MISTER
MUSCLES
RON PERLMAN
This interview from the French
magazine, " CINEMÁ," has been translated into English by Celia Collado Garcia
of Spain.
 |
|
Introduce us to your character Johner. This guy does not cultivate a boundless refinement..
Perlman: Johner is a depraved, repulsive person. Although here he is not a bad guy, he would be under other circumstances. He is a mercenary, someone you would use to get you out of a jam. He is not under very strict moral rules and he works for both rakes and the most formal employers. In ALIEN RESURRECTION he is not a villain, he is not with the bad guys. He will do anything to stay alive which is logical since his survival instinct is highly developed. Johner is not a true chief, a leader; he is a soldier, an action man. His weapons and muscles let him survive, not his intelligence. Jean-Pierre Jeunet wanted this guy for his moodiness, a personality that promptly fits to the circumstances and situations; Johner is not very smart.
Don't you think that the performance of Johner could typecast you during a long time in a register of tough roles?
Perlman: I don't bear any label, I perform very extreme characters but at the same time men with an enormous goodness. Take for example the Hercules from CITY OF LOST CHILDREN, One, he is a child in an adult body; One is pure, simple and innocent. My character in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST had an enormous generosity, far from this world; the Beast was too good to be real. It's true that I hardly play ordinary people due to my appearance, anyway I am not a captive of any register, I don't systematically play tough and not very bright people. I congratulate myself for my varied filmography and for being able to do all roles.
What guidelines did Jean-Pierre give you regarding your performance and role?
Perlman: Jean-Pierre wanted me to do more, always more. He wanted to develop Johner's presence in the film, a dangerous exercise since it is easy to be histrionic, continuously exaggerating without noticing that you are exceeding the limits. I have proved to be vigilant, satisfying Jean-Pierre without doing too much. To perform better as Johner I have gone into that character, a mood that implied an analysis of the risks of each initiative, obedience to certain rules. Johner is a predator, even if he doesn't bear the weight of facing the aliens.
Regarding the script, what do you think you have contributed to your character ?
Perlman: Above all the humour. Jean Pierre motivated me to do so. In fact, the scriptwriter was reluctant to understand that I could do it, but I decided to revise the dialogues with a different viewpoint. I didn't want too serious answers. Motivated by Jean Pierre I adlibbed short sentences and since they generally hit the nail on the head, I was allowed to do it. I adlibbed my entry in ALIEN RESURRECTION telling Sigourney Weaver " I like the tall ones" when the pirates first see Ripley. Without humour, Johner would be just another character, ordinary.
What's your best memory from ALIEN RESURRECTION? The sequence when you kiss Dominique Pinon?
Perlman: Yes ( Laughs ). Physically, ALIEN RESURRECTION has been a particularly exhausting experience. As much for the aquatic sequences, which wearied us, as for the continuous play, the constant stress required by the script. During forty-five minutes, actors run, jump, swim, shoot all around, forty-five overwhelming minutes, it means two weeks of efforts in a set. You must be physically prepared for such a marathon, following scrupulously security instructions, the hardest thing was to keep a higher degree of energy, when necessary. Normally, during the shooting you go from an action scene to a sequence of dialogue. This was not the case here. Without resting, survivors oppose their guardians, ready to break into a run, make a final effort every moment. To keep this tension is an actor´s responsibility.
