
conscious
choice
not
to
include
some
of
your
name
actors
you’ve
worked
with
in
the
past
–
and
how
did
you
experience
the
cast
of
Left
For
Dead?
Yes,
because
I
wanted
that
foreign
flavor
that
spaghetti
westerns
had.
The
cast
was
fantastic.
It
exceeded
all
my
hopes.
Victoria
is
an
Argentine
actress
and
appeared
in
a
teen
novella
on
TV
there.
How
much
of
a
Horror/Action
balance
can
be
found
in
Left
For
Dead?
It’s
different.
The
horror
is
two
fold.
There’s
a
haunted
town
with
a
vengeful
ghost,
who
is
horrifying
initially,
but
as
the
movie
continues,
my
hope
is
the
audience
comes
to
sympathize
and
even
relish
the
ghost
killing
the
humans.
The
real
horror
as
we
learn
at
the
end
is
what
depravity
human’s
are
capable
of
and
how
ruthless
violent
that
can
be
to
one
another
both
physically
and
emotionally.
That’s
the
real
horror.
Van
Damme
always
gets
a
lot
of
criticism
regarding
ego
–
how
did
you
experience
him?
He
was
fine
on
Cyborg,
which
was
early
in
his
career.
I
think
all
actors
are
difficult
in
some
ways
and
need
to
be
to
protect
their
artistic
vision.
You’ve
done
several
movies
with
Ice-T
(and
other
rappers)
-
what
made
you
choose
him
and
what
is
he
like
to
work
with?
He’s
just
a
very
cool
and
creative
man.
I
really
enjoy
what
he
brings
to
each
role
and
I
think
he
appreciates
how
I’ve
tried
to
push
him
artistically.
He’s
one
of
my
favorite
people.
Is
Andrew
Dice
Clay
always
in
character?
Yeah.
But
only
because
he
loves
being
Dice.
In
addition
to
action
stars
and
guys
like
Dennis
Hopper,
Christopher
Lambert,
and
Tom
Sizemore,
are
there
any
actors
you’d
still
love
to
work
with
(and
why)?
My
deepest
regret
is
that
I
was
never
able
to
have
Mifune-san
in
one
of
my
films.
But
in
terms
of
whom
I’d
like
to
work
with?
Michael
Pare’…I
think
his
work
in
Streets
of
Fire
and
the
Eddie
film
was
fantastic.
I’d
love
to
do
something
that
brings
him
back
to
that.
I’d
love
to
work
with
a
lot
of
actors
but
it’s
always
a
matter
of
money!!
What
are
some
of
your
fondest
memories
related
to
the
Horror
films
you’ve
been
involved
with?
Well,
I
have
a
Lovecraft
adaptation
(Cool
Air)
-
just
finished
and
my
first
really
balls
out
horror
film
Infection
which
has
been
re-titled
Invasion
by
Lions
Gate.
It
comes
out
in
the
US
on
Dec
18th.
The
whole
film
is
just
a
single
shot.
No
edits.
My
fondest
memory
has
been
with
Infection
so
far…to
hold
an
audience
in
the
grip
of
paranoia
and
fear
for
the
length
of
the
single
shot
was
really
rewarding.
Do
you
feel
Horror
has
reached
a
saturation
point
-
is
there
hope
on
the
horizon
and
what
is
needed
to
rejuvenate
the
genre?
I
think
there’s
a
saturation
of
a
certain
type
of
horror.
I
think
the
genre
needs
to
expand
and
look
into
different
dark
corners.
How
do
you
feel
about
the
weighing
of
cost
and
quality
when
it
comes
to
choosing
to
shoot
on
Film
or
HD?
I
love
HD
for
how
it
looks
and
feels.
I’ll
never
shoot
35mm
again
if
I
can
avoid
it.
It’s
not
a
matter
of
cost
but
of
aesthetics
for
me.
Aspiring
filmmakers
can
never
get
too
much
advice,
what
would
you
suggest?
Perseverance,
passion
and
always
hearing
a
“no”
as
a
maybe.
-
Paul
Blom