Post by Claudia on Sept 21, 2018 9:07:41 GMT
filmtalk.org/2018/09/14/jean-claude-van-damme-with-every-movie-you-make-you-always-hope-it-will-find-its-way-in-the-jungle/
Film Talk / September 14, 2018 / Actor, Film Talk, Press conference
Jean-Claude Van Damme: ”With every movie you make, you always hope it will find its way in the jungle”
Film Festival Oostende, Ostend (Belgium)
September 9, 2018
One of the many highlights of the well-attended 12th edition of the Ostend Film Festival in Belgium was the visit of martial artist, action hero and screen star Jean-Claude Van Damme (b. 1960). During his short visit to his native country, he held a press conference and with his good-natured charm and enthusiasm, he was happy to talk about his career in films. He was accompanied by two Flemish actors, Sam Louwyck and Kevin Janssens, who appeared with him in his latest film “Lukas” (a.k.a. “The Bouncer”) which was screened later that night. His sister and his parents also attended the press conference: they sat quietly in the back, and so the whole family got to spend a day together at the Belgian seashore as Mr. Van Damme, who resides in Honk Kong, was honored at the Festival throughout the entire evening.
The ‘Muscles from Brussels,’ a.k.a. JCVD, has been around for quite some time now. His first leading role in “No Retreat, No Surrender” (1986) launched his international career right away, and his next feature “Bloodsport” (1988) made him a box office star. Up until he did “Maximum Risk” (1996), his films had grossed over $ 300,000,000 in the U.S. alone, with “Timecop” (1994, directed by Peter Hyams) becoming his most successful film to date (U.S. gross $ 45,000,000 and worldwide gross over $100,000,000).
Later on, his popularity at the box-office waned, but with a number of his films going straight to video or DVD, his career revived in video stores and he’s still going from one project to another. In later years he collaborated on big-budget animated blockbusters as “Kung Fu Panda 2” (2011) and “Kung Fu Panda 3” (2016), and worked with Sylvester Sallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger when they did “The Expendables 2” (2012) together.
“Hi guys! How are you?” Mr. Van Damme said when he entered the press conference room with a big smile. A few people from his own entourage made sure that his Instagram and Facebook accounts captured the entire press conference for his fan base “from Mongolia to Belgium,” as he said, and off he went to talk about his latest feature “Lukas,” shot in Belgium.
Jean-Claude Van Damme at the Ostend Film Festival press conference. Photograph: Leo Verswijver
Mr. Van Damme: “I was very happy to make this movie here. It was a simple story, but a great script, and we had a great cast. I didn’t know the actors, but when we started working, I knew immediately that without them the movie wouldn’t be as good as it is now. So I was very fortunate to be working with them, and the film also allowed me to be in Belgium once again, I got to spend some time here and visit places that I hadn’t seen in a long time. I know “Lukas” was not well-received in France in terms of box office, but the critics were very favorable. Money is one thing, but the appreciation of the critics is also very crucial. The New York Times Magazine wrote they had made a mistake in the past, that Jean-Claude Van Damme can jump from “Bloodsport” movies or karate movies and do something else too.”
“We also had a great team: “Lukas” wasn’t a big production, but what they did was amazing and I’m very proud of the film which will do well in countries like Russia or Latin America – if it will be released there too. But hopefully the film will have some legs. I wish that it could be released worldwide, because if you get to see it on a small screen, all the good acting will be compressed: when you do a TV show, you sometimes have to exaggerate so you can see and feel all the emotions on a small screen, while on the big screen, you sometimes only have to blink your eyes to express something.”
“I’ve done many movies, and each time you need to have a script, finance the whole thing, look for the perfect locations, find the right actors, and there are many things to do in terms of camera, lighting, etc. When shooting is finished, you go into post-production with music, editing, voice-over… It takes about nine months. That’s a lot of work and energy, and with every movie you make, you always hope it will find its way in the jungle. But filmmaking is a very rewarding experience: you work in different countries, you get accustomed to different cultures and religions, other food, other ways of life, etc.”
“I owe everything to my parents: they always believed in me and in whatever I did. My mother told me all about love, and my father everything about life, so they made me feel very confident. They always came to see me when I did karate. We are a very strong family, even though we don’t see each other very much.”
Mr. Van Damme grew up near the Belgian seashore and often came to run on the beach when he had the ambition of becoming a champion: “When I first started doing karate, it was not an expensive thing to do: you paid one hundred dollars for a one-year membership and you also got a kimono. My father later said to me that it was his best investment ever.”
