  Eric Bana Interview
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 Eric Bana talks: Audiences will be challenged by the complex moral issues that it raises.Interviewer:
So how was it working with one of the biggest legends in the movie business Steven Spielberg?
Eric Bana
It was nothing short of fantastic and pretty much the ultimate. He's an incredible film maker and an incredible person, a wonderful audience for the actors. He's really enthusiastic by the monitor. He's very, very obsessed with what's occurring in front of him and reacting to that, and as a result, you couldn't get a better working relationship
Interviewer:
Apparently, it was your performance in Hulk that was one of the things that persuaded you he had to have you in this film.
Eric Bana
Yeah, I read that. It just goes to show you never really know when you're making a movie, who's going to be watching it or what impact it's going to have. But he had mentioned that to me, there were some elements in that character that he really liked and sees as having some relevance
Interviewer
Did he specify what it was about your performance?
Eric Bana
I didn't ask him too many questions in case he changed his mind. I was on to a good thing, so I wasn't going to try and mess it up with too many details.
Interviewer
Now when the terrible tragedy of Munich 1972 happened, you were a toddler, so did you have even the vaguest memory of it?
Eric Bana
Not really, no. I had memories of subsequent games, and I remember people talking about Munich at those times, so I kind of gradually learnt about it and then obviously, through the course of researching for the film, learnt everything there was to know about it, but at the time, I was very young
Interviewer
One of the things I thought for the performers had to be, to capture that sense of naivety, which tumbles into a hardening of the guy and then absolute paranoia. So how did you decide you could capture all these things?
Eric Bana
They were very well structured in terms of the story telling, in terms of the script, but how do you do it? Personally, I guess you have to invest in your research time and your preparation, and then trust what you've learnt and trust your instincts. What Steven's great at is encouraging you to go with your instincts. Every time I had a question for him, he'd be like, just do what you think is right, let's just use that as a starting point and then play with it. So, from me anyway, he got a very, very instinctual, heartfelt performance as a result, because he really trusts you and then obviously when he comes up with a suggestion, you're going to listen, because it's a brilliant one.
Interviewer
At the end of each day though, you must have felt emotionally and physically drained.
Eric Bana
Absolutely. I pretty much felt like that the whole way through the film. Although then again, Steven and his team work with such energy, that it definitely helped me. I don't know if this performance would have been possible if was a film that took 6 months to make. I just don't know if you could maintain that intensity over that period of time. We took about 3 months to shoot this, and that was a definite benefit. Even though it's still a long period of time, but it was approached with such energy by Steven and his crew, and I was so incredibly well supported by them, that it made a huge difference.
Interviewer
There's a fellow Aussie in the cast of course, Jeffrey Rush. Had you known each other before and did that help, that there was a kinship there in nations?
Eric Bana
It was interesting, there was one really good parallel. Jeffrey and I know each other primarily from, obviously we're both from the same home city, Melbourne, but we spent most of our time getting to know each other on aircraft, flying from Melbourne to Los Angeles, and we'd quite often have dinner together and drink and talk in these infrequent meetings, then here we are these two characters, who infrequently come together for these meetings, so it was just an interesting parallel, but I was so excited when Steven told me he was considering Jeffery for that role and Jeffrey accepted it. We have some great moments together in the film and it was a huge thrill and honour to work with someone not only from home, but someone incredibly talented at what he does someone I have nothing but huge respect for.
Interviewer
Finally, what do you hope audiences will take away after seeing what is, to my mind, such an important movie?
Eric Bana
Well, hopefully, they'll be thoroughly entertained initially, and most importantly. But then, further to that, they'll hopefully be enlightened, by what they're learning from our film, and challenged. Challenged by the complex moral issues that it raises.
Interviewer
Eric, thanks again.
Eric Bana
Thanks
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 4Critics
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Critics agree
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Best film of 2005
A film of uncommon depth, intelligence, and sensitivity, Munich defies easy labeling.
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Steven Spielberg successfully enters Costa-Gavras territory with "Munich".
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