The Rundown Movie - Seann William Scott Peter Berg Interview

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Seann William Scott and Peter Berg Talk About "The Rundown"

by Rebecca Murray

Seann William Scott at the World Premiere of "The Rundown"
©Rebecca Murray - All Rights Reserved.

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"THE RUNDOWN" PREMIERE COVERAGE:
• Rosario Dawson ('Mariana') and Ewen Bremner ('Declan')
• Ernie Reyes Jr. ('Manito') and Jon Gries ('Harvey')
• "The Rundown" Movie Premiere Video

MORE INFORMATION ON "THE RUNDOWN":
• "The Rundown" Photo Gallery
• "The Rundown" News, Trailer, and Websites
• "The Rundown" Credits

Wrestling and movie fans mixed and mingled, competing for a good spot to check out The Rock at the World Premiere of "The Rundown," an action comedy directed by Peter Berg.

In addition to The Rock, "The Rundown" cast - including Seann William Scott, Rosario Dawson, Ewen Bremner, Ernie Reyes Jr., Jon Gries, and director Peter Berg - attended the star-studded event held September 22, 2003 at Universal Studios, CA. Mobbed by the media, "The Rundown" stars graciously answered questions before settling in to watch the movie.

In "The Rundown," Seann William Scott stars as Travis, a wise-cracking wheeler-dealer whose father commissions Beck (The Rock) to travel to Brazil and bring his troublemaking son home. When casting the role of Travis, the filmmakers were concerned about finding an actor who would be the perfect foil for The Rock, as well as have onscreen chemistry with the wrestler-turned-actor.

When discussing the casting choice, producer Karen Glasser explains, "You will see a Seann William Scott that you haven't seen before. He's not goofy, though Travis is slightly half-cocked. I think what's fun about him is that there is something always slightly unexpected about what he's going to do. Seann is fearless in terms of casting himself out there and seeing what happens."

SEANN WILLIAM SCOTT ('Travis')

Can you talk about your experience working on "The Rundown?"
The whole experience was really fantastic. It was a chance for me to do something a little different. [The Rock] is a great guy and the action that he does was amazing. It was great.

How would you describe your onscreen fight with The Rock?
I wouldn't call it fighting because he puts me on my butt quite a bit. He beats me up quite a bit.

Just how friendly did those monkeys get?
Well, you are going to have to ask The Rock because I didn't get any monkey love.

None?
I did in my trailer during lunchtime but you have to talk to the monkeys about that one (laughing).

How difficult was it hanging upside down and how long did you have to do that?
It was annoying. We shot it for like three days but it was okay. [It was] not too bad.

Do you think there will be a sequel?
I hope so.

Peter Berg at the World Premiere of "The Rundown"
Photo©Rebecca Murray. All Rights Reserved.

Actor/director Peter Berg tackles the action genre for the first time with "The Rundown," starring wrestler/actor The Rock as a bounty hunter. Producer Kevin Misher readily admits Peter Berg ("Very Bad Things") isn't the obvious choice on paper to direct an action flick, but he knew Berg was more than capable of handling the project.

"He's proved himself as an actor and a director with keen sensibilities in dealing with genre-breaking projects - and 'The Rundown' isn't your standard action fare. The elements that make it different and special dovetail perfectly with Pete's proven strengths as a director," explains Misher.

DIRECTOR PETER BERG

Can you explain all the different name changes this movie went through?
Well, we were going to call it “Helldorado” but people thought the word 'hell' might offend a lot of people in the title. I didn't agree with that, I respect hell and I respect heaven, but it was just not meant to be. We went through like eight really bad title ideas, and “The Rundown” stuck. I like it because it feels to me like an Elmore Leonard novel, like “Get Shorty” and I like that.

Is there going to be a sequel?
I sure hope so. We'll see how we do.

Has there been any discussion yet?
Not yet - just one day at a time.

How was directing The Rock?
He's obviously pretty good at action but what was surprising, I think, to a lot of people was what a great performer he is - he's a great actor - and how serious he takes it. He's the man.

You're not actually a natural pick for directing an action movie.
(Laughing) I know, can you believe it? They made a mistake. They meant the other Peter Berg and then I showed up.

Interview with "The Rundown's" Rosario Dawson and Ewen Bremner

RELATED RESOURCES/ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

"The Rundown" Movie Premiere Video

"The Rundown" Photo Gallery

"The Rundown" Trailer, Movie News and Websites