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Opened: January 6 2006
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Transcript for AOL interview
Interviewer – Welcome to AOL first of all Alex – Perhaps you’d like to describe a little bit about Alex Rider and Stormbreaker for our viewers.
Alex – He is a reluctant spy forced into MI6, manipulated into a situation which he doesn’t really want to be in and has to finish off what his uncle has started.
Interviewer – Oh, ok, so what was it like being a Super-Spy?
Alex – Fun, scary, adventurous, erm yea every quality to the human emotion shall we say…
Interviewer – Did you both want to be spies when you grew up or…?
Anthony – I wanted to be a writer when I grew up, that’s all I ever wanted to be.
Alex – I wanted to be a Policeman.
Anthony – Did you?
Interviewer – Well they’re on the same road… [Smiles all round] Anthony what’s it like to finally see Stormbreaker on the big screen?
Anthony – It’s extremely exciting and nerve-wracking in some ways because of course I have all the fans of the book to worry about, whether they’ll accept Alex, here, as my Alex and the film as a good version of the book. But I’m delighted with it, it’s a great film, got plenty of action and adventure. It’s as good as I could’ve hoped for, I think.
Interviewer – You’ve made a couple of changes. I mean Sabina’s for example is in this…
Anthony – I made a lot of changes, I had to make changes, I mean Sabina is in the film briefly, but the American Distributors were very keen to have a girl feature in the film so I had to bring her in. And there are other changes too we’ve dropped bits of action, added other things, but I think what’s important is that the tone stays the same and most important of all the main character is very recognisably the same.
Interviewer – You’ve obviously had to have done a lot of stunts, was that a dangerous thing to do? Was it fun to do?
Alex – No because I’m 15. I was 15 on set I’m growing older now. Safety is number one priority. Obviously there’s a certain amount of risk to what you do. It was fun though.
Interviewer – I’ve seen when there’s clips of you when you’re riding across that bridge on your bike and you’re trying to dodge the traffic, was that quite scary to do or not?
Alex – Yes it was actually…very well choreographed. But you’re still in that mode of Alex Rider. When they say ‘action’ you kind of change personalities so you’re in that real life situation, so it’s a kind of *makes fast heart beat sounds* and it happens so fast.
Interviewer – Gadgets are obviously one of the main things and Stephen Fry obviously plays the guy that gives you all the gadgets. Were they fun to dream up to start with?
Anthony – Yes I get enormous pleasure out of doing the gadgets, I normally start in my son’s bedroom to see what’s lying around and then adapt it for the books to the films. It’s amazing how popular these gadgets are, in both books and the film.
Interviewer – What was your favourite gadget in the film?
Alex – I have to say I love the pen; you get control for 3 hours on whoever you want.
Interviewer – So you’d like to have one in real life?
Alex – I’d love to.
Interviewer – I was going to ask you Anthony, how different it is for writing for a younger audience rather than an older, because obviously you do lots of TV adaptations as well.
Anthony – I find it no different at all curiously, what I deal in is action, adventure, pace and watch ability and readability and I think busy adults are just as demand in their own way as busy young people, or children. So I don’t rally think about the audience and I find the type of writing very similar.
Interviewer- What was the most exciting bit of the film for both of you?
Anthony – For me the most exciting moment is the very first scene, the way you are in the classroom, his name is called out and a boy looks up and that boy is Alex Pettyfer. That is the moment when the film either lives or dies and the fact that Alex is so good in the role, for me it’s the sort of ‘Thank goodness’ moment of the picture.
Alex – The same. I can’t say I remember when I watch films the first person you see is obviously the lead actor…or sometimes it’s not. And how you open a film is how you want to portray it all the way through and how Stormbreaker opens up it even leaves you at the end of your seat. After 5 minutes you’re like *Jumpy movement*
Anthony – There’s a great motorbike chase at the beginning.
Interviewer – What was it like to discover you’d got the role in the first place?
Alex – I was just lucky enough to get the opportunity to obviously work with a great cast…work with Anthony…I really wanted to play Alex, he’s such a fantastic character and as I have said before there are so many different emotions to him, which I really wanted to portray on screen.
Interviewer – Final question, can you see yourself carrying on winning an Oscar in a few years?
Alex – I’ll never win an Oscar, I’m not that good, but maybe some kind of award hopefully. ‘Best Film.’
Anthony – When Alex wins his Oscar, which I’m sure he will, I’ll be one of the seat fillers, I’ll take his seat for the moment…
Alex – They’re called ‘Toilet man’ did you know that?
Other two – No
Anthony – Thanks Alex I’ll be your ‘Toilet Man’
Alex – When people need the toilet, someone, a look-alike, will pop in. So you can be my look-alike *nudges Anthony* [all laugh] an uglier version… [Louder laughs]
Interviewer – Thank you and good luck with the film.
Wild Child
