Kill Bill: Volume 2 - David Carradine interview

David Carradine talks about the making of Kill Bill: Volume 2 at a London press conference...

Q. This has already been described by some papers as a welcome comeback for you to mainstream cinema?
David Carradine: I hate that word...

Q. How do you see this in terms of your career?
David Carradine: Harvey Weinstein called it a renaissance. And he said, 'you just wait til October', which, of course, turns out to be now. Back then, he turned round to me, and said, very loudly, 'I just hope you remember by name'! But the praise I have received in the six cities I have done this in so far, I guess I have to believe it. Everybody tells me I'm in for quite a ride and I could certainly use it. The only thing that surprises me is that I knew something like this was going to happen eventually, but I really didn't think I'd be on social security!

Q. Can you describe what it's like working with Quentin?
David Carradine: We all had that same experience with Quentin. He's so much fun, and he's having so much fun. I was going to say, it's as much as a barrel of monkeys, but actually he kind of is a barrel of monkeys! One of the things is that it's difficult to actually stop and talk to him, whether he's shooting or not, it's like talking to a runaway train, because he's always in so many places at once. And when he starts to focus on you and direct you, it's really a privilege, because you actually get a one-on-one with him.

The other thing is that most directors, um, a good director generally does not tell an actor how to act. Most of the time, when they do, it doesn't help. It's quite the reverse. I'm told that Michael Caine once asked John Huston, 'you're not telling me anything, why don't you tell me anything?' And his reply was: "Well, when you cast it right, you don't need to." And that is the truth with most directors, but Quentin was actually able to tell me things that ignited me, and he whispered. No one else has any idea what he's saying - he could be saying how wonderful you are, or don't do that anymore, whatever, but it's a conspiracy, and that's kind of exciting in itself.

I have a funny metaphor for what it actually felt like, in total, for me in this picture. Quentin found, in the back of the cellar, this vintage bottle of champagne, all covered with dust, and he took it out, and polished it up, and maybe even shook it a little, and then popped the cork; and out came this thing that I didn't feel as though I had ever accomplished before. I mean it actually got me, after 40 years in the business, 102 feature movies, god knows how much TV, 35 plays, including 11 Shakespearean plays, I thought there was really nothing I could do to go forward, and he actually got me to push yet another envelope. At this moment, and I don't think it's just a samurai romance, he's my favourite director of all time.

Q. Did you have any doubts that you still had this sort of performance in you, after all these years?
David Carradine: I tell you, I couldn't have proceeded during any one of those 40 years, if I didn't always think that I'm the best there is. I think I might have even created that for myself, because that's how you deal with it. Years and years ago, when I was in a play in New York, Peter Shepherd told me that I was the actor of my generation, and I thought, well, ok, that sounds pretty good. He also told me to stay away from television, which, of course, I didn't do [laughs].

But no, I've never had any doubts, not in my ability so much, as much as my destiny. Sometimes I would say, 'is this it'? When I did Bound For Glory, I was sure that was it, but the picture actually never recovered its investment. But people in Hollywood have this big book, and things are written in black or in red, and that's the sole basis on which they make their decisions, so I had to wait a little bit. I really actually kind of like what I did in this picture a little more because I'm not doing an accent, or a funny walk, I'm not pretending to be anyone other than who I am, except for the fact that I'm not really a serial assassin. But I can sure get behind Bill being so pissed off about this woman leaving him and marrying an El Paso nerd...

Uma Thurman: A make-up artist...

David Carradine: Well, actually, he was a make-up artist, a special effects make-up artist, who did our scars and things. And then having his baby, I think when she finally tells me it's mine, I've already pulled the trigger. But that would kind of piss me off. I did a film, once, called Jealousy, with Angie Dickinson, and the guy I thought was really normal except for the fact that he happened to own a gunshop, and that made his anger really dangerous. I know I'm way off the subject, but approaching a character like this, which some people say is the villain of the piece, I will always answer them and say, 'look, there are no good guys in a Quentin Tarantino film'. There just aren't if you think about it. Everybody has an agenda.

You've got to approach a villain, if you insist on looking at it that way, from his point of view, and from his point of view, he's not a villain, he's the man, and everything, for him, is justified. Now, I know that wasn't an answer to your question, but I have a tendency to sort of paragraph out [laughs]

Q. I believe that Quentin is known for borrowing the clothes and possessions of his lead actors, to use on the set, did he borrow anything from you? Did he, in fact, raid your wardrobe?
David Carradine: Yeah, they came to my house and raided my wardrobe, and they took 96 items. All the way from swords, to a little cigar case, and paintings, even pieces of furniture, but as it turned out, very, very few of them were used. Originally, the idea was that Bill lived in a villa, or fortress, surrounded by bodyguards with lots of fancy cars out front. But then during the shoot, Quentin decided that, well, he's an international assassin, he's got to be on the move all the time, so what I lived in, instead, was the most extravagant hotel suite on the planet.

Therefore, it could not be my own things, so very few of my effects were actually used. They did things like, they left me wearing this ring, which is practically the only thing you see of me in Volume One, and the boots that I'm wearing are mine; I had my own jewellery on. But part of that is because I've got a lot of good shit, you know? But part of it was making the character as comfortably me as could be managed, and he took that to an almost ridiculous extent. One of the nice things about it, though, was that I took a lot of stuff out that I got back with doubles and triples of.

Q. There is clearly quite a strong element of violence and possibly sadism in the film, do you think directors should be allowed to show whatever they fancy, or do you think there should be some form of censorship?
David Carradine: I love violent, sexy movies, but there are other types of movies that I like, too. Censorship is really a dangerous thing. I do think we make too many rules anyway, and the safety police are after us about everything we do. In America, they're telling you a lot about how it could affect no one but you, and that's not correct.

I think we are getting the cause and effect mixed up. Art is an effect of society, not a cause of it. If there are too many violent movies, then maybe we should start educating our kids differently. Art tends to be exaggerated. We live in enormously violent, scary times, so we will see movies that reflect that. It's a given. And the only way to get out of that, at present, would be to limit creativity.