George A Romero's Land of the Dead Interview 2 Simon Baker (Riley) Previous INTERVIEWER What did you like most about the script? SIMON BAKER I liked that it was political, but it wasn't at the same time. It's not like we're making Wag the Dog here. It's a zombie movie, and we're having a bit of fun with that. We can play around with these other ideas and themes. Have a little nod to them here and there, and you can take away what you want from it as an audience. You can get into it as much as you want, and you can analyze it as much as you want. You can look at it as just a shallow zombie movie, or you can do whatever you want with it. That's fun to me. I also liked the character. I really dug George's ideas for the character and my ideas of the character really gelled nicely. It's a heroic character, but it's not a guy that necessarily wants to be a heroic character. He is questioning the whole system. This is the system that we live in, and like all of us now, we are all just trying to get by. We're all just human beings trying to survive and make a living. We wear clothes, buy technology, and do all these things because that's the system that we live in. We pay tax, and we have to do this and have to do that. There are all these rules and guidelines. You don't have to be completely anti, but sometimes you question, what is all of this about? Is this the best way I can live? Or could I just give up trying to make a living as an actor and go and live quite comfortably. I have great friends in Australia. Intelligent, articulate, wonderful people that just decided, you know what, I'll work in the fruit shop three days a week and put all of my life and my energy into raising my children and having a great quality of life. I don't need more, I don't need this, and I don't need that just because that's what our society tells us we have to have. I guess what I'm trying to say is that, every now and then we get to different points in our lives. We go, am I looking at the glass half full when really it's just half empty? You can have a different perspective on things at different times in your life. I think my character in the movie, Riley, is going through that when the movie starts. I think he is questioning, not so much the zombies, but focusing in on how we to this point to these set of circumstances. INTERVIEWER What's your perspective on your career and your future? SIMON BAKER You've got to be fatalistic about it. You've just got to. I'm not mister fist-in-the-air type of guy. I'm a realist. I'm married, I've got three kids. I'm a flawed human being. I'm just trying to make a living and if I'm happy and enjoying what I'm doing, then that's great. If it gets to the point where I'm having a bad time, then I may change the course. If things happen, they happen, and I've been doing this for most of my working life. I've done a lot of other different jobs, but I've been doing this for a living since I was 22 years old. I'm 35 now. I'm no spring chicken. I don't hold out these high hopes and these exciting ideas of being a big star. If it happens, it happens, but in the meantime I have to have a good time and I have to feel happy with myself, my work, and my family.  I have to be a good parent. I'm going to enjoy what I do.  I am a lot like Riley in a sense that you've got to question things. You can't just sort of go along and be part of the machine. I understand more how Hollywood works and all of this stuff. I'm old enough now where I don't sort of want to fight it, I just go along with it. To be honest I've got to though, just for my own integrity so that I can be true to myself. INTERVIEWER Say something about working with the other cast members. Was it intimidating working with any of them Dennis? SIMON BAKER I was actually intimidated by John Leguizamo. INTERVIEWER How come? Is he better looking? SIMON BAKER No, DennisDennis is a pretty good-looking guy, an amazingly good -looking guy. If I could look as good as that guy at his age, I'd be pretty happy given his life. I have the utmost respect for Dennis, absolutely. But it's Dennis Hopper. Working with him I wasn't intimidated because I was in good hands. I think Dennis has probably experienced every different experience you could have on a film set. He's been onfucking more sets than I've probably had roast dinners. John Leguizamo, though, every movie he's ever been in, whether the movie sucked or not, he is always good. I don't think you'll ever find anyone that won't say John Leguizamo's really fucking good. He's always ridiculously solid and good in everything he's done. Everyone you speak to within the business, they go John Leguizamo, he's great. People flip about him. He doesn't have any of that I'm-a-great-actor pretense. The night we met I asked if he wanted to go over anything. We spent a couple of hours talking about our families, reading the script, joking around and had a bit of a laugh. Instantly the ice was broken. He's loose, I like the way he works, he doesn't tie anything down, he is very open, and very playful to work with. INTERVIEWER Is there going to be a love story between you and Asia Argento? SIMON BAKER Asia's great. I think she's a fantastic girl. It doesn't become the guy-gets-the-girl and they embrace and kiss passionately. It's maybe sort of hinted at here and there. It's a bit of fun. The George A. Romero zombie movie has no limits as to what can happen and what can go on inside the film. You don't have these boundaries and these parameters a little romantic comedy has, or English romantic comedy, or a thriller. There is a bit of action, there's a bit of horror, there is a bit of a political satire, and there is a little bit of a love story.  It's all these things.		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