Film Talk / September 14, 2018 / Actor, Film Talk, Press conference
Jean-Claude Van Damme: ”With every movie you make, you always hope it will find its way in the jungle”
Film Festival Oostende, Ostend (Belgium)
September 9, 2018
One of the many highlights of the well-attended 12th edition of the Ostend Film Festival in Belgium was the visit of martial artist, action hero and screen star Jean-Claude Van Damme (b. 1960). During his short visit to his native country, he held a press conference and with his good-natured charm and enthusiasm, he was happy to talk about his career in films. He was accompanied by two Flemish actors, Sam Louwyck and Kevin Janssens, who appeared with him in his latest film “Lukas” (a.k.a. “The Bouncer”) which was screened later that night. His sister and his parents also attended the press conference: they sat quietly in the back, and so the whole family got to spend a day together at the Belgian seashore as Mr. Van Damme, who resides in Honk Kong, was honored at the Festival throughout the entire evening.
The ‘Muscles from Brussels,’ a.k.a. JCVD, has been around for quite some time now. His first leading role in “No Retreat, No Surrender” (1986) launched his international career right away, and his next feature “Bloodsport” (1988) made him a box office star. Up until he did “Maximum Risk” (1996), his films had grossed over $ 300,000,000 in the U.S. alone, with “Timecop” (1994, directed by Peter Hyams) becoming his most successful film to date (U.S. gross $ 45,000,000 and worldwide gross over $100,000,000).
Later on, his popularity at the box-office waned, but with a number of his films going straight to video or DVD, his career revived in video stores and he’s still going from one project to another. In later years he collaborated on big-budget animated blockbusters as “Kung Fu Panda 2” (2011) and “Kung Fu Panda 3” (2016), and worked with Sylvester Sallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger when they did “The Expendables 2” (2012) together.
“Hi guys! How are you?” Mr. Van Damme said when he entered the press conference room with a big smile. A few people from his own entourage made sure that his Instagram and Facebook accounts captured the entire press conference for his fan base “from Mongolia to Belgium,” as he said, and off he went to talk about his latest feature “Lukas,” shot in Belgium.
Jean-Claude Van Damme at the Ostend Film Festival press conference. Photograph: Leo Verswijver
Mr. Van Damme: “I was very happy to make this movie here. It was a simple story, but a great script, and we had a great cast. I didn’t know the actors, but when we started working, I knew immediately that without them the movie wouldn’t be as good as it is now. So I was very fortunate to be working with them, and the film also allowed me to be in Belgium once again, I got to spend some time here and visit places that I hadn’t seen in a long time. I know “Lukas” was not well-received in France in terms of box office, but the critics were very favorable. Money is one thing, but the appreciation of the critics is also very crucial. The New York Times Magazine wrote they had made a mistake in the past, that Jean-Claude Van Damme can jump from “Bloodsport” movies or karate movies and do something else too.”
“We also had a great team: “Lukas” wasn’t a big production, but what they did was amazing and I’m very proud of the film which will do well in countries like Russia or Latin America – if it will be released there too. But hopefully the film will have some legs. I wish that it could be released worldwide, because if you get to see it on a small screen, all the good acting will be compressed: when you do a TV show, you sometimes have to exaggerate so you can see and feel all the emotions on a small screen, while on the big screen, you sometimes only have to blink your eyes to express something.”
“I’ve done many movies, and each time you need to have a script, finance the whole thing, look for the perfect locations, find the right actors, and there are many things to do in terms of camera, lighting, etc. When shooting is finished, you go into post-production with music, editing, voice-over… It takes about nine months. That’s a lot of work and energy, and with every movie you make, you always hope it will find its way in the jungle. But filmmaking is a very rewarding experience: you work in different countries, you get accustomed to different cultures and religions, other food, other ways of life, etc.”
“I owe everything to my parents: they always believed in me and in whatever I did. My mother told me all about love, and my father everything about life, so they made me feel very confident. They always came to see me when I did karate. We are a very strong family, even though we don’t see each other very much.”
Mr. Van Damme grew up near the Belgian seashore and often came to run on the beach when he had the ambition of becoming a champion: “When I first started doing karate, it was not an expensive thing to do: you paid one hundred dollars for a one-year membership and you also got a kimono. My father later said to me that it was his best investment ever.”