After months of preparation and filming, one of the most anticipated movies of the summer was about to be unleashed and Smith seemed geniunely ready for audiences to receive the film.
INTERVIEW WITH WILL SMITH ('Detective Spooner'):
In "I, Robot," you show a little skin at the beginning of the movie.
Yeah a little something, a little something. The opening scene there’s a little nakedness but it’s all within character, you know? It’s not gratuitous nakedness. It will answer the question of why folks call me Big Willy (laughing).
How difficult was it to work opposite the character of Sonny the robot?
When you work with a CGI character, you have no idea what it is going to be. [Alan Tudyk] really controlled and pointed me in a lot of directions in the scenes. A tennis ball just couldn’t have done it. He pulled a performance out of me that I’m very proud of.
What’s the coolest piece of technology that you have in your house right now?
That I have in my house? There’s a music program called Reason that is the most incredible music program when linked with ProTools. And I actually recorded, the first time ever, I recorded an entire record into my laptop. Music, production, everything. Burned a CD, everything in my laptop in a hotel room. I think that’s just insane.
INTERVIEW WITH BRUCE GREENWOOD ('Lawrence Robertson'):
Bruce Greenwood co-stars in "I, Robot" as the chairman of United States Robotics (USR), a mega-powerful company set to unleash the largest rollout of household robots in history.
What is it about robots that freaks people out so much?
The idea that at some point they are going to be uncontrollable and smarter than we are. They are already smarter than we are.
And controllable?
Yeah, right now they are but I think at some point they’ll appear to be so smart that we’ll decide they’re right so we’ll relinquish control. They won’t have to take control, we’ll relinquish control.
Is that something you think about?
If I wasted time being freaked out about it I wouldn’t get out of bed, so no.
What was actually used on the set in place of the robots when you were filming?
In place of all the robots, nothing. We worked with green screens. I didn’t do a lot of the robot stuff, I was fortunate enough to work with a lot of human beings like Will [Smith]. Then Alan [Tudyk], who was playing the robot, he was always dressed in a green suit or a blue suit.
What was like working with Alan Tudyk dressed in the special suit, knowing you won’t ever see him in the film?
Well, you never think of it that way. You just think it’s going to be that guy somehow. Then when the movie comes out you go, “Wow.”
Did the final product look how you expected him to look like?
No, no. It was much slenderer and less cumbersome and lithe. I imagined them… I guess I don’t have that sci-fi brain so I didn’t imagine them that sleek. Like “Doctor Who” is my sci-fi reference, so I don’t know much about sci-fi.
But you were familiar with the work of Isaac Asimov before filming this?
Of course, yes.
Is that what attracted you to the film in the first place?
Yeah. Isaac Asimov’s concepts – The Three Laws – and then working with Will.
You’ve got “Racing Stripes” coming up soon. What’s your part in that film?
He’s the dad of the little girl who falls in love with the zebra who thinks he’s a racehorse. It’s a funny, sweet story. I’m really looking forward to seeing it.
And you’ve also got “Being Julia.” Who do you play?
He’s an English lord. [Said with a British accent] “Lovely. It’s a lot of fun.”
Is it hard for you to do an accent?
No, it was wonderful. It’s got a beautiful script - and Annette Bening.
ADDITIONAL INTERVIEWS FROM THE WORLD PREMIERE OF “I, ROBOT”:
James Cromwell / Alan Tudyk / Shia LaBeouf & Paul Teutul Jr.
Special Premiere Guests: Jason Isaacs / Nick Cannon / Ron Lester
ADDITIONAL INTERVIEWS FROM THE WORLD PREMIERE OF “I, ROBOT”:
James Cromwell / Alan Tudyk / Shia LaBeouf & The Teutels
Special Premiere Guests: Jason Isaacs / Nick Cannon / Ron Lester
