Interview: CineDump interviews Casper Van Dien
Description
Vocal Characteristics
Language
EnglishVoice Age
Young Adult (18-35)Accents
North American (General)Transcript
Note: Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and may contain errors.
Ah, full disclosure near the second Johnny Cage that I have interviewed. Jesse, that's awesome. Who's the first? Who is your first time? He gave Linden Ashby the guy from the one from the 19 Greatest one. I've met him. I have a picture on my instagram with him many years ago or two years ago. Something that, um him and I eat too much of me in the gym. He said, Hey, Casper, I heard you got it. I'm like, Oh, my God s So I get the meat is so cool. Yeah, yeah. He had nothing but good things to say about the tiny cages that followed. But I just wanted to give you the heads up and let you know that you have some. You have a lot to look up. Live up, Teoh. Um, no, I know that. I don't know if anybody can live up to him. As far as I'm concerned, he is Johnny Cage. I'm like the other Johnny Cage, but he is. You know that. You know he is Johnny Gage. Feel awesome. Yeah. He keeping that in mind with with Showdown two in Manila was the Mortal Kombat connection. Thought out Or was that just a happy accident? So this is the gear with that? Marta Casals is one of my closest friends. And he was my closest friends. One of my closest friends before we ditch Mortal Kombat together before the Mortal Kombat legacy season to, um, I just love him and he's just a great great friend and a great man. And I was training with him, working out like I got this action movie. I'm working with this. This guy I was under the S Kies getting Let me direct and I want you to meet him. I got to meet Alexander. He's awesome. He's like the Arnold Schwarzenegger of Russia. He's a big movie star over there, and he's just a great guy is just a sweet treat man. And then they pulled it in and in March brought in some people, and I was under brought in some people. And there's always all these action movie you guys and I had worked out. It's funny cause I trained with Olivier Gruner before, so I worked out with him for years and, uh, worked out with, uh, mark for years and never go out with other guys for years. But these And then I get that to work with Carrie again. Carry Tagawa. And I was like, Who I love and, uh and he's, you know, he and I did a Season three Mortal Kombat, which hasn't come out yet, but we did do it together, so, um, just ah, it was just Ah, it was a happy accident, but mark our friends so I don't know if that would have. Yeah, the connections probably had the accident. Got you with Mark. I didn't realize this until I looked into it after I had watched the film. I didn't like I didn't realize that this was his directorial debut. It is. The film was very polished. And considering you guys are friends, um, what was it like working with him with him being behind the camera? Was it a different experience or how is that for you? Well, he's just a dear friend. I trust him, and I believe in him. And he knows his stuff and he knows martial arts and he knows don't making so I can end your lives in good hands when it comes that the thing that I have a an issue with him is that? He told me he goes this character, Craig. I had Craig Haman write it for you and I think it's perfect. It's perfect. This character is you and I started reading some of the dialogue and change something. They were what? And he goes, Oh, that's perfect. It s so I think I think, my friend, who I think so, I have a different image of me, obviously. So Well, yeah, it's funny you say that because you did play yourself in in Nub's. And then I have also seen, like, other interviews with you. And you don't seem like either one of those guys so that I like to play different. But But the cast preventing that they see in all these different things that it is still 20. Yeah, in nukes. Totally. Just what a horrible guy, Um, I am. And then in mortal combat when I did, when I get all that when I first did all the interviews for that never broke out of character, I was always the you know, And then people go your perfect distant look what you trying to say If you list after they can't get a job and they be like, um um, and until they caught on to it, I guess. But they at first I I got him razzle a little bit, but it was just one got you with with Alexander actually talked to him. The latter is his last movie. When it came out, Black Rose and Ah, and he's You're right. He is an amazing and super interesting guy. Were you familiar with him before you got involved with this project? Well, it's funny because a movie called Moscow Heat that he did with Michael York many years ago. Michael York's a dear friend of mind, and Michael York asked me to come and play that, but I couldn't cause I was doing a film in New Zealand, and I I wanted Teoh Onley because of Michael York. I didn't know Alexander at the time, but I became aware of him back then, which that would have been in, like, 2000. I became aware of them, but I didn't get to meet him or, uh, really see his stuff yet. It wasn't until Mark pitched it to me that I did that. I became aware of him, and then then I saw what a huge stories and my fiance and I just went over there last year to promote showdown in middle of when it came out in Russia and we had a huge thing and the watch him over there. He is just a massive star over there and we went toe Moscow and ST Petersburg with him, and he's just know he's just ah, larger than life in in person and and then in the press. He is as well some of the positive, some of the negative. But you know, he just can handle all of it. He's just like he's he can handle it cause, you know, sometimes some good people, they can be not so nice. And then others just love him. And that's just what he gets for being a huge star. Yeah, definitely. I mean, you can definitely see that he handled it really well, and that was my big thing with him. I was curious as if he was trying to make their transition from that star over there to that star over here, and he said to me, Honestly, he just he's just trying to have fun and make some money and he loves what he's doing. But he also loves the what comes along with it, which is exactly what you just said. He handled it perfectly. Hey, hey handed when I watched him do the crack. It's interesting for me. I got to do a world a world wide press junket for Starship Trooper. So I was all