 What
a lot of people want to talk about is this whole idea of is V a
terrorist or is he a freedom fighter? From his point of view he is trying to
wake people up and force them to take responsibility for their own
lives, rather than be beholden to the government. What is terrorism?
Terrorism is a word that’s bandied around a lot at the moment and the
more we use it, the less it means; and the more we use it, the less we
have to ask ourselves why is someone doing these things. It’s very easy
to say these people are this and these people are this, we’re defending
liberty and democracy and these people are terrorists. That’s a very
convenient way of talking but it’s not very helpful.
How difficult was it acting behind a mask?
“It
was challenging, but that was the thing that excited me about the
project when I first read it. I mean it was physically difficult in
many ways because it was hot and I felt excluded from everyone else.
And I’m sure when they were talking to me they didn’t feel they were
talking to me. So there were physical difficulties. But V says,
‘Underneath the mask there’s just flesh’, and that is actually not
important. Who I am is not important. The individuality is not
important. What’s important are the ideas that I’m expressing. So, the
more I started to think about what he was saying, the easier that
became.”
What make up did you wear?
“Just black under the chin to make sure no skin appeared and then mask on. Easy.”
Did the mask make it more difficult to interact with Natalie?
“Yeah,
I was conscious that it would be difficult for her and I did find it
difficult at first because I often wouldn’t be able to see. I’d have to
wear the mask in such a way that I couldn’t often see her face, so I
was addressing her breasts most of the time.”
V has been called a revolutionary type of terrorist. Did you think about how hat would play in England, post 7/7?
“Well,
I mean this really goes to the heart of the whole film, actually, and
what a lot of people want to talk about is this whole idea of is he a
terrorist or is he a freedom fighter? What is he? Is the film in some
way condoning terrorism? I guess, certainly from his point of view, he
doesn’t feel that he is, and from his point of view he is trying to
wake people up and force them to take responsibility for their own
lives, rather than be beholden to the government. What is terrorism?
Terrorism is a word that’s bandied around a lot at the moment and the
more we use it, the less it means; and the more we use it, the less we
have to ask ourselves why is someone doing these things.”
Do you think that question, the big why, has been missing from the mainstream debate since 9/11?
“Absolutely.
It’s very easy to say these people are this and these people are this,
we’re defending liberty and democracy and these people are terrorists.
That’s a very convenient way of talking but it’s not very helpful. I’m
not saying blowing people up is a good thing, of course, but they feel
they have very good reasons why they’re doing something. We may believe
they’re wrong but we should at least try to understand why these things
are happening rather than just label them.”
Do
you see this as a warning to the US government as well as a wake up
call to the people because a for CIA official who used to give White
House briefings was recently quoted as saying that what people in
America in should be worried about right now is fascism?
“Yeah. There was a play recently written in Australia by a wonderful
playwright, I can’t remember the name, but it was essentially about
fascism in America.
It was very entertaining but also kind of quite disturbing as well. I
don’t know whether the film’s a wake-up call but it’s certainly a
response to the world in which we live. I mean the source material was
originally a response to living in Thatcherite Britain, but it’s since
been updated.”
Were your own political feelings a reason for your taking part in this film?
“Yes,
in part, I think that was the element of the script I responded to most
and I thought that was very exciting. But there were other things. I
suppose if it was a political thriller or a political critique as a
film, yes I might have done it. But because it was couched in a
particular form, coming from a graphic novel, if you put those
political ideas within this particular context you’ve got a very
unusual marriage of style and content and you don’t usually have those
two elements together. I think that’s why it’s such an unusual film.”
Were you familiar with the graphic novel before you were cast?
“I knew of it but I hadn’t read it.”
In which way did the Wachowski brothers try to get close to the look of the graphic novel?
“Well
I think the graphic novel looks quite different from the look of the
film. The film has a very different look. And the graphic novel is a
much more sprawling piece, it’s a broader piece. This is necessarily
different because it’s a different form, but the spirit of the novel is
certainly within the film. But also the film has different references
and it speaks to a different period in history – twenty years
difference – but it’s actually a very different period.”
Given
the film’s hot-button themes and ambiguous approach to terrorism, was
there any discussion before you went ahead about possible repercussions
for you individually? Natalie has been criticised on the net by
right-wingers, for instance, for taking part.
“Er,
no, there wasn’t. And I suspect that if someone doesn’t want to do that
they’ll say so. I guess if you agree to do something then you’re
onboard. But no, we didn’t have a sit-down discussion like, ‘Now hang
on, guys. Do you understand what you’re getting yourself into,
potentially? You might be attacked by right-wing websites.’ Look,
whenever you’re involved in any artistic endeavour, as a writer or
actor or artist or whatever it may be, then if you believe in something
and express your opinion, of course someone else is going to disagree
with you, but that’s what society is. And I think that’s a good thing,
it’s not a bad thing, so we shouldn’t be afraid. I mean really that’s
what the film’s about: fear, and living in fear. I think if we decided,
‘Oh, I won’t do that because I’m afraid of what someone might say,’
then that’s exactly what’s happening to everyone in the film.”
It’s not a time to be standing on the sidelines.
“I
certainly don’t think that. I think it’s important to stand up and say
what you feel. And it’s interesting that this time has come out around
the same time as a couple of George Clooney films, Syriana and Good
Night, and Good Luck, and there’s a couple of other films about the two
martyr bombers in Palestine [Paradise Now], and I suspect those films
have been in a gestation period for two or three years so they are made
as a response to what is going on and they’re all coming out now.”
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