Antoine Fuqua Interview 3 by Martyn Palmer Previous Q Ah yes, I presume you mean the unpredictable Irish climate? A Yeah. All of a sudden you are out there and the clouds are there, which is what I wanted, and then the sun comes out - I mean, in Ireland! That is not why I'm in Ireland (laughs) do you know what I mean? Or then the rain would come down, and this is pretty much in one day, in fact I think I experienced every element you can throw at me in one day in Ireland. Q Do the challenges change as you go along?  What you think at the beginning will be a big challenge, maybe doesn't turn out to be the biggest one that you face? A Yeah. I mean, one of the things that you kind of go in thinking is going to be a big challenge, are the locations in Ireland. You think `oh this will be great, they've got beautiful locations and all this stuff, it's so green, the mountains, ....' And that in itself can become a complete nightmare. And what is strange about Ireland is that the weather can be completely different from one very small area to the next. And not only that getting to these locations can be almost impossible at times. And I'll tell you one of the worst things, these little bugs that the people there call midges. They're horrible. But what is crazy is you don't think about that. You think it is going to be nice and you start filming and all of a sudden at a certain time of day they are just swarming you and they are swarming the camera and the actors, going in their mouths, their eyes and it becomes really complicated. The crew are putting nets on their heads but of course the actors can't do that, they have to perform with these things flying all over the place. And that sort of thing is a little overwhelming. Q I saw that incredible set you had for Hadrian's Wall.. A And the Roman fort? That was just incredible. I couldn't even believe it myself. I was out there every day and it was just fantastic. And imagine, the Romans built the real thing and without our technology.  You know? It was fantastic, man, to walk on the set and have something real in front of you and not CGI. Q That must give you so much more as a director? A Absolutely. You can actually film it and not worry about green screen and all that. You can put your camera on it or you can choreograph your action and use the wall, use the things you have in front of you. Q Did you know much about the Arthurian legend? A Yeah. It's funny because people talk to me about King Arthur and coming from where I from how does it relate to me?” he says. “But growing up in small neighbourhoods - I'm not going to call it a ghetto - that's all you have. You go home and you watch TV in the middle of the night and King Arthur comes on and that's how you escape. And, you know, it teaches you a little bit about honour and the myth and it makes you dream a little bit more, you know. I remember watching Excalibur, John Boorman's film, growing up and I loved it. Lying on your bed on a Sunday watching films like that on television and it teaches you a little bit about chivalry and dignity and honour. And that's the  sort of thing you don't always get on the street. But that kind of escapism in film was a big part of my life. Next		Home Interviews Antoine Fuqua Interview King Arthur Interview Arv Grewal Interview Asia Argento Interview Behind the Scenes of "War of the Worlds" Bernie Goldmann Interview Clive Owen Interview Dakota Fanning Interview Dennis Hopper Interview George A Romero Interview Greg Nicotero Interview The Hulk Press Conference Ang Lee Press Conference Ioan Gruffudd Interview John Leguizamo Interview Kathleen Kennedy Interview Keira Knightley Interview