Last week, we were lucky enough to get to view a significant amount of footage from Timur Bekmambetov’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter .
Following the footage, Oscar Hillerstrom (from The Sci Fi Show) led a round of questions from the assembled press. Some of this gets a little spoiler heavy, but probably only if you saw the footage we did. Let’s just say from the footage we’ve seen, it’s going to be one huge spectacle.
We also interviewed the duo the next day, and a snippet from that interview can be found here. Our full interview will go up in video form soon, but in the meantime, enjoy this transcript, lovingly provided by those good people at Fox.
OSCAR HILLERSTROM:
Now Seth, you’ve come all this way to show us just a little bit of footage. I think the first question we have to ask you is, why vampires, why Abraham Lincoln?
SETH GRAHAME-SMITH
[quote_right]”I call it the “Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup moments” – the chocolate, the peanut butter, they’re right there. Why don’t you just put them together?”[/quote_right] Well, isn’t it obvious? I mean, it was the film that was waiting to happen. This came to me… The book, “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” came to me as the result of a tour that I was on for “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”, and I was doing a tour of the U.S. And it seemed that everywhere I went – and this was in 2009, so it was the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth – every bookstore I went into, no matter where in the U.S., there were two displays in the front – an Abraham Lincoln biography display table and then next to it, “Twilight”. And, you know, every shop had the same two. And it just became one of those, you know, I call it the “Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup moments” – the chocolate, the peanut butter, they’re right there. Why don’t you just put them together? And it seemed so obvious to me. And then I started to research the actual life of Abraham Lincoln. I read a few books, and I looked at some timelines, and I looked at some correspondence. And I said, there’s actually more to it, there’s a real dark super-hero origin story here, which I know, it sounds funny.
But if you think about it, Abraham Lincoln, even in the states, we know so little about him. You know, we’re taught… he’s on our currency, we know he had a top hat, we know he was honest and we know he was President. And that’s about it. But when you research just a little more, you find out here is a man who battled tragedy after tragedy in his life. And who had absolutely no family name, no money, no good looks – sorry, Ben – and no education. And yet, just by the sheer power, he had a physical presence and he had an amazing mind and an amazing determination – he was able to not only become the Chief Executive of the country, but then save that country. So to me it was a very romantic story and very dark in genre, and so it seemed natural to add vampires to it.
OSCAR HILLERSTROM:
Now I think the natural addition to that particular story is a young actor who has already played a President on the stage. The man who brought “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” to Off-Off-Broadway in a scintillating performance, and a man who was bold enough to bring, I guess, a sense of reality to such an outlandish concept. So Ladies and Gentlemen, please put your hands together for Mr Ben Walker, the star of “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”. (APPLAUSE)
BEN WALKER:
Good afternoon….
And Broadway. We were on Broadway, it’s just not Off-Off-Broadway. Just saying. You should Google it (laughs).
OSCAR HILLERSTROM:
Now Ben, before we get introduced to some of this fantastic footage by Mr Seth Grahame-Smith, I have one question for you. The reality of playing Andrew Jackson, who fought duels, who walked around with the rattle of bullets in his lungs – versus an axe-wielding vampire hunter. What’s more fun and what’s more rewarding?
BEN WALKER:
Oh, that’s tough. I think the most rewarding would be Abraham Lincoln by far, because though it is called “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”, that’s where the joke ends. We really commit to his life and what we know about his life, and what we researched about his life. And as an actor, that’s crack, it’s perfect, it’s what you love to do. And then you throw vampires in and it’s a dream job. So Abe Lincoln hands down.
[Following the footage]
SETH GRAHAME-SMITH:
So, that was some of “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”. I hope you enjoyed it. But we’re not done yet.
So, Abe continues his war against vampires. And his war against vampires escalates. And Adam, who can’t wait to meet Abe, does in fact meet him. And well, things escalate basically to the point whereAmericahas a civil war over whether it’s going to be a nation of men or a nation of monsters. And of course, publicly, this is a civil war about the slavery issue. But we all know that it’s really about the living and the dead, about vampires. So, the war is going very, very badly forLincolnin the North. And it’s all culminating in theBattleofGettysburg. And if the North cannot turn back the south at Gettysburg, then the war is over. Then the troops, the Southern troops are going to storm intoWashingtonDCand we will all be enslaved by vampires.
