Throwback Thursday: Karl Urban

Today’s Throwback Thursday is our interview with Karl Urban, talking about Judge Dredd (2012), from Tripwire’s Dredd Digital edition from back in 2012

He Is The Law

TRIPWIRE: You have such an eclectic CV. You’ve done everything from Star Trek to Lord of The Rings, to your part in Bourne so what appealed to you about Dredd?

KARL URBAN: I guess it was having the opportunity to play a character who dares to do and say the things that I would never do in real life. His brand of heroism, for example, is one that I would aspire to. He’s the type of guy who’s going into a dangerous situation when everyone else is running in the other direction. So that was appealing.

TW: He could be described as an anti-hero. Is that another thing that appealed to you?

KU: Yeah definitely. That’s one of the aspects of the character that I historically responded to. From comic to comic, Dredd could change from being a hero to a villain, and he’s definitely an anti-hero in many ways, but it was kind of important in
this film that it be acknowledged that he’s there to protect the people of Mega City One as much as he is there to uphold the law.

photo©Joel Meadows

TW: I read somewhere that Dredd is the biggest independent British production to date in terms of budget.

KU: Wow. Really?

TW: Yes. Was it the fact that it was an independent production part of the appeal for you?

KU: It certainly has its advantages. I think the creatives are left alone a little bit more on an independent production and on Dredd the overriding creative force was Alex Garland. He’s the powerhouse behind this movie and is responsible for the film you see. I had just had a real fantastic time working with him, a fantastic collaborator.

TW: What was it like shooting in South Africa?

KU: It was great. We shot at the new Cape Town Studios. We were the first production to have utilized that facility. World-class crew and really lovely people. I had a really great time.

Q: Had you read any of the comics or was it once you were cast that you went back to read them for research?

KU: Yeah I read the comics as a teenager. It was the Judge Dredd Quality Comics that were my first introduction to the character and that was one of the wonderful things about getting the role: touching base with those stories that I liked over twenty years ago. And then also discovering a plethora of new stories that had been written subsequent to my reading the Dredd comics. And what I discovered was a real wonderful depth and maturity that had evolved in the writing. It was a far more dynamic Dredd that has developed over the last fifteen years than the one I was originally drawn to.

TW: What is it about genre films that appeals to you as an actor?

KU: Everything is a genre. I don’t pick my films based on genre. For me it’s just about the character and the story and who I’m working with.

TW: So when you made the film, was the script evolving as you were shooting?

KU: The fundamental structure was set but what did evolve was some of the finer details and definitely my collaboration with Alex. It was a very open environment and if you came to the table with a suggestion and if it was good , it would be incorporated. And I’m greatly thankfully for that and I think ultimately we’ve got a far superior film for it.

TW: Had you seen the Stallone film when it came out?

KU: Sure, I went and saw it when it came out in 1994 or 1995.

TW: What were your thoughts on it?

KU: I don’t really feel like it’s very prudent of me to discuss another film while I’m promoting mine in that way and while I certainly don’t want to put down Mr Stallone’s film in service of promoting mine but tonally that was quite a different film. In many ways it was a product of its time. Our film is a lot more edgy and a lot grittier and most importantly there’s an authenticity about Alex Garland’s film in terms of the fact that Dredd keeps his helmet on for the entire film and the fact that he collaborated with John Wagner throughout the process was of great benefit.

TW: It seems like a very lean film because it’s got quite a short running time. It seems like there’s no flab. You must be pleased that it’s so lean, because some films outstay their welcome

KU: Yeah it is, it’s svelte and I’m grateful for that. It’s amazing; sometimes having a bigger budget doesn’t always necessarily translate into getting a better final product. On our film there was very little waste. I don’t know if there was anything we shot that didn’t make it into the final film. But again that’s a testament to Alex Garland. He wrote a really wonderful character-driven script and it’s got great action in it but the heart of this piece is the relationship between Judge Dredd and his rookie Anderson and the evolution of that relationship and that’s what makes this film in many ways compelling to watch.

TW: What was it like for you physically as an actor to make?

KU: Gruelling. It was a tough one but ultimately worth it.

TW: And you’re obviously pleased with the results?

KU: I’ll tell you what I’m pleased about. I’m pleased at the fan response. I had the great pleasure of watching the film with an audience at Comic Con at San Diego and the response was phenomenal and that’s why I feel proud of Alex Garland and the work that he’s done in shaping this film and it’s great to have it be released and received so well.

TW: Do you think it will be received in America?

KU: I certainly hope so, yeah. I think it’ll find an audience. It’s interesting talking to journalists and people who have seen it and time and time again you hear the feedback of ‘I didn’t know what to expect when I went in but I had a really great time.’ And this is coming from quite a wide demographic from older women as well as younger guys. They’re going in saying ‘There’s a lot in here, visually it’s incredible, but they’ve also got these strong female characters’ and I think that takes a lot of people by surprise.

JOEL MEADOWS