IG on 'Amazing Grace' & 'The Fantastic Four' SequelI've just found this oldish (it dates to February 26, 2007) interview with Ioan talking about AG and FF2.
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Ioan Gruffudd on 'Amazing Grace' and 'The Fantastic Four' Sequel
Monday, 26 February 2007
By Christina Radish
With Amazing Grace, acclaimed director Michael Apted tells the inspiring story of how one man’s passion and perseverance changed the world. Based on the true life story of William Wilberforce (Ioan Gruffudd), a leader of the British abolition movement, the film chronicles his epic struggle to pass a law to end the slave trade in the late 18th century.
Wilberforce was the rallying voice in Parliament for a fragmented group of like-minded people to fight the cause and make the people of Britain, and ultimately the world, acknowledge the horror of the Slave Trade. He and his fellow humanitarians waged the first modern political campaign, using petitions, boycotts, mass meetings and even badges with slogans to take their message to the country at large.
Fresh from playing Mr. Fantastic in the hugely successful Marvel Comics adaptation of Fantastic Four, 33-year-old Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd talks to MediaBlvd Magazine about Wilberforce’s importance in the abolitionist movement and why period pieces come easy for him, along with providing hints as to what audiences can expect from the highly anticipated sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.
MediaBlvd Magazine> How familiar were you with this story from school history lessons?
Ioan Gruffudd> To be perfectly honest, I was slightly ignorant to the whole story, either from me not paying attention, or having it pass me by. But, certainly, in British education, he is renowned and remembered as the British politician who abolished the slave trade. He is more of a footnote, as far as the abolitionist history in America.
MediaBlvd> If Wilberforce had had our modern capacity for mass media, do you think the anti-slavery movement would have spread faster?
Ioan> The funny thing is, we have that capacity in this day and age to highlight these issues and we do get to see them on screen and CNN and Anderson Cooper does expose us to some of these atrocities which continue to happen today. So, we haven’t really learned much since that period really. I think, unless we are presented by it every day and bombarded by it; unless it physically effects us, we’re very quick to brush it under the carpet.
MediaBlvd> Do you feel that taking people to that slave ship to smell the horrible smell would still have had more impact than watching it on television?
Ioan> Absolutely. They had to find out a way of exposing it and bringing it to life and they had to expose it to Wilberforce himself because he was aware of it, but wasn’t convinced of it. He needed to experience it himself.
MediaBlvd> Have you ever stood up for a group or a cause?
Ioan> I’m not one of those brave souls, to be perfectly honest. I’m not necessarily a leader, in that sense. That’s what makes these people stand out from the rest of us is. They do have the courage and bravery to be that lone voice, and then the rest of us can get on the bandwagon. It’s tough to be like that.
MediaBlvd> When you found out you’d have to sing “Amazing Grace” in the film, at any point, did you say, “Get someone else to sing this”?
Ioan> I’m very proud of that. To be honest, I think that I am a bit of a singer. Being Welsh, we are all very proud of our singing heritage, but Michael Apted and the producers never actually asked me if I could sing. When it came to film it, that morning was like, “Shit, now he’s gonna sing. What are we gonna do?” Luckily, I wowed them all with it.
MediaBlvd> Did you have a singing coach?
Ioan> Funnily enough, I got my old singing coach from drama college whom I hadn’t seen for 10 years, since I left drama college. I called him up and asked him to help me out with the singing.
MediaBlvd> Are the British just more comfortable doing period pieces?
Ioan> I know I’m as comfortable doing period as I am contemporary. I suppose we grow up with it, in the theater. We get to put on costumes and do a lot of period dramas or plays, so we’re exposed to it a little bit more. I love it because, when you put a costume on or a wig, you’re suddenly somebody else. It’s like playing as a child. You put on a cape or your father’s jacket, and suddenly you’re able to be that man. Any prop ignites some imagination.
MediaBlvd> Did you film Amazing Grace around the same time you were filming the first Fantastic Four movie?
Ioan> No, I’d shot the first Fantastic Four movie and that had already come out. I don’t think I would have gotten this part, if it had not been for the success of the first Fantastic Four. The powers that be -- the producers -- needed an established name. Numbers and figures are the name of the game these days.
MediaBlvd> Did you ever think that Mr. Fantastic was going to allow you to play a period piece?
Ioan> It’s extraordinary, isn’t it? It’s my stock and trade, really. Playing a superhero in a spandex suit has allowed me to come back to what I do best. It’s amazing.
MediaBlvd> In a way, both Wilberforce and Mr. Fantastic are leaders.
Ioan> Right, yes. The reason I’ve been attracted to these projects, over the years, has been because they’re such great characters. They’re such great heroic figures. Producers are now realizing that I’m the go-to guy for any hero that you want to play.
MediaBlvd> What can you say about Fantastic Four 2?
Ioan> Well, I had a phone call this morning from Fox saying, “Will you stop talking about the movie so much? Stop ruining it for everyone.” What I can tell you is that, as the title suggests, it’s the rise of the Silver Surfer. At the beginning of the movie, we are embracing our powers and coping with living in the public eye. That’s an exciting element of it. There’s an aspect of the movie where we toy with the idea of not being superheroes anymore because it’s such a responsibility. Then, the Silver Surfer arrives, and the world is looking to us to help save it again. I think it’s a much better movie than the first one because that was an origin movie and we were trying to sell it to a wider audience, and not just cater to the fans. I think the fans were slightly disgruntled with the first movie because it took so long to get into it. We were working out the difficulty of presenting four or five different effects together, working simultaneously. With this one, we start the movie with a bang and it doesn’t relent until the end. It’s a real roller coaster of a ride.
