What did you do to prepare yourself for the physical demands in “The Four Feathers?”
Smoked a cigarette and then ran (laughing). I wasn't in shape enough for this movie, really. It was a tough one. There was a lot of running, a lot of rugby and a lot of bouncing around.

What attracted you to the role?
Shekar Kapur and Heath Ledger, and of course, the big battle scene. Working with those two - Shekhar and Heath - was a little too intriguing for me.

Shekhar Kapur at the Premiere of "The Four Feathers."
Photo ©Rebecca Murray. All Rights Reserved.

Why did you decide to do “The Four Feathers?”
Because of its epic scale. We're all kids, right? We all want to grow up and have an adventure. Too much filmmaking now is about people sitting in rooms and creating digital effects and it changes the nature [of filmmaking]. I came to filmmaking for adventure and this was a great adventure.

The other thing was, this is a very, very [interesting] story for me. For a man to say, “I don't want to go to war. I will not go to war,” in all those films then, it was an act of cowardice. I am saying, “Well, maybe not. Maybe it was an act of great courage.” Maybe to come out and say “I am afraid” is the greatest statement we can make in our lives. We are afraid. Is it not the greatest act of courage to admit your fears? How often do we do that in real life? Here is a story of a man who did that and then the whole big journey - the epic journey - becomes, as the whole story should be, a journey into the self. Why? Because he had the courage to admit his fears? That is why.

[The film is about] facing your fears and then facing all the fears that those fears bring up. If this is a journey from naiveté to wisdom, you can't acquire wisdom until you've faced your own demons.

What can people learn from this?
Say you are afraid if you are afraid. Don't be afraid to say you are afraid.