Will Kemp Interview - Q & A by Martyn Palmer Q:   How did Van Helsing come about? A:    I'd wanted to do another film for some time. I had a meeting with casting director Pricilla John here in London, and after convincing her that even though I'm not classically trained as an actor, I am trained as a physical performer, many of the same techniques apply, and my interest in acting has grown out of my work as a dancer over the past eight years. It so happened she was casting Van Helsing and she handed me some pages and I went away, came back again and read for her. She recorded it, showed the Director and Producer the tape and a few weeks later they said 'can you come in and read?' And so I read for Stephen Sommers and Bob Ducsay.  Bob had fortunately seen The Car Man so he was aware of the work I'd done. I had a great chat with Stephen (Sommers), who seemed a really nice intelligent guy, and then I read for him. Q:   What was that like? A:   It was hilarious because the bit they asked me to read was when the character changes from the Prince into the wolf man. And there's this whole sequence when he flails around and screams and chokes and does this big transformation scene. So when I went in I just thought `I've got nothing to lose, I'm going to go for it. I'm going to play the whole thing out and transform here in front of their eyes...' And I'm half way through this transformation, ripping at my shirt, and Stephen jumps up and says `OK, OK! Stop, stop!' And I thought `that's it, I've completely embarrassed myself and he said `I believe you, I have seen your tape, but don't bust a gut, don't break a blood vessel. That's fine, thank you very much...' And I walked out and thought `Damn, I've just made the biggest fool of myself and in front of a really nice guy...'” Q:   What happened then? A:    All I heard back was `they liked you, but there are some other people they want to see. They haven't cast the girl yet and if you're to play her brother, how do they know if you are right physically?' which was fair.  After waiting three months I heard that they cast Kate (Beckinsale) and I thought `well, that works...'  I was thrilled when they told me I had the part, absolutely thrilled. Q:   Did your background in dance help with that audition? A:   Oh yes, my experience as a dancer certainly helped” he agrees. “Having always approached a character from a dancer's point of view, I was able to work out the character in my head and express it physically. I felt this approach would really work for `The Wolf man”. I had researched Lycanthropy as much as I could and then just used my imagination, which is really what actors are paid to do. You really do have to ask yourself `what would happen if I changed into a werewolf?'  They fortunately loved what I did. So it was like `phew, the risk of seeming foolish paid off, thank God for that!'” Q:  Did you have to go through hours of make up to transform yourself into the werewolf? A:   Well, that was the really interesting thing. The minute that I knew had the job I wanted to do as much as I possibly could. I'd heard that a lot (of the wolf man) would be computer generated. And it frightened me a bit because I thought `oh damn, that means I won't get a chance to play it all out..' So I had said to the guys `please, use me as much as you can..' So they knew I was willing to get a little bruised and to work at it. And that's what happened. They kept the cameras rolling and they allowed me to enact the transformation - I was on wires, swinging from trees, climbing up walls, all sorts of physical stuff..  And from that they are able to make a computer generated me which is used in the film. Now at this stage, I haven't seen the finished film, but I have heard that the computer generated wolf looks spectacular. Q:  So basically, they've filmed you and then used your image as the basis for the CGI the wolf man? A:   Exactly. I felt that it was really important that they allowed me to play it out, rather than a solely computer effect and everyone says `that's not him!' I'm hoping that the part in the movie, when I transform into the Wolf Man, will be spectacular. Q:  So you didn't get to put a lot of fur on then? A:    (laughs) I was prepared for it! At one point I wanted all the hair and stuff. I did have all these peculiar red dots all over me so that every movement I made was transposed to a computer. I met the guys from the art team and the ILM team - really talented people, who had been working on how the Wolf hair would move and how realistic it would look, for a year and a half prior to filming! Q:  Is it daunting to be a part of something that big? A:   Sure a little, but I enjoy rising to challenges! I have huge respect for Stephen and the cast were such fun people to work with. If the audience enjoy watching Van Helsing half as much as we did filming it, then they are in for a really, really good time. Q:  You play Kate Beckinsale's on screen brother.. A    I play Velkan Valerious brother to Kate's character, Anna. We are the last two remaining family members of the Valerious Empire, sworn to vanquish Dracula (Richard Roxburgh). Throughout the course of the action Dracula uses Velkan's curse as The Wolf Man to fight Van Helsing. Velkan is a troubled human being and I think his story is very tragic. Q:  Did you have a look at the old, classic Universal movies which feature the wolf man? A:  Yes I did. And that was great fun. I got them all out on video. The Lon Chaney Jr stuff, it's just classic, the way they looked, the style of acting - I adore them. Q:  There are some fantastic images of you from a photo shoot you did after the film had finished. How did