Latino-Review has an exclusive interview with actor Jordi Molla from “Riddick.†He played the de facto leader of the mercenaries who hunted down Riddick in the film. And the tension between Riddick and Santana was not very nice.
The movie also stars Vin Diesel, Matt Nable, Katee Sackhoff, Dave Bautista and Bokeem Woodbine.
Here’s the synopsis:
Left for dead on a sun-scorched planet, Riddick finds himself up against an alien race of predators. Activating an emergency beacon alerts two ships: one carrying a new breed of mercenary, the other captained by a man from Riddick’s past.
“Riddick†will be out on Blu-Ray and DVD tomorrow.
Check out the interview with Jordi Molla below.
Latino-Review: How did you get approached for this project?
Jordi Molla: I met David [Twohy], the director. He didn’t have the whole finance when I met him. So a few months later, they called and offered me the part. They sent me the script. In the beginning I wasn’t sure on what it was even though I saw the other two movies. But it’s not like playing in a normal movie. There were lots of things that you really need to be in the know of the Riddick world which I wasn’t.
I think in a way it was good for me. It made the difference with the rest of the characters. That gave me the approach to make something a guy who’s not in a science fiction movie. That gave me a very natural approach to be dangerous and real like playing in a western. You could give me a cowboy hat and I could fit into character. So my ignorance about the trilogy was a good thing I needed to create something I believed in.
Latino-Review: Did you like the previous movies?
Jordi Molla: Yeah, I did. Obviously, I preferred the first one because it was more based on the characters like the third [film]. David Twohy created an amazing [concept] that’s like a Stars Wars. He created all these worlds and all these creatures. It’s pretty impressive. For me, it’s more about the characters. In the third one, fortunately, it’s all based on the characters.
So like the movie “Alien,†there’s obviously a monster, but it’s all about the conflict between human beings. I like that.
Latino-Review: Obviously you saw the one you were in. How was this compared with the rest?
Jordi Molla: I think the third one has both—things from first and the second [films]. I think that David is more mature and knows more about his characters of his universe called Riddick. He has control of the situation. In a way, I think the third is a mixture between one and two.
Latino-Review: Let’s talk about your character. Briefly tell us about your character and why he is such a bad ass.
Jordi Molla: Well, he had a mission. He was looking for a reward for getting the head of Riddick. That’s his thing.
For me, he’s like a Hans Solo playing the bad way as a bad guy. My goal is to play a funny guy who has all these people with a plan to make it happen. That brought a different light in my lines and into the movie. That was my goal.
Latino-Review: Did you do any special preparations besides watching the movies? Did you have to go through any training?
Jordi Molla: Thank God, no. I am so bad with those kinds of things. I’m kind of lazy to best honest.
I just finished a movie called “In the Heart of the Sea†with Ron Howard. Many of the actors had to do a diet and go to the gym every day. Wow, for me that would be really, really hard. Twelve to thirteen hours of shooting every day and then going to the gym? When do you sleep? When do you eat?
So, thank God. I didn’t have to do anything. I just had to rehearse a little fight with Kate [Sackhoff]. I didn’t have to put myself into [any training]. Vin Diesel loved about me was that I wasn’t a muscle guy. I am completely the opposite but with craziness in the eyes for the role of Santana. With this determination and this craziness, I would go against anyone if they’re not on my side. This is Vin Diesel’s idea. And I think he was right.
Latino-Review: What was it like to act alongside a mega-star like Vin Diesel?
Jordi Molla: He is intimidating, but he’s very sweet. When you’re in front of Vin, it can be intimidating. He’s also a producer of the show. He has control of everything. And playing through the third part of the trilogy, he knows a lot of things for the role while I’m the new [guy] just like all the other actors.
So on the first day, it was a bit intimidating to be in front of him. He was very generous. He was very, very happy with the result of my work. That gave me confidence to keep going and make the character to keep growing.
Latino-Review: My last question is about your death scene. You have the most memorable death scene. Talk a little bit about that. And did you wish that you lasted a little bit longer?
Jordi Molla: No, not a little bit longer. I think it was okay in the script. I died fifteen pages before the movie ends. I think it was a good point [to die in] rather than the last two pages.
After I did the prosthetics for the head, I saw the work from the FX guys and it was too much for me. I couldn’t watch it. Not even outside of the set, they wanted to show me a picture. I said, “No, no. I don’t even want to see it. It’s too much.†It was too real.
When I finally saw it at the cinema, I started laughing because it was so cool and real. Even for me it was like “whoa!†It wasn’t really nice to watch. Then again, I’m so used to dying in movies—one more is good for me. Next!
Latino-Review: Thank you very much.
Jordi Molla: Thank you.
“Riddick†is out on Blu-ray and DVD tomorrow.
