“Charlie isn’t your average bad guy: he’s a likable thief,” says Wahlberg. known for playing controversial roles in such films as “Boogie Nights” and “Three Kings.” “He’s smart, he’s playful and he gets the job done. Diverse characters are more interesting to play, and Charlie has several sides to him, not to mention a lot of spirit.’’
In fact, all of the actors developed a great team spirit not unlike that of the gang in the film, and everyone truly seemed happy to be along for the ride.
“It’s always wonderful to work with people whom you respect and admire,” adds Wahlberg. “The cast in this film is absolutely unbelievable.”
Charlize Theron, who portrays the nimble-fingered safecracker, Stella, couldn’t agree more. “I’m a huge fan of everyone in this film including the MINIs,” says the actress, who proved to be one of the more proficient drivers onscreen and off. “This is a wonderful character-driven piece. and the way the cars are worked into the plot, they’re just as much a part of the cast as any one of us.
In fact, director F. Gary Gray couldn’t have been happier with his diversified cast, pointing out that each actor brought something different to the film that was invaluable.
“Mark Wahlberg has a quiet intelligence just right for the master planner he portrays, and Charlize Theron brings a rare combination of beauty and credibility to her role of Stella,” says Gray. “You never doubt her ability to crack a safe or hold her own in a group of guys.”
As for Edward Norton, who portrays Steve Frezelli, the cold-hearted villain among the gang of thieves, Gray understands the fine line that Norton had to walk. Since everyone must work together like a well-oiled machine while pulling off the initial heist, Norton had to play Steve with a real poker face, careful not to tip his hand and let on that he had a master plan of his own.
“Edward has a great range and the ability to breathe life into any character,” says Gray. “Even though he’s playing a guy that’s supposed to lack personality someone who is all about greed — he manages to pack his performance with a lot of layers.”
The supporting cast is also multi-layered, ranging from Seth Green, Jason Statham, Mos Def and Franky G — all of whom prove to have tremendous comedic timing to Donald Sutherland, whose venerable charm stays with the film long after his memorable character is no longer onscreen. In addition, Shawn Eanning of Napster fame makes a special cameo appearance, helping to perpetuate a running joke that the infamous Eanning supposedly stole the music downloading program while computer whiz Lyle (Seth Green) was “napping” at his computer.
“You don’t often think of a sophisticated heist film as having a lot of humor in it,” says Green, “but this script, and consequently the film, is just hilarious. We raised a lot of hell during the making of this movie and the fun we had definitely shows up on screen.
British actor Jason Statham says that his character, Handsome Rob, epitomizes the cleverness and charm of the film. “My guy is a real charmer,” says Statham. “He can seduce information — especially from the ladies — with a quick smile, and I think he typifies the charisma of the entire movie and all the characters in it.”
For actor/hip-hop artist Mos Def, who portrays explosives expert Left-Ear, the way the plot, the characters, the humor and the stunts come together makes the movie really click. “I’ve got two words for this entire project,” says Def.
“There’s no doubt about it, this is an incredible ensemble cast,” says producer Donald De Line. “They bring to life a real intelligence and creativity in their characters, and audiences are just going to love watching the surprises they cause to unfold.”
Director Gray adds that the intelligent humor behind those surprises is what gives “The Italian Job” that extra punch. “Seth is an extremely funny guy with incredible improvisational skills and a sharp wit,” says Gray. “I love when an actor can produce a range of performances on the spot. In fact, there were actually times when I wondered if Seth was writing stuff and bringing it to the set. And Jason was born to play our charming rogue Handsome Rob. He has a raw, natural talent and a freshness you don’t see very often.”
As for Left-Ear, who got his nickname from a school prank that left him deaf in his right ear, Gray maintains that “Mos Def is always looking to make his character as original and multidimensional as possible. He has a fascinating combination of street smarts and intellect that really comes through in his portrayal of Left-Ear.”
Both Gray and De Line conclude that acting icon Donald Sutherland, who plays veteran safecracker John Bridger, adds the perfect touch of class, elegance and worldliness to “The Italian Job.”
“Donald brings everything you’d expect an actor of his caliber to bring to a film.” observes Gray. “His presence projects a wisdom that is one of the main qualities of John Bridger, that and an unbelievable charm that will simply seduce audiences.”
“Bridger is a captivating character,” adds De Line. “And what better actor than Donald Sutherland to capture his lovable mentor/rogue quality. All in all, Donald is a consummate pro, not unlike the character he portrays.
“It’s grand to be a compatriot of everyone involved with this film,” says Golden Globe and Emmy-winning actor Donald Sutherland. “Just being a participant in a project that’s as youno and vital as this one is made it a wonderful experience.”
