For
the casting of the supportive
characters many prospective
performers were screen tested
in London and their tapes were
sent to Spielberg in LA. Kevork
Malikyan impressed Spielberg
with his performance in Midnight
Express and was given
the role of Kazim, member of
a Brotherhood sworn to protect
the grail. Actually, Malikyan
might have played Sallah in
Raiders
had he not arrived an hour late
for his interview with Spielberg
because of a traffic jam. Comic
Alexei Sayle played a pasha
with a taste for vintage automobiles.
Julian Glover is Donovan |
|
For the role of
colonel Vogel Robert Watts,
the film's producer, suggested
his London next-door neighbor
Julian Glover. Glover except
from his experience in big budget
movies, like The
Empire Strikes Back and
For
Your Eyes Only, had joined
the Royal
Shakespeare Company.
Spielberg decided Glover had
the right genial menace for
Walter Donovan, American industrialist
who employees the Joneses to
find the Grail. Julian Glover
plays Walter Donovan, who Glover
describes as "a rich industrialist
with a passion for ancient artifacts.
He's an extremely intelligent
man who is prepared to sacrifice
everything for his ultimate
goal." The role of Vogel
was given to Michael Byrne,
with whom Ford had worked before
in Force
Ten from Navarone. In
that film Byrne played a German
General and Ford played the
good American boy, again. The
cast of Indiana
Jones and the Last Crusade includes
Michael Byrne as Vogel, a villainous
officer in Hitler's secret police.
"A good villain can't be
a buffoon or someone you see
as an object of humor,"
George Lucas says. "He
has to be somebody to fear and
have the realistic motivations
of a normal human being."
Michael Byrne is Vogel |
|
John Rhys-Davies
would reprise his role from
the first film as Sallah, the
best digger in Europe. According
to Rhys-Davies in the two years
that followed Raiders
Sallah has become more prosperous
as "He has left digging
behind and has a small antique
business." Returning to
familiar territory was a nice
feeling for the actor, who had
been cast in similar roles after
Raiders'
success and now he was returning
to the real McCoy. "Sallah
is sort of a bravura figure.
I suspect my cinema life is
destined to play these somewhat
broader than-life characters.
But they're a lot of fun. It's
a wonderful part galloping after
a tank when you're on horseback
and things like that,"
said Davies. Remembering his
character's days since he was
one of the Raiders
of the Lost Ark Davies
said, "He has gotten older
and a little fatter. This time,
we see him without the appurtenances
of his wife and children. He's
a little more resolute now,
and he's more ready to have
a physical go at the Germans
himself. But other than that,
he's still the same old Sallah."
When asked about the way he
sees the relationship between
Sallah and Indy Davies noted,
"It's one of those relationships
that you know has evolved over
a period of time and therefore
is unquestioned. It starts off
with the premise that we are
friends, we will get into trouble,
but somehow we will sort things
out. I think the Indiana/Sallah
relationship is very firm, very
steady. The relationship between
Sallah and Marcus Brody is slightly
more protective. Sallah is trying
to look after him because he's
not awfully competent."
Also returning
and with much more screen time
was Denholm Elliott as curator
of antiquities Marcus Brody.
Elliot described his character
as "a rather eccentric
professor and reluctant adventurer
who is always saying the wrong
thing at the right time. He's
Indiana's friend and boss at
the university. When Indy gets
involved in these escapades,
Brody sometimes accompanies
him and gets into all sorts
of uncomfortable situations.
I quite enjoyed doing the first
Raiders.
I didn't have much to do in
it. But in the
Last Crusade, Marcus
was built up and made to be
a figure of fun. Basically,
he had two left feet! He was
totally out of place once he
left his library. I did get
quite a few laughs in the picture.
I love comedy, life is too boring
and sad without it. But Marcus
is really the comedy relief
of the film. He's such an old
fool. In the midst of terrifying
things, he does something so
incredibly stupid. He's sort
of the absent-minded professor.
Marcus isn't as boring in the
third film as he was in the
first. He cared about Indy but
he was much more serious in
the first film. There were moments
of seriousness in the
Last Crusade when he
was in his own territory but
once he got out of it, he was
like a duck out of water! And
that was great fun to play!"
Alison Doody is Elsa |
|
Elsa Schneider
was to be played by queenly
blonde Irish unknown Alison
Doody. Doody had grown up in
Ireland and went to school at
a convent. Finishing school
she decided to enter the show
business. Her credits included
only some television commercial
work and local theatrical credits
when an Irish director recommended
her to an acting agent in London.