over Asia all over Europe a little bit in South American all over America. Uh, and he, uh, I tried to model myself off of a little bit. What? I heard a red that Arnold Schwarzenegger gate at the time, because back then it was an Internet or anything like that. So it's what I just read, didn't articles and what I watched on TV and stuff like that and what it written books on. Then, when I watched our gender, I want high Kiki model himself, After all, don't Schwarzenegger to. And I think Arnold Schwarzenegger is his idol and and he really has perfected. I've never seen anybody do handle the press better than him over there and my thing, and I thought he was pure genius. You mentioned the starts of troopers. Obviously, that's one of the biggest titles you have worked on, um, did your time, like with military school and your family's history Did that help when acting in roles such a started Troopers and showdown in Manila and just other action roles. Absolutely 100%. I think they're going to have more period academy in ST Petersburg, Florida Um, helped give me more discipline and then also having my father, my grandfather and my other grandfathers just stories of him because I got to meet him. All these military men in my life, um really inspired me to be, ah, better, more humble man. And to really take responsibility for the things happen my life, and show up on time and prepared. So I think, 100% I think all that did. Thank you for asking. It's a great question. No problem. Um, you know, considering the cast and like considering a lot of the people that you did do this film with are kind of just known for action. You, On the other hand, you know you've done comedy television, holiday stuff, video game stuff, voiceover work. Is there something that you prefer, or is it you just like you just have the acting bug, and you're just willing Take, take on whatever. I think when you take on a role, you have, you have to just go into it 100%. Whatever it is, I know that there's all action in this. All these action stars everything. And I obviously see that I'm not like the comic relief in it. And, you know, Mark, when he goes, this turns was written for you. It's just like you and I started reading like a Wait a minute. You and I have a different image of Yeah, homes. I think you're totally thinking of me. A totally different 100 sent different person than I am. Because although this is perfect, so you and yes, to square like that. I'm like, What? Um, so I, um I don't know what the best one is. I don't know what role is the best way to do it. I don't know. Got, uh but that is exactly what happened. I know we talked about it earlier like that, but it's that's exactly what happened with me with this world. What I would like to do is, you know, I just like that. I like to have fun. Yeah, I like to get into character. Do little When I played Jimmy Doolittle, He's Ah, World Visa is, Ah, an amazing character. But he was, you know, he was heroic. He's from the greatest generation. And it was after Pearl Harbor got bombed, he re signed up. He'd already been the most decorated andare, most highest decorated pilot. And then he signed up again to try to help turn the tide of the war. And he did with his mission. But he was inspirational, so that when you play it in a different way, But you still take every single one, whether it's comedic or if it spoke in front of yourself or if it's playing an iconic Eric er or ah or ah, Riel character, you want to do your best job, You want to portray the best way possible. Yeah, I guess. Well, I guess what I'm what I'm hearing is you, like, the more personal stuff that connects to you. Ultimately correct. Um, well, I mean, I think everything you do should connect to you. I guess, in a way, you like that. So But even even, like, like Tarzan for me playing Tarzan was my dad's. Carson was my dad's side of my dad's favorite character. He watched all the films and read the books, and he got me into it. So when I got to play, Mike, my my idols Idol, was surreal for me understand getting playing and then playing junking Rico, which was a book I'd read before military school in that everybody beat the military school and it was required reading for the Marine Corps. I think when you play a character, an iconic character like that, it's gonna surreal to. And then when I played James E. Nawas and then when I played Jimmy Do it was even more so on. But then, when I make one of myself, it's a lot of fun. So I think I like it all. I think you have to tie it all men and personal ever. Otherwise, you're not doing your not actually right. Well, yeah, keep keeping that in mind with With showdown, though I did, I was not expecting as much humor that was going into it. I wasn't expecting that much humor, and I was surprised how well it works. Um, the relationship between you and Alexander was really interesting. And it really worked on a level as far as like, just the ultimate, Like the overall connection between the two of you guys. Um, I guess my question is is like, I know Alexander is already thinking about a sequel. And so where would you like to see this? Siri's go like, what would happen next? Well, I mean, I would love to see where the journey goes to next. I mean, for me, You know, I think my character, Charlie, is he's, um he's He's a round of funding, and he just, uh okay, it was so much fun to play him, or where would he go next? Well, I would love to see it. You know, I we joke about on set where you're going to Cuba or, um, you know, which I thought would have been fun or going into even in the Moscow would be fun. A. There's a lot of places I would think it would be fun, but I mean, course I'd love to do in Hawaii. Yeah, that's right. So what? I was told they do it considering your whole body of work. What would you say is the quote of all quotes like What do you hear? What? Get shouted at you the most when you're walking down the street. Wow. It's always a Starship Troopers quote. It's either come on, you if you want to live forever. Rico, what are you doing here? Or, um uh, you know what the dough are? Goes off next or kill them all. And you know you don't want to hear Kill them all? Yeah, especially where you are. You always want to hear that. But it's still a fun one for me. Excellent man. Thank you so much. And I definitely look forward to all the stuff you have coming out this year. Oh, thank you so much. Does he have a good day? Casper, you take care.