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http://www.aintitcool.com/node/31208
C
kay, I know youre very limited about what you can say about playing the Silver Surfer.
DJ: We can tap dance all around it, if you need to.
C: Sometimes its more fun to get the answer that is not an answer. But, we can talk about the FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER trailer, because the trailer is out there now. Its a great trailer, its a unique approach to trailer making, especially for an action film. What do you think about it, first of all?
DJ: Oh, I love the trailer. I put myself in an audience members position, and I thought, That gave me the exact tease that I need to want to know more about the Silver Surfer character, where does he come from, what are his powers, and, Wow! he was so agile and strong. He took Johnny Storm down like it was no problem, like he was an insect. So, like, Wow! I need to see more of that.
C: Was that the first time youd seen the finished Surfer like that?
DJ: I saw a film test of it back before the movie was ever made. We go back to a lot of preproduction work, and so I did see about a five-second snippet with the combination of practical, digital effects, and my work involved. It was a close-up of the Surfer. I was just blown away when I saw that, and then to see him on film in the trailer was, like, Woo-hoo!, you know, goose-bumpy for me.
C: I know you did your research on the history of the Surfer, and the character has an almost religious cult-like following and has for decades. Why do think that is, first of all, and, second, Did you feel any sort of extra pressure to really nail this guy?
DJ: Without a doubt, yes. Again, just like what happened for me in HELLBOY, I wasnt familiar with the comic book. I had to go back and look at Abe Sapien and see why people love him so much. With this one, it was, like, okay, Silver Surfer, Im not up on my comic book history, Im sorry, I feel terrible about this. The fans should hate me for that, but when I went to a comic book store right here in Burbank, Calif., and I talked to the kid behind the counter, and I said, Silver Surfer, please tell me what you got, he was, like, Omigosh. Seeing his excitement said to me, Thats probably what people think, and Ive got to remember that. He gave the Essentials book that was the first 18 volumes of the Silver Surfer stand-alone comic. He also gave me The Fantastic Four Essentials, where the Surfer was introduced. I think it was lines 48, 49, 50, something like that. So, I went back and saw how he was introduced and then seeing his origins and all. My god, I fell in love with this character so fast. Not only is he stunningly beautiful. I love his inner turmoil. Hes gotten his power, and hes on his mission as a herald for Galactus, reluctantly. It was all done to save his own people and his own planet.
C: Yeah, its a tragic backstory for sure.
DJ: A tragic backstory, right. And, he carries that with him every day with his silent, strong, stoic angst. Love that. And, by the way, these are all things that I am not. So, I had to really buckle down and throttle back, as much as I like to express, and just let the eyes talk, and let a stance, and lower the voice and speak slower and more directly, and trust and feel that that was enough, that he was getting his point across. He didnt need to do more because he is all that powerful. So, that was interesting for me as a character to delve into. But also, the beloved-ness of him and how much the fans love him put so much pressure on me, but in a good way. In a good way that, hopefully, my main concern is what the fans think, especially when Im in this kind of a genre film. I know that the fans
C: Theyre going to make or break the movie.
DJ: Right.
C: and putting this kind of icon in this film. The character has surpassed his place of his origin. In a lot of ways over the years, his image is bigger than The Fantastic Four image. Im sure there have been a lot more T-shirts with him on it than the Fantastic Four.
DJ: Yeah, right. But, at the end of the day, I need to know that the fans are happy with what Ive done more so than the studio. I love working for my employers, so dont get me wrong, and I respect their opinions and all that, but were making this for the people who buy the tickets. The people who are buying tickets for this movie are going to be made up of a lot of people who know the comic book character, love the comic book character, and want to see him remain pure on film. So, that meant a lot to me, that I do my part to see that that happens, whatever small part that was in the whole process.
What resonates with me in this character is that he is so very Christ-like with his sacrificial beginnings. Throughout the comic books, I love how he speaks with such truth, and seeking truth and justice and purity and righteousness. And, hes a champion for the underdog, and the human beings he has contact with throughout his stories are so inspired by him as a role model. Again, that put responsibility on me as well, because Im thinking, once this film comes out, and if people equate even a little bit of Doug Jones with the character, that puts a certain responsibility on me when Im out in public even, which I hope I can live up to. Again, whatever small part I played in this process, I hope I can live up to it.
C: As far as you know, its your voice were going to be hearing as the Surfer?
DJ: I would say, So far so good. Because hes otherworldly, so many things are in process and so many decisions are being made as they happen. We dont know and again, the pressure of this character has made a committee-effect happen from the top on down, with lots of opinions being thrown in along the way and a very collaborative effort, I would say. So, that would include the voice, and the voice I was giving them on set, everyone responded very favorably to. My co-stars loved it, Tim story, the director, loved what I was doing, so but, the question remains, is that too human? So, to synthesize him a tad, whether its a voice with a treatment, whether its a complete synthesized, generated voicenone of thats really been answered that Ive heard yet.