So, Abe has, very late in the game – a revelation. That silver is the answer. That they’re trying to fight – the vampire troops that are joining with the Southern troops – they’re trying to fight them with lead bullets. And normal bayonets when in fact they should be fighting them with silver bullets, and silver cannonballs and silver bayonets. But how to get that silver toGettysburgin time to turn the tide of the battle. And Abe has another revelation. We need to put it all on a train. All those silver pieces of ammunition, those silver bayonets, those silver bullets and cannonballs. We need to get them on a train and we need to race that train to the front at Gettysburg. So what you’re about to see is the mad dash to get that silver to the frontlines and then, hopefully, turn the tide of the war in the North’s favour. But Adam has found out about this plan and he does not intend to let that train reach its destination. So, let’s watch and see what happens.
OSCAR HILLERSTROM:
So Seth, first question. This has been your baby for years and years and years. And then this guy, Tim Burton comes along with his Russian mate Timur Bekmambetov, and they take it over. And now you’ve seen it on the big screen, how does it feel to, kind of, I don’t want to say railroaded by Hollywood, but it’s an extraordinary visual experience. Does it match up to what you had in your mind when you wrote the book?
SETH GRAHAME-SMITH:
[quote_left]”One of the things I’m proud of is that, it’s not a sequel, it’s not a re-make, it’s not based on a board game”. [/quote_left]Well you have to… you have to… look, I mean, you have an ego, and so you know, as an author… what’s wonderful about being an author is you are in charge. It’s your baby. But once you commit to doing a film and you actually want to write the screenplay for the film, you have to turn yourself over to the will of the director because the film is a director’s medium. And, you know, with a director like Timur, and with the kind of movie that Fox, you know, we all wanted to make really, which was this big, visceral, muscular, crazy 3D summer movie, then there will have to be changes. And so, you know, it was an interesting sort of exercise in checking my ego at the door and saying, okay, the movie is going to be a completely different animal. And now how do we make this the most fun, and I think that what you’ve probably gotten a sense from is that, you know, like Ben said, the joke ends at the title. We don’t wink at the audience and say, isn’t this just a big lark and a laugh and you know, the joke is in the title. You know what you… you come to the cinema, you know you are seeing a movie called, “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”.
So, you know, what we try to do is then take that and make it the most fun, satisfying product that we can to really just, light a fire under people, and do something different. I mean… one of the things I’m proud of about this movie … because on one level, it’s crazy that we’re making this movie. It’s crazy that Fox gave us all this money to make this movie. And it’s crazy that it got made on the level it did, but one of the things I’m proud of is that, it’s not a sequel, it’s not a re-make, it’s not based on a board game. It’s not based on robots, or a toy. It is a summer movie that is just so weirdly and wonderfully different in its own thing, that that even of itself, is for me, as a fan, as a fan boy my whole life, would be enough, it’d be exciting. But then you get the director of “Wanted”, and you get Ben who brings, this gravity to the role, and is not playing the joke. He’s playing this, absolutely emotionally grounded Lincoln. I don’t know, the movie is just … it’s unlike anything else out there right now. And it’s very interesting to see the finished 3D product. I’m still kind of getting used to seeing it all. I mean, because, I don’t know, for people who know the book… but you know, in the book, there is no, there is no Adam. There is no Will Johnson, who you saw played by Anthony Mackie, who is, Lincoln’s sort of vampire hunting partner in this movie. And there’s certainly no big thrilling train climax. And so all these things were invented for this movie and it was an interesting experience. It was an interesting experience taking that novel and translating it into something that was extremely cinematic and something like you just saw.
QUESTION:
Hello. Sir, if you had a hand in choosing the actor for the role, what was it in Benjamin that made you decide that he was it?
SETH GRAHAME-SMITH:
Well, it was really… it was Timur who chose Ben for the role. But I can, you know, I wasn’t really a part of that casting process, but I fought against Ben… yeah (laughs).
BEN WALKER:
I’m tall.
