We Got This Covered: James Patterson was involved in this movie in a way that I’m guessing he wasn’t in the previous films that featured the character. Can you talk on that at all?
Rob Cohen: To me, he was like the Godfather. I didn’t want to offend him, I didn’t want to cut him out. I wanted to hear what he had to say. I woud give him the drafts of the script and he’d give me his notes. I showed him all the cuts too and he was always very constructive. We wouldn’t be anywhere without him. You have to honour the creator.
We Got This Covered: This is Tyler Perry’s first movie that he didn’t direct/write, was there anything that he brought to this production that you didn’t anticipate he would bring.
Rob Cohen: I believed in him with all my heart but I was surprised at the depth of his dramatic abilities. I knew that as good a comedian he was, he’d be able to drama. And I knew that he could do the action. But it was when he started to bring the stuff you only get from first rate actors, you go “holy sh*t, boy did I pick right, this guy is really talented.”
We Got This Covered: On IMDB, it implied you were working on another xXx movie, is that still happening?
Rob Cohen: It’s sort of dormant, I’m waiting for Vin to get his head out of Fast and Furious sequels.
We Got This Covered: What are your thoughts on the Fast and Furious series and would you direct another one?
Rob Cohen: I’d be happy to do it. I mean, it is my baby. No matter what way they twist it, I am still the guy who did the first one and made it what it was. I think that for a series to last ten or twelve years, you have to keep growing. I don’t know that I would have gone to the heist world, but the fact that it did $550 million, twelve years after the first, is a compliment to what we started out to do.
The first couple sequels though, what I hated about them was that it was just for money, the studio was just milking the cash cow. It’s a miracle they didn’t kill it. If you were to just watch Tokyo Drift, you’d say “I never want to see anything related to Fast and Furious again.”
We Got This Covered: Patterson has said that what he does in his books is hyper-realism, did you try to go the same route?
Rob Cohen: No, I wanted to go more realistic, I didn’t want a hyper-real thing. I find hyper reality is great for superhero films but if you’re going to try and take an audience along on a ride with a character, you want it to be truthful, not necessarily stylized. Stylization and emotional connection don’t always go together. Style you observe, emotion you feel. I wanted no barriers between the characters and audience.
That concludes our interview but we’d like to thank Rob for talking with us. Be sure to check out Alex Cross, in theatres this weekend.
