How much of your character’s scenes were actually improvised?
Wow. I think almost all of it was improvised. But you know, I worked with the writer too. I worked with him a lot and talked [to him]. I was bothering him the way I was bothering Laurence Fishburne in the movie. I was always, “James, James, James, James. I got this idea, James. What do you think of this? What do you think of that? How do we squeeze it in? Does it work, does it not work?” So I always went to him and Jean-François all day long, bothering them and coming up with crazy ideas. (Laughing) Jean would go “Okay, let’s try it. What the hell.”
Was there anything he wouldn’t let you do?
Trying to think… You know, I can’t remember. I know there were a few things, I just can’t remember what they were. But I kinda censored myself, too. I was kinda like, “Nah, it’s not gonna work anywhere.” (Laughing)
[He] loved the stabbing the guy to death. It was like, I said, “Dude, he’s got so much pent up rage. He’s so frustrated at himself and the world and he’s going to take it out on this one human being.”
You could take only lead roles at this point in your career. Why do you take supporting roles?
Because you get to be free. Not [that] there’s a problem with being the leading man, but the leading roles are always [tough]. It’s hard. It’s a really hard thing to do right, to get right, and it’s not as fun to be the leading man. Being a supporting actor you have no responsibility. You just go there to play and have a really great time. And you have a really great time. You just go home and you enjoy everybody.
When I’m the lead in a movie, you don’t sleep, you focus on every aspect of the movie and it’s a huge responsibility. And there aren’t that many great leading parts, either. There are more, better written supporting parts than there are leading parts.
Do you get more scripts for supporting roles?
I’m getting a lot, you know I always get a lot of those. I just gotta pick and choose the right ones. Like “Land of the Dead.” It was just, that was an easy one too. That was like a great, greatly written supporting, best buddy kind of to the lead [role]. I just jumped on that as soon as I could.
What did you film for “Assault on Precinct 13” that we didn’t get to see on the screen and that you’re really interested in seeing on the DVD extras?
All my stuff got in.
Really?
Yeah. I mean, the thing was that the toilet scene wasn’t in for a while. They tested it and it tested really [well]. My character was a huge success so they put more in. Otherwise, that would have been on the DVD. So, you know, there’s something to be said about testing (laughing).
Did you have any difficulties communicating with the director? Was there a language barrier?
No, not at all. You know why? Because an artist is an artist. You know, I have problems when I talk to people who are pedestrian thinkers. You know what I mean? People who think, you know, who have like mundane thoughts and aren’t creative. He’s creative, he’s political, he’s a well read, seasoned director. I mean, that’s what you talk to. And when we first met, he didn’t speak any English at all, but his translator was translating him and I thought, “Damn this translator’s brilliant. I want to work with him.“ (Laughing) “Oh, no that was Jean-François who was brilliant.” But then by the end of the movie, now he talks English perfectly and he gives you a hard time. He’s goofing on you and cursing, and it’s great.
(Laughing) He dropped the “F” bomb a couple of times in our interview.
Yeah, yeah.
Welcome to America.
Yeah, yeah. That’s how you sound American. We told him just to curse a lot. (Using a French accent) “F**k this and f** you…” (Laughing) Yeah.
Off the topic of “Assault on Precinct 13,” are you going to do another movie like “Empire?” Wasn’t it produced through a Latin arm of Universal?
Yeah, yeah. It’s a historic piece because it’s the highest grossing Latin film in history, right now. [Writer/director] Frank Reyes is brilliant, man. He’s written two other films that we’re going to try and do, that we’re trying to set up. And it’s been tough setting them up. They’re really dark, dark edgy flicks. A vigilante film and a boxing film, different than my boxing film. The two of us are trying to get those going. And then, you know, it’s hard and even the other Latin groups don’t want to do it… People don’t want to do crazy, edgy movies.
That production company needs to succeed.
Yeah, yeah. Desperately.
When might we see either of those movies?
I don’t know. First we’ve gotta get them set up. But, they’re very dark and Frank Reyes grew up in the south Bronx in a really dark, dark time, you know. And all his movies have that quality. It still has a lot of sensitivity and humanity to this character but there’s still a really dark element that makes people afraid, studios afraid.
PAGE 3: John Leguizamo on Edgy Characters, "The Honeymooners," and "Freak"
John Leguizamo Talks About George A. Romero's "Land of the Dead"