Voted “North American Car of the Year” for 2003, MINI is most certainly a character in the film. First introduced into the story as the car driven around Philadelphia by Charlize Theron’s character Stella, the tiny cars later are essential to the film’s plot in that they prove to be the perfect vehicles to maneuver in and out of tight spots and weave through impossible pathways.
Because he wanted to use stunt doubles sparingly, Gray felt it was important that the cast members understand how to drive the cars during the extensive chase sequence. To that end, Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Jason Statham and Mos Def went through extensive driver’s training prior to the start of principal photography to better understand the dynamics of the compact car.
“The training was great!” recalls producer Donald De Line. “We went out to the Willow Springs Racetrack past Lancaster with stunt drivers and stunt specialists, and everybody learned how to control the cars at high speeds. doing controlled slides, three-sixties, one-eighties and reverse one-eighties.”
According to second unit director Alexander Witt, who was responsible for coordinating many of the stunts, the actors did a lot of the driving themselves. “Audiences are getting too sophisticated and they often know when a stunt double is used,” says Witt. “That’s why, whenever possible. Mark, Charlize and Jason were actually behind the wheel.”
Stunt coordinator Kurt Bryant, who worked on “Pearl Harbor” as well as on TV’s popular reality show, “Fear Factor,” says that the actors were true sports.
For Mark Wahlberg. learning to drive a MINI was a mixed bag. “They’re really a great car to drive.” he says. “but you don’t want to be in the passenger seat when the stunt driver is showing you how to do the tricks.. .especially after a big breakfast.”
Theron, who enjoyed the challenge of driving school and learning how to really push the MINI to its limits says. “it’s not every day that you get to drive a car on the sidewalk of Hollywood Boulevard over the stars of James Dean and Jean Harlow!”
Seth Green, who portrays computer genius Lyle, does play the man responsible for manipulating traffic signals to create havoc on the streets of Los Angeles. “I play the guy who controls where all the cars, get to go,” says Green. “It’s a great ensemble piece, and we had a wild time making it.”
Jason Statham, who portrays Handsome Rob, a genius of sorts with the ladies and behind the wheel, was able to handle the MINI like a racecar driver. A former Olympic diver, who represented the UK in the 1980s and early 1990s. Statham put his athleticism to the test in driving school and says he loved every minute of his experience.
“I was really in my element,” recalls the actor. “The new MINIs are almost like an elaborated sort of go—cart.
For Mos Def, who portrays explosives expert Left-Ear. working on “The Italian Job” actually gave him the opportunity to get his driver’s license. “We took courses, learning how to do doughnuts and stuff.” remembers the Brooklyn-born actor. “Too bad I can’t exactly use those kinds of skills driving around New York.”
Def adds that, while the entire project was certainly challenging, it was uplifting, too. “Working with people of this caliber, you expect more of yourself.” he says. “When a scene got very demanding, it was always comforting to know that your cast mates are people you can rely upon to do their part and help you do yours even better.”
Contributing a key performance as the villain of “The Italian Job,” two-time Oscar, nominee and Golden Globe winner Edward Norton might not have done stunts flying around in a MINI, but he did do his share of harrowing feats in a vehicle actually built to fly a helicopter.
“Edward was a real trooper, flying right tip there beside me,” says Alan D. Purwin, who piloted the MD-500E, a helicopter similar to one known as the Little Bird currently used by the U.S. military. “We had a blast playing cat-and-mouse with Mark Wahlberg in his MINI just a few feet below.”
Having flown helicopters in over 30 major motion pictures, Purwin says of his experience working on “The Italian Job”: “I’m used to being asked to do some pretty wild things, but flying in downtown L.A. under lower Grand Street, then hovering over a car with only about a foot between us and making a 270-degree turn, has been one of my more challenging piloting feats. In any case, it was fun to get down and dirty, flying between buildings and even below streetlights, and to be able to say that, at least for a while, we truly owned the streets of downtown L.A.”
This updated version of “The Italian Job” pays homage to the first film, but in no way tries to replicate it. Director F. Gary Gray and producer Donald De Line both contend that today’s audiences will be enjoying a very different film full of all new and very clever twists.
“I liked a lot of things about the original,” says Gray. “It had great style and unforgettable performances. But the film that we’ve made is for modern audiences, with updated technology.”
“The story is great for today’s audience, especially with Gary Gray directing.” says Mark Wahlberg. “He really brings a lot of new elements into the film, and the script gives it a much larger scope than the original, which, of course, was an inspiration to us all.”
