MTV: I can guess what J.C.V.D. stands for. Tell me about it.
Van Damme: It was well-written by Mabrouk El Mechri. They call him "the new Besson." [
Ed. note: Writer/director Luc Besson's films include "The Professional," "The Fifth Element" and "La Femme Nikita."] He wrote a script about a guy who was arrested too many times in the U.S. Being drunk, my [character's] life was from success to failure. And this guy is now leaving the States to refresh himself, to go back to Brussels to see his parents. He's got no money and he's looking for any type of movie to pay his lawyers for child custody. And then he shows up in a post office where a heist is happening, and people think I'm part of it. And then it becomes very "Dog Day Afternoon." I think it's the best film I've done in my career. I didn't take any salary for it. I've got to respect my fanbase, the people who made me famous, but I'm trying to bring them something different. With me playing me, it was a very shocking experience. When I saw the movie a couple of weeks ago, I wasn't able to function for a few days. After 37 movies, I said, "I will never do another movie I would not like." What Mabrouk did to me, it's like Scorsese did to De Niro years ago. It's a very different picture for Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Full Article: http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1582633/20080303/story.jhtml
