Well, fans of the original STAR WARS TRILOGY here's a real interesting little interview that Gareth Von Kallenbach of KGHP FM sent to Father Geek, prepare to geek out...
There is more, new parts to the interview added to the end of the original interview
I recently had the chance to talk with Jeremy Bulloch about some of his experiences with the Star Wars saga, as well as what he is currently involved with. Bulloch is known to fans the world over as the man who brought the evil bounty hunter Boba Fett to life, and is constantly in demand at conventions due to the enourmous popularity of the character.
GVK: At this point, what do you know about your involvement in the upcoming films? Have you had any contacts?
JB: No, no involvement at all really. To be quite honest, I say to people that I do not own the right to be in the next film. I enjoyed my time in the films, and I assume that Fett is coming back, and whoever plays it, it is a fantastic part to play. I liked to be involved somehow in it, but I do not expect to.
GVK: What kind of background did they give you on the character for "Empire", was their a backstory?
JB: Just that he was a bounty hunter, a mercenary, and he is cold, there was not a real backstory at all.
GVK: Was there any reason why you were not called in for the new scenes that were added to the Special Editions?
JB: No, I don't think so. Everyone has asked if I was upset that I was not used, and I always say no. I did my time on the first films, but I am very honored that they used Boba Fett in the new scenes. The character has become very popular, and that is luck for me, as luck for an actor. I have had a ball doing the films, and Fett is now an important part of this whole trilogy.
GVK: I am sure you have heard about the continuing adventures of Fett in both comic and novel form, are you ever contacted about stories?
JB: the nice thing about that is that I am kept up to date. People send me books, comics, and so on, and perhaps one day I can write a story.
GVK: That would be great.
JB: I also get to hear different fan versions of what happened. I am up to date, I have met various people at Lucasfilm, I have been to Skywalker Ranch, and I feel as if I am part of a family. It is a history that has gone back for twenty years. As much as you try to put it in the background, as I am working as an actor in England, you cant really, as it keeps coming up. I still get 100 letters a week which is extraordinary.
GVK: How much of the fight in Jedi did you do?
JB: None, it was all done by stunt people. People always ask me about this, and I tell them that there are very talented people who get paid to do this type of work, and what they do is fantastic. People asked about how hot it was in Yuma, and actually, the hottest past was the carbon freeze scenes.
GVK: Did it require many takes?
JB: Quite a few. All of the steam and dry ice that was used being pushed in by pipes, and it was a very difficult scene to do.
GVK: Was the timing hard to get right?
JB: Yes, you had Solo going down, then the steam, and the claw mechanism, it was a very interesting scene.
GVK: When Fett took Han off to Jabba at the end of "Empire" were you given any heads up as to what was ahead for your character?
JB: No, when it finished, I did not have a clue, and suddenly I heard that I was going to be in the next one and I was very excited about that.
GVK: How did the officer scene in Cloud City come about for you?
JB: There was no actor there, and I was asked if I would dress in the uniform and be in the scene. I said, I would. You help out, it was a matter of somone not being available, and I was as I was waiting to do a scene later, so I just got up and did it.
GVK: Did you do any of the voice at all?
JB: No, that was dubbed months later. At the time they did not know how he was going to sound. I was happy to be a part of this big science fiction wheel.
GVK: You mentioned earlier about wanting to do a comic or something, what is happeneing with that?
JB: If I ever get asked to do a story, I would like to be involved. I have written several stories. I did one for a Kosovo Refugee, and I wrote a tale from the viewpoinbt of Boba Fett. It was written in Englad as part of the "Tales >From Midnight" series, and they had a special comic which was used to raise money for Kosovo.
GVK: Thank you for your time. I appreciate it.
JB: You are welcome, it has been a great pleasure.
Father Geek here, another part of the interview just came in, it follows:
Mr. Bulloch also had a number of interesting stories to say about his experiences on set as well as some tales from the convention circuit.
During the carbon freeze scene in Empire, Jeremy informed me that his boot spikes got caught. It seems that the steps of the carbon freeze were made from wood, and that his spikes became stuck in the wood during his exit from the scene. To make matters worse, Vader's cloak knocked him from his feet. Mr Bulloch explained as follows.
JB: Before I knew it I was down, and they were continuing to film the scene. Luckily for me I was out of the shot. I had this assistant come over to me during filming and ask if I was alright. Not wanting to let on that anything was wrong, I told him to go away and that I was fine. I then stood up as best I could and completed the exit. The whole thing took a few moments, and did not cause for a reshoot. As you remember, the visor kept fogging over making for poor visability.
Mr. Bulloch also addressed the reason why his face is unknown to many fans.
JB: LUcasfilm is very big on maintaining the illusion. For a laugh I once went to Lucasfilm and asked to borrow the suit. They were totally shocked, and had no idea that I was joking. The belief is that if the character is unmasked, then the fantasy element has been removed, so Lucasfilm is very protective to preserve the fantasy.
GVK: Is this part of the reason that David Prowse had his feud with Lucasfilm?
JB: Partially. David and I are good friends and I have spoken to him about this in the past. What is comes down to is that David wanted to do the voice of Vader, and the fact that they dubbed his voice, and then used Sebastian Shaw in Jedi when Vader was unmasked.
GVK: So it was a matter of David Prowse not feeling he has been properly identified with the character the way that James Earl Jones has been.
JB: Exactly, I have told him that he needs to mend fences in this matter as he could be costing himself a number of opportunities.
Mr. Bulloch also informed me that his biggest regret was not getting a full sized figurine of himself from Don Post Industry. It seems that Jeremy had posed for the casting of the rare figures, and was promised one for himself. Several months later he has yet to receive it, and was unable to buy one, even when he went to the company directly.
Gareth Von Kallenbach
KGHP FM
Great Sci Fi show
http://www.angelfire.com/wa2/solocompany
