Every now and then we get sent to press conferences for an upcoming blockbuster, it's a chance for the cast and crew to answer as many press questions as possible without having to take part in formal interviews. This week we covered a Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief press conference.
Participanting the press conference were Percy Jackson stars...
Steve Coogan (Hades), Pierce Brosnan (Chiron), Alexandra Daddario (Annabeth) , Chris Columbus (Director), Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson), Kevin McKidd (Poseidon) and Brandon T Jackson (Grover)
Let the questions begin...
Q: Chris: How does it feel now this epic journey has finished and your film is out there?
A (Chris Columbus): It's a wonderful feeling and we didn't know if we'd make it. We always had this release date in mind from when we started and it worked out very well I'm very happy with the film, very happy with the visual effects and very happy to say it's nothing like Harry Potter. I just wanted to get that off my chest immediately!
Q: How much has the CGI technology changed since you did that first Harry Potter film?
A (Chris Columbus): Those first three Harry Potter's were a sort of graduate course in CGI filmmaking for me. The first film was a little creaky but as we went to picture number two and picture number three, it got better. I learned a lot. There was a certain method.in being a little obsessive with the visua
l effect to the point they became seamless with the actor's performances.
Q: How was it playing a Centaur for you Pierce?
A: (Pierce Brosnan): I didn't expect to wear blue tights with orange spots. Chris was very clever, he sent me the script and sent me this delightful reproduction of me as Chiron and it was very flattering with muscles. But then come the reality of the day, I had to get onto fluorescent green painted stilts and put on the blue tights. You have to be a bold man to do this especially when you're on set amongst 200 young people who are very buffed and eager to strut their stuff and I was supposed to be this wise bold hero, but it's all in a day's work!
A: (Brandon T Jackson): Least you didn't have to wear ballet shoes with orange dots so they could draw the legs in like I did! We had to create a walk as if you're walking on your tippy-toes. You've got all these beautiful people on set and me and Pierce both had these blue tights on and you're trying to stay as cool as possible. Kevin (visual effects) did a good job drawing the legs in. It was fun but you had to stay in the character to do the moves...it was cool though.
Q: How was the filming experience for you Steve?
A: (Steve Coogan): I just turned up, got to spend a week in Vancouver and I got to kiss Rosario Dawson and when you've got all these visual effects around you half the job's done for you so it was just about camping it up a bit!
I did that English rock star thing - the slightly androgynous thing that we do here that the Americans can't! I wore Cuban heels and strutted a bit.
Q: Logan, you've been acting since you were very young. What made you want to be an actor?
A: (Logan Lerman): It's filmmakers like Chris and the people who inspire me that really got me into this business and probably movies like Home Alone or maybe Jackie Chan's first movies. I started really young - I'm from LA so it's really accessible to give it a shot and to get an audition for a commercial. There's always somewhere round the block that you can wait in line for an audition. And you slowly climb the ladder and now I'm here and I don't know how I ended up here! I just kept going with it.
Q: How do you think you'll deal with the recognition Logan?
A: (Logan Lerman): I'm really proud of this film and if people recognize me because of this film I'm fine with it that's very flattering. It's the biggest compliment, so as long as it's for the right reasons I'm ready for the recognition.
Q: Pierce - what attracted you to doing a family film?
A: (Pierce Brosnan): I saw the movie in LA last week with my son Dylan who is 13 and our other son who is 8. They were the ones who said I should jump in and do this movie. My son Dylan had read all the books, he's a great reader, he's read all the Harry Potters and the Percy Jackson books so he said ‘Dad you gotta do it'. The show-and-tell was last week and as we left the studio, my 8 year old said ‘Dad that's the best movie you've ever made!' So I'm' a star! He was with all his mates and the Mums and Dads and Dylan was with all his buddies and they all really loved it and wanted to go back and see it again so I'm a happy man.
Q: Chris - what was your vision for the film?