With the agent's argue she decided
to go to London to pursue an
acting career and she moved
to London at the age 19. "I
was quite naïve and I didn't
know one area of London from
the next," she remembered
laughing, "so of course
I ended up living in a red light
district. Every time I came
out of the house, somebody would
say 'How much, love?' After
a while it became normal. If
I came out and somebody didn't
say 'How much, love?' then I
worried whether I looked bad."
Her early work
included British TV drama series
such as Deceptions,
Queenie,
Echoes
and the BBC's
Campaign.
In 1985 Doody appeared in Roger
Moore's last James Bond outing,
A View
to a Kill as Jenny Flex,
henchperson to heavies Grace
Jones and Christopher Walken.
Although at first she was excited
to become a Bond girl at the
end the experience left a bitter
taste on her lips. Doody joined
the other Bond girls for the
picture's promotional tour and
dropped out in mid campaign.
"It was unnerving, because
the crowds viewed us as pieces
of meat! It shocked me when
people tried to pull my hair,
tugged at my clothes and even
pinched me! It would be fun
to be famous but that's not
what I have in mind."
She returned to
movies playing a terrorist with
Mickey Rourke in A
Prayer for the Dying
and Taffin
with Pierce Brosnan.
Actress Alison Doody |
|
One day Doody
received a phone call from her
agent telling her that Spielberg
was casting for his new film
and that he wanted to meet her.
Although she wanted the part,
she thought she had a slight
chance because she knew that
Spielberg was looking for a
28-year old Austrian lady, and
she was 24 and Irish. When they
called her back she got quite
excited and she started to think
that Spielberg was really interested.
When she went back to meet him
again Spielberg gave her three
scenes and asked her to come
back two days later with an
accent to tape her. She did
so and a few weeks later she
was contacted to hear that she
had got the part. "The
nicest moment for me was when
I heard I had the part. I was
just so delighted and happy.
It was such a buzz, as you can
imagine, to find out that you've
got the part. I'm sitting there
on my bed and I'm thinking,
'Oh God, I'm going to be working
with Harrison Ford.' It was
wonderful. It was a great feeling."
Doody was very please with her
character. "She's between
the two. She's not a screamer;
she's a very independent lady.
They're actually trying to go
more towards the first film
again, so I think Elsa is like
Karen Allen's character, but
she's not as tomboyish as Karen
Allen was. She's quite like
Indiana Jones in the sense that
she goes out and gets what she
wants. I would say she is definitely
stronger than the second character.
She's quite a clever lady."
While overwhelmed about her
casting Doody remained down
to earth, "I'm not an actress
for the sake of becoming famous,
but for the satisfaction of
it. My parents always told me
I should come home the minute
I stop enjoying the business.
But, there's all the adrenaline
one could wish for. There are
those who go to drama school
and reap tremendous benefits,
while others emerge after three
years with nothing. I didn't
have that opinion; instead,
I'm going to the school of experience,
and it's wonderful. I love it;
I've been very lucky. When I
started Crusade,
Harrison Ford said to me, 'Just
enjoy it all!' I look at it
as an event more terrific than
mere words can express, not
one that guarantees me future
work or will make me a superstar,
but the chance of a lifetime."
For the role of
young Indy Lucas choose River
Phoenix. Phoenix had played
opposite Harrison Ford in 1987's
Mosquito
Coast and was nominated
for an Academy
Award a year later for
his performance in Running
on Empty. He was the
hottest young actor in Hollywood
at the time and after many dramatic
roles Phoenix wanted something
light, more entertaining. The
casting of Phoenix as young
Indy was one of the production's
best-kept secrets. The script
never referred to the character
by name; he was simply "Boy
On Train". Once word leaked
Lucasfilm
announced a fallback rumor that
River Phoenix played Indy's
younger brother.
The film would
be shot, as the previous two
in London's Elstree
Studios. The Brent Walker
entertainment group had bought
Elstree
Studios for 32.5 million
pounds in 1988, at the height
of a property boom, visualizing
it as the cornerstone of a movie-making
empire, but the company overextended
itself, and was now trying to
sell the studios. With MCA's
backing Spielberg tried to buy
the complex. He visualized it
expanded onto nearby Rainham
Marches to become a Universal-type
movie theme park, but local
council refused permission for
fear of environmental damage,
and Elstree
closed down. In 1993, half would
be sold to the Tesco
supermarket chain. The Star
Wars Stage was dismantled
and moved to Shepperton
studios.
Next:
Filming
family bonds >> |