he pre-summer blockbuster Van Helsing hit theaters last week, packed with monsters, action and CGI. Written and directed by Stephen Sommers (who's helmed the likes of The Mummy and The Mummy Returns), this steampunkish horror reinvention follows the exploits of Gabriel Van Helsing, a mysterious man charged by a secret religious organization with hunting down some of the world's most infamous characters—creatures like the Wolf Man, Frankenstein's monster and Count Dracula. Along the way, Van Helsing teams up with Anna Valerious, the last member of a family sworn to rid the earth of the scourge that is Dracula.
Hugh Jackman, who plays Gabriel, and Kate Beckinsale, who plays Anna, sat down in an interview with Science Fiction Weekly recently to talk about their experiences working on the movie. Van Helsing, from Universal Pictures, was released nationwide on May 7.
Hugh, you're known to most moviegoers as Wolverine in the X-Men movies, and, Kate, you recently starred in another Gothic action movie, Underworld. Did the two of you have any doubts about doing Van Helsing, given that some might see your roles in it as fairly similar to roles you've played in the past?
Jackman: Well, I knew from the moment I read [the script for Van Helsing] that the movies were very different, and the characters were very different. When I met [writer-director Stephen Sommers], I was on my way to shoot X-Men 2, and my reluctance was that I thought I was going to do a smaller, independent movie after that, do something different. I was a bit reluctant about being in another big franchise popcorn movie, because I thought I must just end up going down that road. They take so long to make, that's like a year of your life, and I knew I was coming to Broadway for a year.
Then, of course, if it's successful, not only would there be X-Men 3, but Van Helsing 2—that would kind of be my film life. So I rang Steve and I said, "I know this picture's going to be great, and I love the character," and then I told him about why I was reluctant. Then there was a pause and he said, "Hugh, I think you're probably the only actor in Hollywood who's nervous about being in two successful franchises." And I had a giggle and that was about it.
Beckinsale: I was surprised I did these, because I'm not interested in vampires at all. [Laughs.] When I got sent the script to Underworld, I wasn't even going to read it, because I thought, "Oh, vampires and werewolves, not really my kind of thing." And then I got the script for Van Helsing and it was vampires and werewolves again, but in this one my character really is so different. First of all, [unlike in Underworld,] I'm not a vampire myself in this. [My character's] a gypsy, and she's much more passionate and human. It just seemed like a very different role. I don't have a big career plan, and I like to keep going in different directions, and this very much felt like a different direction for me.
Jackman: Although some are actually good at it, I don't think many actors are the best judge of careers. I think generally we have good instincts about what we can do in terms of acting. I get a very strong feeling about what I can do with a role in a film, and then apart from that I have to have faith in the director. That's why I love working with Steve, because I immediately knew, in my gut, that he was going to make the best version of that film, that he would leave no stone unturned. Now, I of course had every confidence of what I could do with the role, but I don't know how to make one of those movies, how to pull that together. And the more I know about it, the more miraculous it is when I see what Steve has done. It's an extraordinary feat to pull all those things together.
This was, however, a step up for me, in terms of Kate's name and my name being above the title. I'm playing the lead character, and it's the first time I've done that, and that was a deliberate choice, and I only did it with someone like Steve because I trust him.
Hugh, Kate's described you as "the nicest guy in Hollywood." How do you feel about that label?
Jackman: You're gonna ruin my career, Kate. [Laughs.] How do I react to that? Well, it's easy to be nice around good people. We had a great time, we really did. I think it was the most fun I ever had on a set. Steve Sommers led from the top. He's an old-fashioned director. I would call him an old-fashioned director. He sets the tone. He walks on set in the day at 7:30 [in the morning] with exactly the same energy as he finished with at 7:30 [the night before]. And he never goes a minute past 7:30. He's like the only director in the world who does it, particularly in action. He does 12 hours, and he goes a hundred percent all day. He pops in every day into your makeup trailer to see you, "How you doing? Any questions?" And, trust me, this doesn't always happen. He really led the way, he made it really easy. It was almost a frighteningly easy set. There were no tantrums, there were no breakdowns, every department worked well. It shouldn't work this easy.
Kate, you do a lot of your own stunts in Van Helsing. How did you get into the physicality of the role?
Beckinsale: I had a whole training period called Underworld. I didn't have any training for [Van Helsing], largely because I started it just shortly after I'd finished filming Underworld, but I would have been in huge trouble if I hadn't done Underworld. And lots of times, just being around the right kind of people with the right kind of vibe really helps. If you've got friendly people that you trust, you can throw yourself off of buildings for them. The only stunts I hurt myself on were the really boring things, like running up to a window and really banging my elbow. With all the really dangerous, difficult ones, we really had fun.
Jackman: She's one of five kids, and has all elder brothers, so occasionally she does the English rose thing. But then, as soon as "action" is called, she's tougher than all of us. In one scene, I was grabbing Kate's feet, and we were on wires about 40 or 50 feet up in the air. Then, as close to real speed as possible we had to land down on this mat. So I land down on my back and Kate lands astride me, with her knees on either side of my head. So I did it once with her stunt double, and she missed and landed on my shoulder, and at that moment I thought, "Wow, just a few inches more and I'm gonna get a knee in the face." Then with Kate we did three takes, and she stuck it every time, like an Olympic gymnast—bang, bang, bang. She was very athletic.
Beckinsale: Well, that's the nice thing about English girls—someone asks for a crotch in the face, they get a crotch in the face.
Jackman: [Laughs.]
So you both had good experiences making this film?
Beckinsale: We were really a family, with all the support and ups and downs, and all being away from home altogether, but I found it a really great experience, for a big old blockbuster.
Jackman: [Steve's] a great filmmaker, but he also makes it a very enjoyable process. And I know a lot of people say, "Oh, you must love making the movies." But often in reality there's a lot of anxiety and a lot of hard work, and it's not always fun. Fun's not always the word I would use; it's really challenging. But this was fun.
Beckinsale: There were really good people involved. Because Steve is this highly enthusiastic, childlike, excited person, the people that he chooses all have an element of that as well. He's totally goofy and fun, and I think we all responded to that in Steve.
Jackman: I think he's very guileless, Steve. He's kind of like an innocent, and it's totally infections.
Beckinsale: You've got to look at him when he's by the monitors. You watch him watching the monitors, and he's twitching and moving and he's saying everybody's lines. It's extraordinary. He's so into it. He's like a kid with his very expensive Barbie and Ken.
Jackman: I'm not that expensive, actually [laughs].
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