Sarsgaard talks GREEN LANTERN and Waltz reveals Major Spoiler for THE GREEN HORNET
While at the the Santa Barbara International Film Festival this past Friday night, Christoph Waltz and Peter Sarsgaard were both presented with the Cinema Vanguard Award for their noteworthy contributions to films in 2009. Waltz took home the award for his scene stealing performance as Col. Hans Landa in Inglourious Bastards, and Sarsgaard was honored for the amazing tight-rope walk of a performance he did in An Education.
SuperHeroHype caught up with both of the actors at the event, and talked about their respective upcoming roles in The Green Hornet and Green Lantern.
While Sarsgaard stayed mostly tight-lipped about his role as villainous pathologist Dr. Hector Hammond in Martin Campbell's adaptation of DC's Green Lantern, he confirmed the March start date for production, and talked about his excitement in reuniting with Tim Robbins, who's been cast as Senator Hammond, the disappointed father of Sarsgaard's character.
Saarsgaard explained:
He gave me my first job - Dead Man Walking. I think he looks at me like I'm this young guy that was in this movie. I think you're always that to someone. I look at him like he was the guy that gave me my first job and I have immense respect for him. He does not feel like an equal to me. He feels like a God. He's a lot taller than I am.
Waltz on the other hand, who was the first to arrive on the press line, was whole heartedly more forthcoming, revealing a MAJOR SPOILER concerning the possible ending of the Michel Gondry-directed remake of The Green Hornet, co-written by and starring Seth Rogen.
Waltz plays a Los Angeles crime boss named Chodnofsky, who tries to unite the city's various gangs in order to form a supermafia. Waltz replaced Nic Cage, who dropped out of the film because he wasn't interested in "just being just a straight-up bad guy." No loss there, a superior actor has filled his shoes, not to mention Waltz is the odds on favorite to win the Oscar for best supporting actor.
When asked what his character has against the Green Hornet, Waltz explained:
Well, because he's a competitor. There's a misunderstanding between the two of them and they have to sort it out through the course of the movie.
But he continued, revealing quite possibly the ending of the movie, but definitely something that most moviegoers wouldn't want to know.
**********SPOILER ALERT**********
They do sort it out through the course of the movie, but unfortunately it happens fatally for one of them and it wasn't Seth.
Well, not an unpredictable twist for a villain in a superhero movie or any movie for that matter, but a surprise nevertheless.
But I will say this:
Having interviewed Waltz, I know he is uncannily quick witted and to say he's eloquent is a vast understatement. So Waltz accidentally divulging plot details he's not allowed to is unlikely. So either it will be painfully obvious that his character will indeed die, or his humor was lost in translation.