TONY GOLDWYN ('Bagley'):
How did it feel to be involved in a project of this scale?
I’ve worked on a lot of movies and this was by far the biggest I’ve been a part of. I’d have to say also by far the best I’ve been a part of. This film is magnificent.
What’s it like to be surrounded by so many good creative people? Does that raise your game?
It always does. It’s like anything you do, if you’re playing with the best, you just rise up to that level. And in this production, every single person involved was the cream of the crop. For an actor to be surrounded with that kind of mastery was really exciting.
You actually had horseback riding experience before this movie. Was it still tough to ride for the movie?
I was okay on a horse before this. I was comfortable. We trained pretty intensely on this because I wanted to look like I knew what I was doing. He was a cavalry officer in the 1870s.
Were you interested in the Japanese culture before working on “The Last Samurai?”
I always have been. I studied martial arts for about 10 years and always found it fascinating. So to be immersed in it this way was just a real dream.
The set for “The Last Samurai” was amazing. Does the set affect you and help you get into character?
Every day you walk in to work and you’re transported 150 years back in time to this other world. It’s like putting on the clothes and seeing 100 samurai warriors or 100 infantry, or a battalion of infantrymen – that gets you right in character (laughing).
Your character’s not really a villain, yet he is villainous. How would you describe him?
Well, my character’s really a man of his time. He’s a colonel in the Cavalry and he has a job to do to go and spread American power to the far reaches of the world, and he’s bloody well going to do it. He knows it’s the right thing to do because our way is the right way and we need to bring our gifts to the less civilized people of the world. That’s how he sees it.
You’re going back behind the camera next, aren’t you?
That’s next. It’s a project with Naomi Watts called “Betty Ann Waters” for Universal and Working Title Pictures.
NGILA DICKSON (Costume Designer):
Costume designer Ngila Dickson has won a BAFTA Award and a Saturn Award for "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," and an Oscar nomination for "Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring." With her work on "The Last Samurai," it's almost assured her name will be mentioned again come awards season.
What was the most difficult type of costumes for you to create?
They all had their problems. I guess, ultimately, trying to do samurai armor. We built the samurai armor in New Zealand and then take that back to Japan and put that on Japanese actors. I think that’s a very complicated thing to do. We made a lot of the kimonos and produced a lot of the textiles in Japan. I had people working in New Zealand, Japan and LA so it was a hard thing to keep under control.
I read an interesting quote where you said you used more muted colors than we might normally associate with kimonos. What went into that decision?
It was very true to the Meiji period. I wanted it to be quite subdued and melancholy. It’s a very emotional story and I wanted the colors to really reflect that. Just to use color in small moments throughout the film. Very much that was a discussion between Ed [Zwick] and myself, was to keep that mood happening.
How much were you familiar with the Japanese culture and that time period before you started?
I did know a bit about it. I had been interested in it for quite a while but I certainly had to bone up real fast (laughing).
How long did you take researching the costumes?
We didn’t have that much time. Probably we did a solid six weeks on it and then the rest of it was during the pre-production, six months building those costumes.
More interviews from the U.S. Premiere of "The Last Samurai:"
Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe and Shin Koyamada, Masato Harada and Timothy Spall, and Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
"The Last Samurai" Premiere Photos
"The Last Samurai" Production Photos
"The Last Samurai" Trailer, Credits, Costumes, and Movie News
