George A Romero's Land of the Dead Interview 3 John Leguizamo (Cholo) Previous INTERVIEWER Can you give us an example of that? JOHN LEGUIZAMO There have been a lot of times. There is a big scene where I'm trying to become part of Dennis Hopper's world in the film, where all these rich powerful people live. I was getting very serious because I wanted to be part of that world and Dennis Hopper's saying I can't be part of his world. I'm questioning why, because he says it is restricted. Dennis says there's no room and then George says to me, look at this place, it's huge. When Dennis says there's not enough room, George says question, look around and go, there's not enough room? Dennis' apartment is enormous, I can move in with him. George comes up with a little sense of humor to lighten the moment that was very dark. Or vice versa. INTERVIEWER Originally the movie was going to be called Dead Reckoning. Does it play a huge part in the movie? JOHN LEGUIZAMO Yeah, it's a huge vehicle. It's like a cross between a crazy tank and submarine. When you see it, it is awe inspiring. Then when you touch it, you tap it, it's all organically made. It's all made out of welded real pieces. It's solid and you feel a power and it helps you believe in the movie. All that stuff helps you understand that we have to fight a major force of zombies out there. The whole world has died for some reason. Everybody became a zombie so you have to have a powerful vehicle that can go in there. INTERVIEWER How much CGI will actually be used? JOHN LEGUIZAMO I think they are trying to do it all organically. But you never know how much you still have to use. There's always tweaking so who knows. George is trying to do it all organically, all the special effects -the guts and the blood. We're trying to do it all there but sometimes you have to enhance, and why not if you have that ability. INTERVIEWER Are the zombies classical or modern? JOHN LEGUIZAMO George has got the classical. It's a little bit of the classical with the new evolution, the thinking process and the regrouping and organization. I guess it's like the happening of unions. They get to that point and that's the new thing. The classic is that they are dead people so they can only move a certain way because it depends on how decomposed you are. INTERVIEWER In the end are the zombies good or bad? JOHN LEGUIZAMO I think what makes a great script, is that it's not so easy to see who the hero and who the villain is. With Dennis Hopper's role, Mr. Kaufman, it's easy for me to see the villain but maybe for other people he's not so villainous. The zombies, you don't know. We're zombie killers but does that make us right and good? Just because they're dead. It changes at the end. I think you do see them much more positive. INTERVIEWER Do you have many scenes with Asia Argento? JOHN LEGUIZAMO I have one quick scene with Asia. INTERVIEWER What does she play exactly? JOHN LEGUIZAMO I guess she plays some kind of loose woman in the post-apocalyptic world. She gets picked up and saved by Riley, but she's a tough girl, a kind of feral creature. She has big fight sequences and she's awesome man. Asia's such a feisty chick. I love her. INTERVIEWER There has been a resurgence in this genre and many of the new filmmakers have said they were inspired by Romero. What are your thoughts on this? JOHN LEGUIZAMO George is such an inspiration. He's the godfather of horror movies.  There is so much to attribute to him. I think this movie is a masterpiece. I don't want to dare say it too soon but I think he's evolved. George has aged, but he has still kept this love of a zombie world but taken it to a much more operatic level. A much more complex level and I think it's a great tribute to him at this point of his life. I think he's going to get huge recognition and get a seat in the throne of cinema. INTERVIEWER Could we talk about Dead Reckoning again since I'm obsessed with it? JOHN LEGUIZAMO I was too, it's amazing. It's like being in a submarine. When we were inside of it, it was so tough because it's really cramped. I have a big fight scene with Simon Baker. It was hard to get in there and do all the things and to move around. It was claustrophobic. However it's powerful and you feel safe in there. It's this crazy vehicle. It almost tipped over one day because all the motorcycle guys, zombie killers are going crazy doing stunts.The Dead Reckoning was supposed to come right through and it almost went over because it's so big. I think it did knock over a tree or something. INTERVIEWER Why do you think zombie movies are so popular? Do you think these movies are really good? JOHN LEGUIZAMO I love horror movies. I love all that stuff. A good one is exciting and it's a thrill to get that out of your system. We all live with some sort of fear.  Especially in the kind of world that we live in and you have to have a place to let that out. I live with constant fear, I'm from New York. With September 11th you think, when's the next one. You live with that.  When you see horror movies, all the dead people, their fighting and the apocalyptic thing, you get to work things out a little bit. It lets out a little bit of tension. I love a great horror movie. I hate the cheap ones.  The cheap ones don't do anything for me. Those tend to be more for teenagers. Hopefully this movie, because it is much more complex, much more serious, and much more of an action film, it's going to appeal to adults who like that stuff. And teenagers get what they've come for anyway.		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