A: (Chris Columbus): It was really important that the characters were a little older than in the book because I couldn't envision gladiator or battle training with 11 year old with wooden swords. This needed to be a little edgier, a little grittier and a little dirtier, or at least as much as we could in a PG film. I was intrigued by the whole concept of Greek mythology co-existing in modern US society that was my desire and why I wanted to do the film.
Q: Will you make more Percy Jackson films Chris?
A: (Chris Columbus): I don't want to be presumptuous and say we're gonna make more of them, but I hope we are successful and that we do. I'd make another almost immediately with these guys, I just loved the enthusiasm and the lack of cynicism with the wonderful talented cast we've assembled here - I want to go back to work with them quickly.
Q: What is it about the young cast that works for you Chris?
A: (Chris Columbus): As I said there's a lack of cynicism and that comes from the fact that these guys are happy to have jobs at its most basic level. They are so enthusiastic and so happy to be there and that enthuses me and gives me that same kind of energy. You rarely see that. You sometimes see it with people who've been working together for years and years. That kind of enthusiasm really makes you thrive.
Q: How did you approach a film about Greek mythology that's aimed at children?
A: (Chris Columbus) If you know anything about Greek mythology, there's a certain element that's really complex and dark and not really for children. Then there's the Classics Illustrated version that we learned at school when we were about 12 years old, so I think we're tapping into that but we didn't want to make it an educational film as that would have children running from theatres. Hopefully they'll develop some sort of interest in Greek mythology and start reading more about it, but again, it works on a different level too - when Medusa says to Percy the son of Poseidon ‘I used to date your Daddy', that's in reference to a very dark chapter in Greek mythology. For me, I wanted the film to work for parents too. I've had to accompany my own children to children's films and sometimes when there are singing animals I've been bored out of my skull so it's really, really important that this works for the parents as well.
Q: Were the younger cast familiar with the books before?
A: (Brandon T Jackson): My 12 and 13 year old sisters had it lying around the house and when I told them I was auditioning for Grover they went crazy. So when I read the script I also read the book and fell in love with both. I love how Chris had his vision for the movie - it makes it a little more edgier and fun.
A: (Logan Lerman): I discovered the script first before the books. Right below the title on the script it had Chris' name and that's what really attracted me because his films really shaped my childhood. - I'm such a big fan and really wanted to be a part of his film. I fell in love with the script and then the book.
A: (Alexandra Daddario): I read the book first - I wanted to get a sense of it before the script and I fell in love with it - I think it's wonderful. It translates wonderfully on screen and I was super excited to work with Chris and all these people and to be a part of it
Q: Pierce - you gone from being James Bond to playing a Centaur. How does that feel?
A: (Pierce Brosnan): I've always seen myself as a working actor and that's how I will see myself for as long as I'm in this business. I was trained to believe that I could play many different roles and James Bond was a phenomenal chapter of my life and I'm very grateful to have played that role because it's allowed me to go on and be able to make my own movies and to be in movies like this and be in an ensemble like this. You just want to stay at the table for as long as you can in this business. For me, you want to be an unexpected surprise in a movie. I worked with Chris on Mrs Doubtfire and like Logan said, I too have admired his work for many years and this is a wonderful book and fertile ground for entertainment so I'm deeply proud to be part of it.
Q: The older cast is a mix of Celts and Brits. Did you use that to bring something to the roles?
A: (Kevin McKidd): I suppose I have that Scottish/Celtic fieriness - Poseidon might be aquatic but he's quite fiery in the film.
A: (Pierce Brosnan): I never really thought of it. Chiron to me was first and foremost a father. I saw him as a father and a teacher...and a farmer... from Donegal!
A: (Steve Coogan): I played Hades as a neurotic, self-obsessed, Narcissistic character so that makes me British!
Q: Brandon - how much did you already know about Greek mythology?
A: (Brandon T Jackson): American schools do teach Greek mythology but we did have to brush up on our knowledge and you guys keep quizzing us at these press conferences too. We had to learn more but don't quiz us too much! We read books and I looked at a lot of Wikipedia on set! This movie teaches children a cool way to learn about Greek mythology and that's one of the things I like about it - it doesn't force it on you. You can learn something and be entertained with this movie and be inspired.
