Being very heavy in samurai action, someone asked James Mangold if he was inspired by any past films:
James Mangold: One the main attractions about doing this movie was the fact that I’ve always been a huge fan of Japanese movies, samurai and otherwise. In a way, as Hiro was indicating, this movie is kind of this Lifesaver roll of different tastes and Japanese flavors.
You’ve got a Yakuza crime movie, a samurai film, a fantasy film, a western and historical film – you have all these things tied up in it, all of which I’m fans of. As we were developing the script, one of the directors who allows you into Japanese culture the most, but is least appreciated in the West, is Yasujirô Ozu. He had a huge period of movies about Japanese domestic life, beautiful city and country post-war films, and they had a big visual effect on this movie and the look of it, however strange it seems.
The reason for that journey Tao and Hugh make down South, and the village where I was scouting – I didn’t know Japan. This film really opened Japan up for me. What I was looking for in my mind was the seaside villages I’d seen in these great Ozu films, and wondering if they still existed. Obviously, in relation to samurai stuff, for me it was about trying to make the movie physical. What I thought as such an opportunity, here especially, was having someone like Hiro, who is not only a master himself, but also a master teacher. I think he helped everyone here from their sword work to their choreography. What I was really into, and into seeing in the film, was sweat, blood, eyes, and grounded action. We weren’t the budget level of some of the other summer movies, and I didn’t want to compete on the epic scale, I wanted it to compete on an intensity scale. What that meant for me is, Wolverine isn’t Spider-Man. He isn’t Superman. He can’t jump up and grab a 747, or he can’t fly into the atmosphere. He has flaws, he has a skeleton, he’s bitter, grumpy, and he heals. That’s it. What that allows you to do is stay more in line with making Dirty Harry films, and Popey Doyle films. These are all heroes who have captivated us, but whose feet are firmly on the ground.
Since The Wolverine was such an intense shoot, we asked Hugh how he relaxed after an intense day of shooting:
Hugh Jackman: I’ve been to Japan about 10 or 11 times, so to film there was a great thrill. I took the opportunity to take my family, because we were there quite a long time and it’s something they’ll never forget. When we went to Tomonoura, this village in the South, it was so beautiful there. If you wanted a Western breakfast, they said you needed three days notice. We were really out of Tokyo. For me, I don’t know if you know, but I’m a big foodie. I love Japanese food. I’m ashamed to say I gluttonously went to Jiro three times while we were there. I went once, had to take my wife, then went back again. We swam, we did loads of beautiful things. I climbed Mt. Fuji with my son, I went in some onsens (hot springs).
That concludes our interview but I’d like to thank the entire cast of The Wolverine who attended this press conference. Be sure to catch James Mangold’s film when it opens July 26th!
