EDWIN HODGE ('Joe'):
What was the set of "The Alamo" like?
That was absolutely amazing. There’s no words I can conjure up in my mind right now to explain how much of a good experience it was. We had the ultimate production crew, we had the ultimate cast. It was just amazing – even the extras, they put so much heart and soul into the battle scenes. Everything was just so well put together and placed together.
The actors really embodied their roles. The director was very much an actor’s director. He did want certain things his way but he did let the actors have that freedom to kind of discover who they really wanted to be as far as this image that they had to portray, because it is historical. It is, I believe, a very honest film compared to a lot of other films about the Alamo. I think there will be a lot of truths unveiled within the film. There are a couple of things that kind of go unmentioned in the other films that are brought to light in this film. I’m very proud of it. It comes out April 9th and I can’t wait.
Can you tell me about your role?
I actually play a slave, and that’s one of the truths that will be unveiled.
I didn’t know there were slaves at the Alamo.
Exactly. They didn’t visit that in the previous movies
and when they did it was kind of shaded, I would say. I play a slave by the name of Joe. He is one of the only people to survive the actual battle of the Alamo. He lives on to tell his story. In many ways, the film is seen through his eyes, as well as the Mexicans' eyes as well as the Texans' eyes. It gets behind the governmental situation, the money and the funding of soldiers that fight. And the communication within the film is something that most people might not have seen in previous films.
I play somebody who was real, somebody who actually lived and breathed. It was one of those experiences where I had to be as truthful to this person as I could, as well as being truthful to the character and myself because we are portraying people who once fought to keep what we hold sacred these days, pretty much. The fact that he was a slave makes it even more enticing to the eye, in my words, because nobody really heard about the slaves and what they did. I know that a lot of times the African American history is kind of jaded in historical books. It’s just nice to bring it to life.
Did you do a lot of research prior to taking on the character?
You know what? I didn’t do a lot of resource before I did the film. I did a lot of research when I actually filmed. We had historians on the set and we went and visited museums and things of that nature. I won’t lie, I did go in uneducated but I did come out with a newfound respect for it.
Life is all about education. Life is all about learning and gaining knowledge. Through knowledge you gain your wisdom. You learn new things every day and that was just another learning experience that I can take with me throughout my years. It was just amazing. We had the actual Alamo built on 52 acres of land, the town of San Jacinto. It was very surreal. Just walking through those gates, you just were automatically back in 1836.
I was going to ask if the sets helped you feel like you were back in that time.
The moment you put on the costumes, you are another person. And then the moment you stepped through the gates of the Alamo, you weren’t who you were. I wasn’t born in 1985 anymore. I was living 1836 and that’s the way it seemed like everybody was on set. It was just amazing and we truly embodied our characters. I hope and pray that the audience will respect what we did. We did really try to bring some honesty within the filmmaking, which is pretty hard to do some times. It looks great to me.
What do you think about the delay in the release? Is it going to hurt, help, or does it even matter?
At this time I think it doesn’t hurt at all. It doesn’t matter at all. Oscar season is going to be very heavy this year. I think that’s one of the reasons they pushed it back, at least in my mind. I just think that the push will bring more time to the film, so that more people can truly enjoy it and truly understand what the director’s perspective was and things of that nature. I don’t think it hurts at all. I think people are still waiting and anticipating the release. I think a lot of people are ready for it. The ones who are, they’ll be patient. And the ones who aren’t, they’ll be surprised.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
"The Alamo" Photo Gallery
"The Alamo” Trailer, Credits and Movie News
