The Rock describes "The Scorpion King" as having "all the classic elements of a great film – action, comedy, romance, special effects, you name it."
The cast of the film, along with special invited guests, gathered on April 17, 2002 at Universal Studios for the film's World Premiere. Here's a small collection of quotes from a few of the stars of the film as they strolled the red carpet:
PETER FACINELLI (Takmet)
What attracted you to “The Scorpion King?”
I sat down with Chuck Russell, the director, and we talked about the character. It was just fun. The whole “Mummy” franchise was so fun and I wanted to be a part of it.
Were you a fan of “The Mummy” movies?
I was a big fan of “The Mummy” movies and I'm a big fan of The Rock. I'd seen him do some “Saturday Night Live” stuff and he's just got that great charisma and charm. He's entertaining, this is an entertaining movie, and I think people will go, pay their money, and leave with a smile on their face. How could you not? And fall in love with The Rock, and maybe me, a little bit (laughing). No, they won't, I'm the bad guy. People love to hate the bad guy.
What's it like to play the bad guy?
It's fun. You know, you don't get to be bad in life all the time, so you let it out on film.
This is quite a departure from 'teen' roles you've been associated with.
Yeah, well you know, you get older and you've got to move on.
Kelly Hu and Grant Heslov in "The Scorpion King."
Photo ©Universal Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
What is it about the sidekick role that attracts you to a film?
I think it's more about what is it about the sidekick role that attracts producers and directors to me. I think people feel like I compliment these guys somehow. People say, “He's like us.”
What was it like working with The Rock?
He was great. He's a great guy.
Did you have to do much in the way of rehearsing for fighting scenes?
Not really that much. I don't have that much to do with fighting in the movie. Those guys (The Rock and Michael Clarke Duncan) were rehearsing all the time for fights, meanwhile I could just sit in my trailer and watch DVDs.
What do you like best, acting or directing?
I like to do it all.
But which do you prefer?
Oh God, don't do that to me (laughing). I like acting, like when I'm doing it, but directing is such a more encompassing thing. It's a better lifestyle.
What's next?
I'm working on a Coen Brothers film, and there's a couple of little director things that we're talking about.
Photo ©Rebecca Murray. All Rights Reserved.
What attracted you to this film?
The character is like a Leonardo da Vinci character; I'm a kind of eccentric inventor. It just seemed like a well-written script and I've never done this kind of film before - a fantasy adventure film. It was a studio picture in the studio, and that's my first. I've done studio pictures before, but never in the studio. It was a really experience, a learning curve for me. It was interesting. I'm working with The Rock, I didn't know anything about him, and I've never seen him wrestle. But I'm glad I met him, he's really a fantastic guy. He really is a lovely, lovely man.
And next up you have "The Lord of the Rings?"
I'm in “2” and then next year I'll be in “3.”
What's your character do in “The Two Towers?”
I play Theoden, the King of Rohan. The main story comes into Rohan.
How does your character interact with the others?
They kind of need him and his army to fight off - I'm not going to spoil the story for you, am I?
No, I've read it.
They need him to help fight Saruman and Sauron, the arch-baddies. He's under the influence of Saruman. They have to wake him up and exorcise the spell, the poison of Saruman out of him. That sets him up on a growth, on a journey to get out of that. He'd just given up, the kingdom is in disarray, everything is falling down, and he builds himself up. He was full of self-doubt, and insecurities, and then he gradually gets his self-esteem back and he becomes the fighting King he was before.
Were you a fan of the trilogy before the film?
Yes, I'd read it a long time ago. It was like a refresher course, really. What's wonderful about the films is that for all the depth that the books have, some of them are very profound and deep. I think people get confused going that deep into books, that kind of literary area. What the films have done, I think, is taken the deep essences of the books and made them work, and kept true to them while at the same time being true to the film process. So you go and watch a film and not a documentary about the books, which is a tricky line to follow.
I think that the second one is better than the first one because it deals with the world of man, and you've got a lot of human emotions that the public will identify with more.
Peter Jackson garnered so many accolades for the first film, is it possible to top that?
I think we'll do a lot better with the second one. People are waiting for the second one.