SETH GRAHAME-SMITH:
That’s right. Yeah. No, I wanted Peter Dinklage… from “Game of Thrones” just to play against type. We all…. From the first moment we started talking about Lincoln, you know… imagine you have … you know, just pick a mental male movie star in your head and you know, someone you’ve seen in a hundred movies and then put them in that role and you would never be able to accept it, I think. No matter how much make-up, no matter… because the premise is already so ridiculous that you need somebody to really inhabit this in a serious way and you need the audience to forget that they’re not watching an actor, they’re watching Abraham Lincoln. And I think, in talking to Timur, certainly Ben is a gifted actor. I mean, he’s a highly trained actor, he comes from the stage, and he would not, ‘cause he’s humble and he won’t tell you this, but I mean he kicks arse and he went at this role just as if it were, a quote unquote, serious performance. A serious drama, rather than an insane action movie. And I think that when you see the movie and you see the likeability and the personality and the sweetness that he brings to it and then ultimately the gravity and the seriousness he brings to it – that’s one of the… to me, you know, I can say this buddy, that’s one of the miracles of this film, for me, is just the… one of the great surprises of the film for me is Ben, and his performance.
BEN WALKER:
And I was cheap. Dirt cheap.
QUESTION:
Ben, I was just wondering how familiar you were with the source material before sort of, signing on. I mean, did you look at the title page of the script and go, really? Or were you sort of familiar with it and think, ooh, yeah, I’m into this.
BEN WALKER:
I said… really? Yeah. I think I had a very… because I was not familiar with the book. I was familiar with Timur. And frankly, it could have been anything and I would have been interested. And, I think I had the same experience that a lot of people will have coming to this story with fresh eyes. That moment of… really? And then you realise… oh, really! That it becomes very committed and real and that’s where the fun is. That we don’t flinch and we don’t apologise. So, yeah, I was, I was just as shocked as I think a lot of people will be.
SETH GRAHAME-SMITH:
I think that, I mean more than anything, I think that’s one of the big hurdles with this film is, people look at the trailer and they go, wow, that looks crazy, but really? That’s the premise of the movie? And, so I hope that people will get the message, that we understand how insane the concept is. And that no, Abraham Lincoln did not actually fight against vampires to the best of our knowledge. But we are doing this, like Ben said, we are doing it one hundred and fifty percent. We are doing it unflinchingly and unapologetically. And if you want to go to the cinema and have a kickass time, watching the America’s 16th President beat the shit out of some vampires, then this is the movie you’ve been waiting for.
BEN WALKER:
And also, I read a lot of scripts. And most of the time you don’t have to ask the question. There is no “really?”. It’s mostly, how did that get money? Or, this is so stupid, I’ve seen this twenty other ways. Or: another one of those? Jesus – Kill me!
But luckily, what it does is it piques your interest. I was watching another movie and this was the trailer beforehand and half the audience went, “Yeah!” And the other half… kind of chuckled. And that’s perfect. That’s exactly what we want. Indifference is for cowards. So you know, the people that cheer are going to love it. And then they’re going to tell the guys that were curious to go watch it, you’re gonna love it. It’s great.
SETH GRAHAME-SMITH:
And some people are gonna go, “this is stupid”. I mean that’s just gonna happen. We’re not making the movie for them.
BEN WALKER:
Cowards! (laughs)
SETH GRAHAME-SMITH:
We’re making the movie for the people that go, you know what? I’m ready. I’m signing on, and I’m going with you. Abe, take me with you on this journey, will you? This vampire hunting journey through the Civil War.
BEN WALKER:
Anywhere. We can go anywhere together, Seth.
OSCAR HILLERSTROM:
Now, I have to take issue with you there, because how can it be stupid if Rufus Sewell is paying the bad guy. Obviously, it’s a very serious film.
SETH GRAHAME-SMITH:
Fair enough.
QUESTION:
Okay, one for you both. Obviously, Timur’s a bit of a crazy Russian, just because of all the films he’s done before. Now apart from the obvious loopiness of the story, it looks like a really, genuine period piece, like an American… Americana period piece. Did he have a problem with that? Have you got any stories about how he didn’t or did get the whole Americana thing?
