Stuart Townsend makes his directorial debut with Battle in Seattle, based on the riots that broke out during the 1999 World Trade Organization's meeting in Seattle. Thousands of protestors converged on the streets surrounding the WTO meeting, speaking out against the negative impact the WTO's policies were having on governments around the world. Townsend, who also wrote and produced the film, became interested in making the 1999 event the centerpiece of a film back in 2002.
"It took about a year and a half to research it and work out how I wanted to write it. It took me six months to write it, and then it took me about a year and a half to two years to rewrite it. And then, we started getting financing after that," recalled Townsend at the film's LA press junket.
Townsend's been acting in movies since the early '90s but it wasn't part of his game plan to turn to writing and directing. "I’ve always loved movies. I’m a big movie fan. I’m a movie nerd. So, I got into acting, not because of acting, but because of movies. Over the years, being in movies, I was always looking for stories," explained Townsend. "I don’t know why. I guess in the back of my head somewhere, I wanted to make a film. When I saw this event, that was it. I was like, 'I want to make this film!' I could see it in my head, and I stupidly went forward and did it."
Townsend turned to his girlfriend, Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron, to take on one of the lead roles. He also recruited hot young actors Channing Tatum, The Exorcism of Emily Rose's Jennifer Carpenter, ex-Lost actress Michelle Rodriguez, Martin Henderson from Bride and Prejudice, and rapper-turned-actor Andre Benjamin to fill lead roles. Veteran actors Ray Liotta and Woody Harrelson from No Country for Old Men took on the roles of the city's mayor and a riot cop.
"It is amazing, as a first-timer, to be working with Ray Liotta and Woody Harrelson and Martin and Charlize," said Townsend of his cast. "There were different styles, different ages, different characters. It was like an actor’s conveyor belt because it was just like one actor after another. Sometimes you would see eight actors in a day because you’d be moving from different scenes. I was so lucky. Some actors were very easy. Other actors had a lot of questions. There was the whole range. It was great."
Townsend said Theron made his job easy. "She does ask a lot of questions, but it’s not really about coaxing a performance out of her. It’s more about when she gets it perfect, the first time, wondering, 'Oh, sh-t! What do I want now, now that I’ve got it?' That was a strange moment. Normally, you spend time trying to get what you want. With her it was instant, and then I had to realize, 'Okay, I’ve got that, so now I need to find some alternatives, just in case.' It was interesting."
Theron was a part of the cast from very early on in the process. "She was the first person to ever read the script," said Townsend. "I had been working on it for three or four years, and I think she was pretty worried. She was like, 'Oh, no, here we go. I have to read this. What am I going to say?' And she was really shocked. She was like, 'How the f--k did you do this? I didn’t expect this at all. I really love it! It’s about Africa, and it’s about things I care about. Are there any roles?' I was like, 'It’s funny you mentioned that. There’s this one...' I wanted her because she goes through a very dramatic moment, and I needed someone with the chops to pull that off. Also, I think it’s very easy to empathize with her. She is the audience, so I wanted her to be that character."
Don't blink or you'll miss Townsend's cameo in Battle in Seattle. "It’s my little Hitchcock thing," laughed Townsend. "I figured doing all the other stuff - the writing, directing and producing - was enough on my plate. And I’m glad because I did this small cameo that was 20 minutes work, and even being away and being distracted from the job at hand for 20 minutes was difficult."
Interestingly enough, Townsend was in Dublin in 1999 when things got hairy in Seattle. "I remember the riots, but all I remembered was riots, I didn’t really get much context which is why I wrote it. I think I’m in the majority. When I found it again in 2002, I was blown away by this event and thought, 'I don’t think most people even remember this.' That was one of the reasons why I wanted to re-examine it and bring it to the big screen," explained Townsend.
"Ironically, Seattle was such a victory that it was never going to be allowed to happen again. So every other G8 meeting and world meeting, and even at the DNC and RNC, the police presence is completely overwhelming. Meaningful dissent has been crushed. Look at the financial crisis this week. We are being asked to give $700 billion of taxpayers’ money to the guys who f--ked the system up in the first place. Where is the outrage? Where is that f--king outrage? I just don’t understand that. This film is, hopefully, an attempt to try to bring a new audience in and get them outraged. It’s the same issues that people were fighting in ‘99. It was the same economic system that they were fighting against, that’s just brought us this crisis this week. That’s a really good question. Where is the outrage? It’s definitely harder. It’s so much more controlled. The Patriot Act was pushed through, and that’s hindered dissent. There are so many things, so many reasons, and there’s so much distraction in the world. And it’s hard to connect the dots. Most people don’t connect financial crisis with WTO. They just don’t. People are living their lives and the majority of people in this country are just barely getting by now," said Townsend.
Townsend hopes his film will motivate and inspire the younger generation. "That’s why I cast Andre, Martin, Channing Tatum, Woody and Charlize. They’re actors that people love going to see, instead of making a documentary that was just factual and intellectual," offered Townsend. "There had already been three made and no one had seen them. I figured if I do it by this approach, and make it more about the characters and make it more about an emotional connection, and not just a political connection, it might somehow hit somewhat of a mainstream."