C: Thats one of the many things that you cant tell from the trailer either.
DJ: I do what I can do when Im doing the part. After that, what happens in post-production, both visually and audibly, is out of my hands, and really is none of my business.
C: All of the things youve said about the Surfers backstorycan you say, is that dealt with in the film?
DJ: No, youre not going to see much. I think hes introduced in the film much like hes introduced in the comic book.
C: Okay, just flying in and
DJ: He comes to earth on his usual, standard, everyday mission for Galactus, seeking out planets that are consumable and destroyable that have the right energy that Galactus can feed on.
C: So, does Galactus play a role in the film? Is he seen in the film?
DJ: Well, thats where youre going to get a very nebulous quote from me. All I can say is that you cant really introduce the Silver Surfer on film without Galactus as some sort of presence.
C: We all know that the Surfer is not a villain. He may have been fighting the Fantastic Four initially, but hes not a villain.
DJ: No, hes not on an evil mission to control the universe himself, no, no. Even Galactus, I think, is just hungry, you know. We all need to eat, right?
C: Very true. Okay, you were talking about how the Surfer's backstory is dealt with. He comes in as the harbinger of Galactus. Is his backstory dealt with?
DJ: "Touched on" is the phrasing I would use, but not exposed or shown. There's no need for it in this one. Hopefully, if we get the chance to do a stand-alone film, we can delve more into that.
C: Is that something that has been discussed as a possibility?
DJ: It hasn't been discussed with me as far as, here's a script, here's what we want to do with the character. And this is just me and my opinion, but it would be great to see happen, wouldn't it?
C: Even before the Fantastic Four movies came out, the idea of a Silver Surfer movie has certainly come up over the years. I like that they're introducing the character in a Fantastic Four movie, since that keeps it more faithful with the source material. I should have asked you this when we were talking about the trailer, but the one concern that was voiced about it was that we see the Surfer's eyes. Have you heard this?
DJ: Oh my gosh, the eyes have been talked about constantly. And the opinion is going back and forth, because of course in the comic book they were all white. I don't know, but being that I'm not a comic book purist, I kind of like seeing pupils and irises because I get more of a window to perform that way. That's my personal feeling, but everyone's going to differ on this one. And what you see in the trailer and what the finished product might be could be slightly different.
C: If that's all people are talking about, you're in pretty good shape.
DJ: Exactly. If it comes down to an iris, we're doing pretty good.
C
kay, I know youre very limited about what you can say about playing the Silver Surfer.DJ: We can tap dance all around it, if you need to.
C: Sometimes its more fun to get the answer that is not an answer. But, we can talk about the FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER trailer, because the trailer is out there now. Its a great trailer, its a unique approach to trailer making, especially for an action film. What do you think about it, first of all?
DJ: Oh, I love the trailer. I put myself in an audience members position, and I thought, That gave me the exact tease that I need to want to know more about the Silver Surfer character, where does he come from, what are his powers, and, Wow! he was so agile and strong. He took Johnny Storm down like it was no problem, like he was an insect. So, like, Wow! I need to see more of that.
C: Was that the first time youd seen the finished Surfer like that?
DJ: I saw a film test of it back before the movie was ever made. We go back to a lot of preproduction work, and so I did see about a five-second snippet with the combination of practical, digital effects, and my work involved. It was a close-up of the Surfer. I was just blown away when I saw that, and then to see him on film in the trailer was, like, Woo-hoo!, you know, goose-bumpy for me.
C: I know you did your research on the history of the Surfer, and the character has an almost religious cult-like following and has for decades. Why do think that is, first of all, and, second, Did you feel any sort of extra pressure to really nail this guy?
DJ: Without a doubt, yes. Again, just like what happened for me in HELLBOY, I wasnt familiar with the comic book. I had to go back and look at Abe Sapien and see why people love him so much. With this one, it was, like, okay, Silver Surfer, Im not up on my comic book history, Im sorry, I feel terrible about this. The fans should hate me for that, but when I went to a comic book store right here in Burbank, Calif., and I talked to the kid behind the counter, and I said, Silver Surfer, please tell me what you got, he was, like, Omigosh. Seeing his excitement said to me, Thats probably what people think, and Ive got to remember that. He gave the Essentials book that was the first 18 volumes of the Silver Surfer stand-alone comic. He also gave me The Fantastic Four Essentials, where the Surfer was introduced. I think it was lines 48, 49, 50, something like that. So, I went back and saw how he was introduced and then seeing his origins and all. My god, I fell in love with this character so fast. Not only is he stunningly beautiful. I love his inner turmoil. Hes gotten his power, and hes on his mission as a herald for Galactus, reluctantly. It was all done to save his own people and his own planet.
C: Yeah, its a tragic backstory for sure.