that happen? A:   It was a long day (laughs). We had a creative meeting with photographer, Colin Bell and came up with a few scenarios. I loved the idea of somehow climbing up a wall. It was about showing the character throughout his transformation. That was the premise we started with - how much a person can change and how they look at various points. We shot in an old beer factory warehouse in London. Exposed brick everywhere, which I love, it's so raw. Q:   It sounds like a mini version of your work on the film itself? A:   It was similar, in a way. That's what we wanted to capture the physicality and hint at the transformation. Q:   What does the future hold? Presumably the dance and the acting in films are complimentary careers aren't they? A:   Well, I would like to think that they are very much complimentary careers. When not dancing I rely heavily on the expertise of The Body Conditioning Studio in Notting Hill Gate, to keep me in shape. The worlds are different. I would certainly love to continue to dance and to act. Mixing it up keeps me fresh and I never want to stop working in the Theatre because you learn so much, anything can happen during a live performance and you just have to make it work!” I hope to enjoy a long term career as an actor, playing all sorts of interesting characters in big productions and independent ones. The element which holds my attention the best in both worlds is interesting character work. I feel very lucky to be able to pursue two careers. Q:   Are you worried about the kind of attention that fame can bring? A:   It's interesting people say `oh you will change, you'll go to Hollywood, become a “movie star”, become an “arse hole” (laughs). I don't feel that way at all. I'm lucky because I am surrounded by great people. I have a great wife who keeps me very much down to earth, and people, who know me, know who I am and what really matters. Q:   And you're obviously a very determined man... A:   Yes (laughs) I am.  I'm a perfectionist in every area of my life which sometimes has its down side but at times is the only element that keeps me looking to do better and push myself on to explore new areas. Q:  So what's the immediate future? A:   I'm taking my time choosing the right thing to do next. I will be dancing again in the summer in a new production Choreographed and Directed by William Tuckett. Film wise, it very much depends on the work that is exposed to me. I'd love to do a play, I'd love to do something where I could learn a lot and I feel I can take risks. Q:   Van Helsing must have been quite a gruelling shoot. Did you get any knocks? A:   Yes. With a transformation from human to wolf man taking part on a concrete floor can be painful (laughs) and they somehow forgot to make a rubber mat for me! Usually they bring in a rubber mat which looks exactly like the concrete. They had everything else, you know lights, amazing sets, and then they said `oh we forgot Will's rubber flooring.'  So I was left flailing around on concrete getting blooded and bruised. But at the end of the day you have to say `look, if you need to get this shot now then let's get it.' Q:   You started out, and you still obviously are, a dancer. Was it always your intention to act? A:   Oh yes, absolutely. Because that is the part of the work I enjoy the most, creating characters, whether it's through choreography and dance, or through straight forward drama. Q:   Is it a long held ambition? A:   Yeah, when I was a kid I was always running around in costume creating my own world with my brother and sister. Putting them through their paces in front of the home video camera and being very particular about the whole thing (laughs). `No, say this! You have to stand there!' I was very intense about the characters and what happened and stuff. And I think my parents thought I was too intense and too caught up in my own creative world because it reached a point where I wouldn't communicate well with other people. I would get so caught up in the world I created and they would say `For a five year old it's OK, but for a 9 year old we're worried...' So that's when I went to dance classes with loads of girls and had to socialize. Q:  What was it like, when you first went along to dance classes as a 9 year old? A:   It was scary. I walked in, probably wearing the wrong pair of tights and I didn't have any tap shoes and it was a room full of girls. I wasn't incredibly academic at school so dancing gave me a purpose and fulfillment very early on. It made me realize that if I worked hard enough I could achieve something in my life. It was an incredibly empowering thing for me at that time. When I was 12 I already knew that was what I was all about, expressing myself through dancing was where I connected best. I think I was lucky in that I had a fantastic teacher, Elizabeth Harrison, who is also my God mother. ` Q:  You were 16 when you went to the Royal Ballet School. What was it like? A:   It was like the army. Strict, tough, frustrating but rewarding. Q:  The impact of the Gap advert was extraordinary... A:   It was and it was the most bizarre thing - Originally it was just going to be still pictures but they felt they didn't capture the mood and fluidity of what I did so they wanted to film it. II really enjoyed working with Peter Lindbergh. After the shoot I came back to London from LA to perform in productions at the National Theatre. A few weeks later while walking to work, I began to see myself passing by on the sides of buses. Later I was on TV, the underground, sides of buildings and even flashing in Times Square. (laughs) - It was crazy!		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