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Recently Released In Theaters Reviews
Role Models Quantum of Solace Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Soul Men Zack and Miri Make a Porno Pride and Glory Saw V High School Musical 3: Senior Year Synecdoche, New York Changeling Max Payne W. What Just Happened Sex Drive The Secret Life of Bees Recently Added Spotlights Daniel Craig Olga Kurylenko Danny Boyle Seann William Scott Zac Efron Edward Norton Jason Ritter Marianna Palka Queen Latifah Bill Murray Clark Gregg Sean Faris Charlize Theron Stuart Townsend Justin Hartley |
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 Stuart Townsend
Interview By: Rocco Passafuime When you think of most actors who become filmmakers, you think of established performers like Robert Redford, Mel Gibson, or even Ron Howard or Rob Reiner. However, Stuart Townsend is far from what you would call “established.” He has gained recognition for his roles in films like Queen Of The Damned and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, as well as a guest role on the beloved sitcom Will & Grace. Now, Townsend plans to establish himself in the world of filmmaking, as both screenwriter & director for Battle in Seattle, which focused on the most unlikeliest of subject matter, the 1999 protest of the same name against the World Trade Organization. The 35 year-old actor-turned filmmaker shared with us what first motivated him to tackle an underreported subject like the anti-globalization movement into a dramatic film. “Well, it was visual,” Stuart explains, “And I figured the idea was basically to make an action movie about something. That was sort of my overarching intent. And, then, instead of making a doc that was sort of factual, maybe a little staid, try to hire talented actors, that people, particularly young people, I’d love young people to see this film more than anybody else, that would be my audience.” “It’s hard to get them in the cinema, but I felt like all the girls love Channing Tatum, Andre Benjamin, everybody loves Andre, Michelle [Rodriguez’s] in Lost, Charlize Theron is amazing, Woody [Harrelson’s] you know,” he continues, “That was kind of the plan was to try and get these actors. You know, people love going to the cinema and you can be inspired by cinema and I have been, so that was really it. They might not have gone to see a film about the WTO, but they might see a film with Andre Benjamin in it, you know.” Townsend shared with us what first got him interested in the subject of globalization in the first place. “It started with the environment and meeting with a lot of environmental activists, hearing about erosions, hearing about our forests, freaked out, it’s like a Pandora’s box,” he remembers, “But I didn’t really connect that. I thought it was just really educating myself on the environment, but I didn’t realize it was so connected to politics and connected to globalization. And I read a book by Anita Roddick called Take It Personally. It’s sort of an idiot’s guide to globalization. Very simple and I can read it and I could understand it.” “And I just realized that, fuck, this globalization is really at the root source of a lot of our modern ills,” Townsend adds, “I really felt that. I felt the IMF, the World Bank, the WTO, were these institutions were mechanisms of a system that was pretty unjust and the Battle In Seattle event was this clearer illustration of all these issues and people fighting against this system. So I felt ... |
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