INTERVIEW
WITH THE VAMPIRE
BACK
[XPose Magazine #85 May 2004]
Bryan
Cairns hunts down Richard Roxburgh
to ask how he coped with the daunting challenge of playing one of the worlds
best known villains, Count Dracula, in Van Helsing...
UNIVERSAL
PICTURES is digging deep into its treasure chest, as X-Mens Hugh Jackman trades
in
his
adamantium
claws for Van Helsings crossbow in order to take down Mr Hyde, Frankensteins
monster,and the Wolf Man. However, the ringmaster of this unique gathering is
Count Dracula, and Moulin Rouge
actor Richard
Roxburgh was initially reluctant to sink his teeth into the role.
Van Helsing was a great experience but I was concerned about doing it, admits
Roxburgh. With so
many Vampire
movies and stories, everybody has their own favorite version and internal
thinking about
how
Dracula should be. It was quite daunting to do. I thought I shouldnt pass it up
just because I
cant bring a
fresh voice to it. For my personal involvement, I hope I found my own version.
And
how did Mr Roxburgh, a veteran of reinterpreting classic characters such as
Sherlock Holmes and
his
nemesis Moriarty, spice things up? Much the same way you forge a path with any
character that
has been
played a million times before, he responds. I had conversations with director
Stephen
Sommers and
the wardrobe designer about the look and what the essence of the character was
going
to be. Once I started that, I felt more comfortable.
In a recent interview, Sommers stated that in this movie, there are no
monsters, just people with
really
bad problems and Roxburgh embraced that element of tragedy.
The myth of Dracula is a very sad story about a man who was probably once a
great leader, an aristocrat, and a noble person,
he says.
However, he made a terrible contract with
the devil. He will exist forever but without love or feelings. Thats the angle
that really interested me". Make no mistake about it though - Van Helsings Lord
of the Undead is still a treacherous, bloodsucking creature of the night. Although Roxburgh kept mom about key details, rumor has
it that Dracula and his Vampire vixens are looking to expand their unnatural family with some offspring.
Fortunately, Vampires cant give birth, but Dr Frankensteins techniques may
provide a scientific solution to their problem.
Draculas ultimate agenda is to keep his own kind alive, to procreate",
explains
Roxburgh.
Of course, thats a problem for Transylvania so its Van Helsings
job to hunt him down.
From the trailers,
Van Helsings mission could be more personal than duty bound. Our trench coat
clad heros past is cloaked in mystery but Dracula refers to him by his first
name, Gabriel, insinuating the two have crossed paths before. So what gives?
I
cant talk too much about that because there are enigmas that are at the heart
of this story,
hints
Roxburgh.
As an audience, you have to wait to see their
history.
Apparently,
Roxburgh is just as curious to see the final cut of Van Helsing, because when
asked about Draculas transformation into a nightmarish winged hell beast, he
says
Do you know something? Ive never seen it. Ive heard it described but it's all
visual effects so the jury is out on what it looks like but I hope it is good.
That doesnt mean Roxburghs adrenalin didnt get pumping. In Van Helsing, the
Australian native strapped into a harness and dived off a balcony, scaled a
column, walked upside down on the ceiling, flew through the air, and levitated
from his coffin. Ironically, while Roxburgh exclaims that the wire work was the
fun part on the set, his so-called rougher stuff is more gag reel material.The
most grueling shot was the brides licking Draculas face. That was terrible to
be doing all day, he chuckles naughtily. No, it was probably when we shot in a
cathedral in Prague. It was around minus 20 degrees inside because the cathedral
acted as an immense ice chest. So it was tricky shooting Draculas ballroom
sequence. Then there was the matter of having my feet trampled by Kate
Beckinsale when I was dancing with her. It was hilarious. We could not stop
laughing. She really is incompetent on the dance floor and she knows it.
Dracula is frequently portrayed as a ladies man who oozes charisma and
sexuality and this time around, he has the hots for Beckinsales gypsy princess,
Anna Valerious.
Yeah,
he most certainly does,
muses Roxburgh.
The brides arent too impressed either. Its
quite a hard life for Draculas brides really. They spend a lot of time breeding
and there is not a lot of personal satisfaction in the relationship.
With a damsel, not to mention possibly all of Europe, in distress, a showdown
between man and Vampire is inevitable.
Its a
climactic coming together of two ancient adversaries who are deeply aware of the
might of the other one,
describes Roxburgh.
Its been a long time coming so its a wild
moment. And Van Helsing is beyond using weapons by that time. At that point,
theres a concern about which weapons work against Dracula and which dont. Some
are false leads or urban legends about how to deal with him.
Does that mean the established rules about crosses, garlic, holy water, and
stakes to the heart have been thrown out?
The
movie is faithful to the various legends of Dracula but there are a few
surprises, hints Roxburgh.
You will see fangs for sure though.
Roxburgh also mentions that viewers sitting on the fence about whether Van
Helsing is more action than horror are in for a treat.
Dracula should be scary and I think Stephen manages to combine all those things
and roll them up into a thing of his own devising,
offers
Roxburgh.
Theres
quite a lot of
humor and fun too. Its definitely scary as well. The thing I really responded
to in early conversations with him was that he was going to draw a lot on the
old history of Universal Horror films and I love that stuff.
Currently in Australia doing phone interviews and shooting a small part in
director Rob Cohens upcoming Stealth, Roxburgh is a little nervous, preoccupied
and excited about his next and biggest role to date, that of a husband.
Stealth is two weeks work for me and
then Im organizing my wedding to my Italian bride, Silvia Colloca, who was also
one of Draculas brides in Van Helsing,
he reveals.
It was
a very amusing courtship, dressed up in Gothic gear. You can understand why I
loved this project.
Keeping that in mind, perhaps the next installment should be called Draculas
Revenge instead of plain old Van Helsing 2.
I signed on
for a sequel,
reveals
Roxburgh,
so it seems evil never dies.
~FIN~
Sidebar
BEST
KNOWN FOR Mission: Impossible II, Moulin Rouge, and TVs The Hound of the
Baskervilles, Roxburgh recently popped up as the villainous M (aka Professor
Moriarty) in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, a movie which was reportedly
plagued by on set friction.
Ohhh laughs Roxburgh when asked to compare filming Van Helsing to Extraordinary
Gentlemen. Yes, it was much smoother. It was as smooth as a babys bottom which
was a great relief frankly. I felt I could bring any number of my ideas to bear.
For instance, there was a moment I felt I missed a particular color of Dracula
and regretted it afterwards. Talking to Stephen, he said Well do it again,
and the next day we
-
reshot the scene.
It felt like a creative venture.