SETH GRAHAME-SMITH:
I have two stories. There’s a language barrier story. And then there’s a Russian doing an American Civil War history story. When we first started talking about the underground railroad being, you know, the way that the slaves were ferried north by Harriet Taubman and her associates and you know, rescued scores of slaves from the south. Timur, he loves talking about this – he was so engaged in the underground railroad – and this is in the early story meetings, we’re talking about what elements, you know. And then he had these renderings done of like, the world’s longest subway tunnel. And he wanted to do a climax, and we’re, No, no, no Timur! It’s not literally an underground railroad (laughs). So, that was one sort of history thing. The other was, and I’ll do my best-worst Timur impression. And I love Timur, but he’s a mad genius. He’s a mad Russian. I would have… this always happened, where I was, I would be talking to Timur and he would say, “So Lincoln should look, uh… Lincoln should be bitten… uh… and he should be bitten when we see him.” And I would say, “No, Timur. If he’s… if a vampire bites him, then he’s gonna be a vampire. We can’t have him bitten.” And he goes, “No. Bitten.” And it took me about two months to realise he was talking about “beaten”. Like having the shit beaten out of him. And I can’t tell you how many false starts. But in terms of the… in terms of the historical accuracy of it though, that’s something, whether it was Francois, or whether it was Timur …. You could talk about, tell them about your ideas…
BEN WALKER:
Caleb Deschanel shot it. I mean, we made a period movie that happens to have some vampires in it. And it… for example, there’s a… we had this whole team of armourers that built these weapons and put shotguns in axes and one of them made me an absolute replica of the knife that was in Lincoln’s pocket the night that he died. So, it’s not in the movie, he just said this is what you would have in your pocket. And that attention to detail was in every single scene. We’d be waiting for half an hour for Caleb to get the candles right. And then you’d see it and go, well…
SETH GRAHAME-SMITH:
Half an hour…
BEN WALKER:
Yeah, exactly… But then you’d see it and go, well, if the candles hadn’t have been right, well, that’d suck (laughs).
SETH GRAHAME-SMITH
It’s all part of that attitude the whole film making team brought to this was, again, it was, look we know we’re making a crazy movie. But we’re gonna make it as earnestly and as beautifully and as kickassedly as we possibly can. And that was whether it was Ben’s commitment to the performance. Or Caleb’s photography, an incredible cinematographer on a movie like this. And we wanted to bring that veneer to it.
BEN WALKER:
And that’s where it’s fun. I mean it begs the question, now what? And then, that’s what you get.
SETH GRAHAME
Right.
BEN WALKER:
I’ve got another Timur story if you don’t mind.
SETH GRAHAME-SMITH
Please.
BEN WALKER
He would always say, shoot it. Why aren’t we shooting, we should shoot. But in his dialect, it sounded like he was saying “shit”. Why aren’t we shitting? It’s a complicated question, Timur. Well, why are we not shitting? Let’s shit! Fine by me! (laughter)
OSCAR HILLERSTROM:
I just don’t want to see that in 3D. Okay… we have, I think we have one final question unfortunately.
QUESTION:
Speaking of 3D, was it 3D from day one, or was that a discussion point?
SETH GRAHAME-SMITH:
Yes. 3D from day one. Even though it was not shot in 3D, it was always going to be. I mean it was sold. When Fox greenlit it, it was 3D and we knew it, and so everybody from Caleb to all the effects guys, to even the prop people and everybody was designing this movie to be converted and they knew it was going to be converted. So, it wasn’t one of those, you know, hey, let’s … you know, it wasn’t, well, I’m not going to say the name of the movie. It wasn’t one of those movies they had to pull out of theatres suddenly a few weeks before it was released, to release it a year later in 3D.
BEN WALKER:
And also, we made fun of Timur because he can take it, but he is truly a genius. And he uses 3D as a tool as opposed to a gimmick. And it was such an important tool because when you’re dealing with vampires, you’re dealing with proximity, and you want to really be able to feel that presence and that danger, and I feel like he wields that tool as if it were an axe.
SETH GRAHAME-SMITH:
Well, yeah. Very nicely done. He talked about the reason…. The other reason for the 3D being so important is because when you’re fighting in the movie, you’re not shooting them from here to the balcony. And you’re right in their face and you want to feel the distance between you and the axe, you know. Even part of the fight choreography was designed to enhance that.
BEN WALKER:
One day there was a shot in the movie where he wanted to, just slice right across the lens. And he says, “Get closer, get closer.” And I’m like, “I’m gonna hit it, I’m gonna hit it.” “Get closer, get closer.” And I just knocked the matte box off, I mean I creamed this multi thousand dollar camera. I really hacked it. And he goes, “Great, we got it! Moving on!” (laughs) Yeah. And it is that important. And his attention to detail is that heightened.
