Boxoffice-July.1995

i
I'M CERTAINLY TRYING TO...KEEP GROWING.
I WANT TO START MAKING MOVIES THAT ARE
ABOUT SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE CARE ABOUT,
THAT WILL PROVOKE PEOPLE TO THOUGHT."
people have lost all ethics and morals and
scruples, that they just tliink they're here to
rape and pillage and get whatever they can
however they can. I have very young kids
who are not yet equipped to understand a
lot of things. The only thing I can do is to
love my children, give them a tremendous
amount of personal affection, play with
them, make them feel safe and hope that
things change." Nearby, his young daughter
Arissa calls out to him, and he responds
quickly and gently to her "lt'~
tlie most important tiling ii
my life. I live for my children,"
Anyone familiar with his
films (including those of the
three-word titles, "Hard to Kill,
"Marked for Death, "Out for
Justice" and last year's "On
Deadly Ground," his directorial
debut) knows the secret ti
their success; Good always triumphs
over evil. With a kintl
of politically correct Zen machismo,
Seagal's characters
fight against corruption, defend
the weak and stand up for
what's right. Fans also are
aware of Seagal's penchant for
including his own personal
and political views in the stories,
often via speeches delivered
by his character Whether
it's about the need for a fi-ee and open
society or about environmental protection,
Seagal's movies always cany a message.
"I think you have to have faith that the
message gets across. At the same time,
when you go around the world and meet
enough people who are interested in the
same things you are, you can get a feeling
that the world is changing. The bad people
are going one way and the good people are
going another. Often, I've had inklings of
things that are actually going on in the world
and tried, in a veiled way, to write about
them. Sometimes it has become very topical
and sometimes it hasn't. At the same
time, you never really know what people
are going to get from a film because you can
never really come right out and say anything
too political in a movie."
22 BOXOFFKK
:::agal, who spent 10 years in Japan
1 studying aikido, Zen, Shintoism
'and Buddhism, has his own theories
about why his films translate so well
overseas. "Is it a movie that will come from,
or end up in, something of a more spiritual
nature, rather tlian just senseless violence
and darkness? Theatre owners are looking
for things that interest people. What I try to
do is to give audiences a certain level of
realism, which it seems people appreciate.
HEROIC TRAINING: Seagal in action in a scene from "Under Siege II
Dark Territory. " slated for release July 14 from Warner Bros.
Also, I always try to have something about
the human condition and family, not characters
fliat are particularly one note." It's a
tougher mode of classic American screen
heroism, rather like Gary Cooper's persona:
someone capable of standing up for his
beliefs but who has a tender and reverent
side. "It would be nice to see more of those
kinds of heroes onscreen," Seagal adds.
This summer, with films like "Braveheart"
and "First Knight," period action dramas
are in vogue. Asked whetlier his desire
to give audiences a level of realism would
preclude him from doing a film set in another
age (Stallone, Schwarzenegger and
Harrison Ford have all made their mark in
frituristic settings), Seagal says, "I'll do anything
with a story that is important and has
therightcharacter— past, present or ftiture."
Seagal's own spiritual nature finds its expression
in his study of aikido, a martial art
that teaches harmony. "The reason I chose
to study aikido is its spiritual nature. I still
teach every week. In fact, I had a lesson here
this morning with several ofmy black belts.
I just received a seventh-degree black belt.
I
don't know of any other white people in
the world above fifth, although there could
be. I'll be going back to Japan soon to do an
aikido demonstration at the Budokan."
Also on Seagal's coming calendar
is a starring role in
Warner Bros.' "Secret SmUe," a
story set in Washington, D.C.
that focuses on a government
operative who finds the only
way to track liis quarn,' is to use
mind-altering "smart" drugs.
I'm very happy to do tliis proji
ct because, even though it's
,111 action/caper movie, it is
more centrally about the different
kinds of technology that
exist in the world and can be
used for the benefit of mankind.
It also dramatizes the
spiritual awakening of one
human being." After "Secret
Smile, " Seagal will stai" in Columbia
Pictures' "Fire Down
Below," a project about a federal
marshal who is called to a
small Southern mining community to
investigate
reports of toxic dumping.
As Seagal looks aliead to future projects,
he envisions a day when he might give up
perfonning and concentiate exclusivelj' on
writing and directing. "I would prefer that.
When I can afford to direct again, I will.
Writing is something I've always done. It's
my favorite part of the process, and it's the
way we can create the most life in the piece.
I
could easily walk awaj' ft'om HoUw'ood
tonioiTow, all the movie-star trappings. 1
could be happy returning to teaching or
working for the protection of children and
our environment. The only reason I'm still
in this business is that I flnnly believe film
can help to bring truth to tlie people, and
can inspire jieople. It's the only n'ason I'm
still making movies."
I WANT TO MAKE PICTURES THAT HAVE
TO DO WITH SPIRITUAL AWAKENINGS,
SOMETHING THAT IS SURROUNDED
BY LIGHT RATHER THAN DARKNESS."