A: (Logan Lerman): My knowledge was like any other elementary school student in California but being a part of this has given me a nice opportunity to brush up on my knowledge. It inspired me to go deeper into the roots of Greek mythology and I think it will inspire a lot of other people.
A: (Alexandra Daddario): I studied Greek mythology at middle school and along the way you get distracted by other subjects so this was a great opportunity and if you're going to be playing the child of a Greek god, you need to know as much about them as possible because you're gonna have to adopt some of their characteristics.
Q: Did you have fun making the film?
A: (Steve Coogan): For me it was about having some fun but I had to try and balance the comedy with a certain amount of menace and the special effects did a lot of that for me. Did I enjoy it? I got to wear snakeskin trousers which I wouldn't normally do, so yes it was fun.
A: (Kevin McKidd): It was nice to be back in a skirt! On Rome I wore a skirt for two years and putting on the breast plate was like coming home for me. It was also great to be 40 ft tall and to have telepathy be able to communicate like Obi Wan Kenobi. When I read the script I also thought of Kramer Vs Kramer where the father is told he can't see his son, so that's what I tapped into for the more human aspect of the story.
Q: There are obviously going to be comparisons made with the Harry Potter films, does that bother you Chris?
A: (Chris Columbus): Because of my connections with Harry Potter there's an inevitable comparison. Fantasy films in this sort of genre will be connected in some way whether it's Spiderman or Lord of the Rings, Star Wars or Potter, what connects them is that their hero is sometimes flawed and they look at the emptiness within them and go on a journey to find answers, so for me that's the connection with all the films. Potter's about wizardry and this is about Greek mythology. I wouldn't have got involved with a film that was similar to Potter but I really, honestly hadn't seen anything like this film before and that's why I wanted to do it.
Q: Will you do more Percy Jackson films?
A: (Brandon T Jackson): Working with Chris makes the experience fascinating, marvellous and extraordinary, so if more films are made, if it's with Chris I'd love to do more.
A: (Logan Lerman): That was a big topic of discussion when I was signing on to doing the movie. I'm invested into the whole series, I'm crazy about the character and crazy about the stories.
A: (Alexandra Daddario): It's a dream come true for me. I had an amazing time making the film and I'm thrilled to be working with such amazing people and I'd love to be back to do more.
Q: What were the challenges for you Alex?
A: (Alexandra Daddario): The first challenge was that I was probably out of shape so I had three weeks of intensive boot camp before filming. Our stunt team was amazing and you learn techniques and choreography and I'm happy I was able to pull it off.
Q: Pierce has done a very successful musical (Mamma Mia!). Chris is there any chance of you doing a musical?
A: (Chris Columbus): If I found the right musical! - maybe Finian's Rainbow.
A: (Pierce Brosnan): Chiron could maybe have a song in the next Percy Jackson!
Q: Pierce, do you think there will be a follow up to Mamma Mia!
A: (Pierce Brosnan): I believe you should always leave them wanting more, less is more. I don't think we could top what we did last time round, Mamma Mia! was just a phenomenal success. The other day in Greece after our press we were all very privileged to be taken up to the Acropolis and it was a very powerful experience and just to stand on that sacred ground and to wonder about the possibilities of making the next Percy Jackson movie there. Greece has certainly played a huge part in my life - I love the country and I love the people.
Q: Logan - people have compared Daniel Radcliffe to his character Harry Potter. How do you compare with Percy Jackson?
A: (Logan Lerman): I am a big fan of the Harry Potter series and that was one of the reasons why I wanted to work with Chris he has a long list of movies that have made an impact on me. As for my character I wanted to make sure that it wasn't me playing myself - it's a performance that I can stay away from after 6 months of filming. That's something that was new for me and a bit of a challenge. Chris and I talked a lot and we had meetings and really developed the character, starting with the look, the accent and the way he walked. Percy's very different to me.
PERCY JACKSON IS AT IRISH CINEMAS FROM FEB 12th 2010