Donald Dc Line points out that the new film is more of a global adventure. “We start out with the first heist in Venice. Italy. go into the Italian Alps, move to Philadelphia and end with the main heist on the streets of Los Angeles,” he says. Since it’s called ‘The Italian Job,’ we wanted to give the film a slightly international flavor, and we definitely wanted to play some of the story in Italy.”
Shot in Venice as well as in Canazei, a small city near the center of the majestic Dolomites, the film uses such landmarks as St. Mark’s Square and the Grand Canal to set up the first heist of the gold that will later be re-stolen in Los Angeles.
“The biggest challenge was making it through production in the Italian Alps and Venice,” remembers director Gray. “We had to contend with a number of difficult factors ranging from the language barrier to weather conditions such as rain, snow, ice, sub-zero temperatures and high water in the canals. With all these things stacked against us, we had to pull off some of the most action-intensive work involving visual and special effects, as well as some pretty extraordinary stunts, especially the boat chase in the Venice canals.”
De Line recalls the days filming in those canals as being the most challenging of all. “The whole city of Venice is a historic monument and the people there are very concerned about damage to their buildings,” explains the producer. “The waves we created in the canals during our boat chase sequence made city officials very nervous, so they put a lot of restrictions on us in terms of boat speed, how long we could film and exactly where and when we could shoot.”
Executive producer James R. Dyer, who worked closely with Italian line producer Guido Cerasuolo in organizing the logistics of production, further explains: “There are laws in Venice that won’t allow a watercraft to go over five miles per hour within certain parameters in and around the city. To do a boat chase. we had to go well beyond that. So they rewrote the law and the mayor personally signed off on it. It took tremendous effort and great cooperation from the city, but I think because we came in with a very respectful attitude toward the original film, which is very popular there, they helped us out.”
Creating the epic traffic jam in Los Angeles was no easy task either. While there were no language or weather barriers to contend with. it still took extensive planning to shut down two blocks of Hollywood Boulevard. right where Mann’s Chinese Theater and the Kodak Theater are located. Not only is the traffic particularly heavy in that two-block area in 2eneral. but also those sites 1’epresent three of Los Angeles’ most photographed landmarks.
“That corner is the backdrop for the Academy Awards, ceremony viewed by millions around the world,” says Dyer. “It’s a huge tourist attraction, and not only did the city of Los Angeles and the state of California show us tremendous cooperation, but also the vendors and merchants in the area made a huge effort to allow us to film there.”
“We literally controlled those streets for a week, and that’s a big deal,” adds De Line. “We had 300 cars and several armored trucks on the ground, helicopters flying low overhead and motorcycles and MINIs driving over the stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame sidewalk. It was a real three-ring circus. We even drove our MINIs into the Metro Rail line entrance on Hollywood Boulevard, down the stairs and into the subway station. It was pretty amazing.”
Director Gray remembers the experience very well. “Nothing like this has ever been done before,” he admits. “The shoot affected traffic from the south of Los Angeles to the San Fernando Valley. I even got calls from friends on their way home from work, blaming me for getting stuck. In the end, though, we got some spectacular footage and created a car, motorcycle and helicopter chase sequence like no other captured on film.”
The smallest car on American roads today, MINI is truly one of the stars of “The Italian Job.” Taking the automotive world by storm, with over 30,000 sold in the United States alone since its re-launch in the spring of 2002, the tiny car with a big personality was introduced in England during the late 1950s as a new type of car designed to combat the Suez fuel crisis. With over 5 million sold in the UK, the car became a cultural icon around the world, driven by everyone from The Beatles to British royalty. The classic version was sold in the U.S. from 1960 to 1967 and still enjoys a cult following to this day.
Though audiences will see only three MINIs one red, one white and one blue filming the getaway with the gold during the height of rush-hour traffic in Los Angeles took 32 MINIs. Because of the elaborate stunts in the sequences, some of the cars were rigged for jumps and others were fitted to withstand numerous bullet hits, while the “hero” cars stayed pristine throughout.
Executive producer James R. Dyer jokes, “Those 32 MINIs that we got from the BMW group were treated pretty harshly — flying over, crashing or bumping into all sorts of things. They might’ve given us 32 cars, but we could’ve used 132!”
Directed by: F. Gary Gray
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton, Seth Green, Jason Statham, Mos Def, Donald Sutherland
Screenplay by: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade,Donna Powers
Cinematography by: Wally Pfister
Film Editing by: Richard Francis-Bruce, Christopher Rouse
Production Design by: Charles Wood
Costume Design by: Mark Bridges
Set Decoration by: Denise Pizzini
Music by: John Powell
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: May 30, 2003