MediaBlvd> Did you take the disgruntled fans personally?
Ioan> You can never do that. I don’t listen to that. You’re never going to please everyone. As an actor, I’ve always said that half the audience is going to love you and half is going to hate you, so you just live with it. It’s easier that way.
MediaBlvd> Is there any worry though that with four superheroes and Dr. Doom, the Silver Surfer and Galactus might be too much?
Ioan> I don’t know. We’ve established Dr. Doom and the four of us, so that’s fine. I think the Silver Surfer is such a great character. You need somebody of that nature to come in and steal our thunder.
MediaBlvd> How has Tim Story changed, as a director?
Ioan> He’s a lot more confident now, as we all are. We’re sitting comfortably in the skin of our characters. We know each other. Because we are friends, it has made it easier to work together. When we did the first movie, we were just figuring each other, and Tim, out. Now, we’re a family. That gave us a lot of confidence to do this movie.
MediaBlvd> Did you ever have any doubt that there would be a second film?
Ioan> Certainly, there was doubt. You don’t know. You sign up for three movies and, of course, you wish to do the three, but it is a business and it is all dependent on the box office. Thanks to the fans and general movie-going public, the movie was a success.
MediaBlvd> Is the second Fantastic Four on a bigger scale?
Ioan> Absolutely, on every level. There are so many more effects shots in this movie, compared to the first one. There are three big action sequences.
MediaBlvd> Was it a harder shoot?
Ioan> It was harder because of the weather in Vancouver. There are a lot of exteriors. But, it was a more fun shoot because we were all so much more comfortable with one another.
MediaBlvd> What was it like working with someone like Doug Jones (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy), who plays the Silver Surfer?
Ioan> I thought he was under-appreciated. Doug has brought this character to life. They’re just manipulating what he did on set and that sheen on him. I thought it was wonderful, and so majestic. When you meet him, he’s a beanstalk of a guy, but his movement is fantastic and breathtaking. I just want him to have his credit, where credit is due.
MediaBlvd> Have you seen the movie yet?
Ioan> I haven’t seen a frame of it, no. I saw a little bit of the dailies, but that’s somebody standing next to you in a green suit, or a tennis ball with an X on it. I haven’t seen any of it put together. The exciting aspect of making a movie like that is that I am like an audience member, when I see if for the first time. I’m like, “Whoa, I can’t believe they made me stretch and do that!” There were bits in the first movie where they manipulated me entirely. There’s a scene in the Baxter building where Dr. Doom is throwing lightning bolts at me, and he eventually throws me out the window and I’m hanging outside the building. I remember shooting the bit where he threw lightning bolts at me, and pretending to avoid them, and then they put the effect on and, from then on, I run to the window and fall out the window, and I never did that. It was a digital me. It was amazing. It is breathtaking, and really impressive. The difficulty with the new movie is every frame that the Silver Surfer is in, even just as a character talking, is an effect, so it’s costing a fortune.
MediaBlvd> What’s it like being a toy?
Ioan> It’s the coolest thing ever! I collected all those Star Wars figures when Star Wars came out. I remember, when I was young, I got a little action figure of Superman. My mom had gone to London to see a play and she bought me back a little toy. I treasured that thing so much. If I had know then that I would one day become a figure, I’d have flipped out.
MediaBlvd> In the superhero world, who would you like to play that hasn’t been made into a film yet? And, what historical figure would you like to play?
Ioan> In the comic book world, I’m afraid I’m not well-versed. I’m not an authority on comic books. I didn’t read comic books as a child. I was introduced to it via Fantastic Four, so I don’t really have an image or person from a comic book that I’d love to play. In history, I’d like to play John F. Kennedy.
MediaBlvd> Have you been working on anything else?
Ioan> No I haven’t. I’ve been promoting Amazing Grace, these last two weeks, and next month we go to Europe with it. After that, I’ll start promoting The T.V. Set. Then, I’ll be promoting the Fantastic Four sequel. I’ll be traveling around the world promoting, unless I get a peachy job, of course.
MediaBlvd> Who do you play in The T.V. Set?
Ioan> I play a British executive who brings a bit of class to the whole proceedings. But, of course, he tries to stamp his authority on it and be all about integrity. He devolves into this character, interested in numbers and figures. We see his demise.
MediaBlvd> How was it to do a comedy, after doing action and period pieces?
Ioan> I loved the opportunity. That’s why I fought tooth and nail to get into that movie. I read it and immediately put it down and thought, “They’d never consider me for this.” Then, they couldn’t find the guy and, funnily enough, an assistant to Vin Diesel, who has the same manager I do, said, “I know this great actor, Ioan Gruffudd. Just sit down with him. He’s a good British actor.” So, I sat down and persuaded them to give me the part by reading and proving that I could do it.
http://www.mediablvd.com/magazine/News/Ioan-Gruffudd-on-Amazing-Grace-and-The-Fantastic-Four-Sequel-2.html