DJ: A tragic backstory, right. And, he carries that with him every day with his silent, strong, stoic angst. Love that. And, by the way, these are all things that I am not. So, I had to really buckle down and throttle back, as much as I like to express, and just let the eyes talk, and let a stance, and lower the voice and speak slower and more directly, and trust and feel that that was enough, that he was getting his point across. He didnt need to do more because he is all that powerful. So, that was interesting for me as a character to delve into. But also, the beloved-ness of him and how much the fans love him put so much pressure on me, but in a good way. In a good way that, hopefully, my main concern is what the fans think, especially when Im in this kind of a genre film. I know that the fans
C: Theyre going to make or break the movie.
DJ: Right.
C: and putting this kind of icon in this film. The character has surpassed his place of his origin. In a lot of ways over the years, his image is bigger than The Fantastic Four image. Im sure there have been a lot more T-shirts with him on it than the Fantastic Four.
DJ: Yeah, right. But, at the end of the day, I need to know that the fans are happy with what Ive done more so than the studio. I love working for my employers, so dont get me wrong, and I respect their opinions and all that, but were making this for the people who buy the tickets. The people who are buying tickets for this movie are going to be made up of a lot of people who know the comic book character, love the comic book character, and want to see him remain pure on film. So, that meant a lot to me, that I do my part to see that that happens, whatever small part that was in the whole process.
What resonates with me in this character is that he is so very Christ-like with his sacrificial beginnings. Throughout the comic books, I love how he speaks with such truth, and seeking truth and justice and purity and righteousness. And, hes a champion for the underdog, and the human beings he has contact with throughout his stories are so inspired by him as a role model. Again, that put responsibility on me as well, because Im thinking, once this film comes out, and if people equate even a little bit of Doug Jones with the character, that puts a certain responsibility on me when Im out in public even, which I hope I can live up to. Again, whatever small part I played in this process, I hope I can live up to it.
C: As far as you know, its your voice were going to be hearing as the Surfer?
DJ: I would say, So far so good. Because hes otherworldly, so many things are in process and so many decisions are being made as they happen. We dont know and again, the pressure of this character has made a committee-effect happen from the top on down, with lots of opinions being thrown in along the way and a very collaborative effort, I would say. So, that would include the voice, and the voice I was giving them on set, everyone responded very favorably to. My co-stars loved it, Tim story, the director, loved what I was doing, so but, the question remains, is that too human? So, to synthesize him a tad, whether its a voice with a treatment, whether its a complete synthesized, generated voicenone of thats really been answered that Ive heard yet.
C: Thats one of the many things that you cant tell from the trailer either.
DJ: I do what I can do when Im doing the part. After that, what happens in post-production, both visually and audibly, is out of my hands, and really is none of my business.
C: All of the things youve said about the Surfers backstorycan you say, is that dealt with in the film?
DJ: No, youre not going to see much. I think hes introduced in the film much like hes introduced in the comic book.
C: Okay, just flying in and
DJ: He comes to earth on his usual, standard, everyday mission for Galactus, seeking out planets that are consumable and destroyable that have the right energy that Galactus can feed on.
C: So, does Galactus play a role in the film? Is he seen in the film?
DJ: Well, thats where youre going to get a very nebulous quote from me. All I can say is that you cant really introduce the Silver Surfer on film without Galactus as some sort of presence.
C: We all know that the Surfer is not a villain. He may have been fighting the Fantastic Four initially, but hes not a villain.
DJ: No, hes not on an evil mission to control the universe himself, no, no. Even Galactus, I think, is just hungry, you know. We all need to eat, right?
C: Very true. Okay, you were talking about how the Surfer's backstory is dealt with. He comes in as the harbinger of Galactus. Is his backstory dealt with?
DJ: "Touched on" is the phrasing I would use, but not exposed or shown. There's no need for it in this one. Hopefully, if we get the chance to do a stand-alone film, we can delve more into that.
C: Is that something that has been discussed as a possibility?
DJ: It hasn't been discussed with me as far as, here's a script, here's what we want to do with the character. And this is just me and my opinion, but it would be great to see happen, wouldn't it?
C: Even before the Fantastic Four movies came out, the idea of a Silver Surfer movie has certainly come up over the years. I like that they're introducing the character in a Fantastic Four movie, since that keeps it more faithful with the source material. I should have asked you this when we were talking about the trailer, but the one concern that was voiced about it was that we see the Surfer's eyes. Have you heard this?
DJ: Oh my gosh, the eyes have been talked about constantly. And the opinion is going back and forth, because of course in the comic book they were all white. I don't know, but being that I'm not a comic book purist, I kind of like seeing pupils and irises because I get more of a window to perform that way. That's my personal feeling, but everyone's going to differ on this one. And what you see in the trailer and what the finished product might be could be slightly different.
C: If that's all people are talking about, you're in pretty good shape.
DJ: Exactly. If it comes down to an iris, we're doing pretty good.
t: That makes me very happy.
