Total Recall Interview: Colin Farrell & Jessica Biel
During the production of Len WisemansTotal Recall, I drove down to Torontos Pinewood Studios to spend a full day with the cast and crew of the remake based on the classic Philip K. Dick short story We Can Remember It for You Wholesale.
While on set, I had the opportunity to sit down for half an hour with stars Colin Farrell and Jessica Biel who play Doug Quaid and Melina, respectively, as key returning characters from the original. In our discussion, we touch on the key differences in their characters, the importance of remakes and what sort of mental trip the film will take moviegoers on.
List of topics discussed in this interview:
- Differences in the Quaid and Melina characters from the original to the remake.
- Arnolds classic one-liners and which ones return.
- Meeting expectations from fans of the original.
- Colin Farrells feelings on remakes and the one film that should never be remade (unless hes in it).
- Ethan Hawkes role in the film.
- The various versions of Total Recall that director Len Wiseman could make with what they shot.
- Quick fan questions about Blade, Daredevil, In Bruges and The A-Team.
Warning: There are plot/character spoilers from the original and new Total Recallwithin this post. The major new spoiler is on page 2 and youll be able to skip it with links below.
How does the 1990 character of Doug Quaid/Hauser differ from this 2012 version youve created?
FARRELL: Theres a distinct lack of one-liners. Thats the most noticeable omission, when I read this script. I mean! its rea lly hard to try and compare the two things, purely because I know one, having read it and experienced it practically which is this one, and I know the other one having been a fan of it way back when, but never having read the script. Its really hard to put my finger on it on how different the two are because a lot of what both the films or what one film is or what other film will be what Paul Verhoevens was and what ours will be is down to Verhoevens influence on the original script and Lens influence on this script, because its so conceptual and it will be so about the look but also about the feel of it. Ours will feel very different, certainly, I dont want to say its darker or heavier but its more dramatic.
I love the original Total Recall still, as a fan of film, but this one is less tongue and cheek. Its the most simple way to put it. It really is. Its less tongue and cheek and less camp, and I say camp not in a pejorative way , but in a way Total Recall when it came out was kind of camp, never mind now, its not just something that has earned its pizzazz badge in the last 15 years as a result of time passing. Even at the time it was kind of camp and a little bit over the top and a little bit bigger than reality in the sensibility of the piece even. This seems to be a little bit more grounded in truth and again I dont mean that in an insulting way to the original. Its just theres less one-liners, thank fuck, because no one delivers a one-liner quite like Arnie and its hard enough to compete with that (laughs). I mean its very different, you know.
My guy I think has a harder time understanding who he is because Arnies Quaid, his fracture is kind of accompanied by some form of seemingly self-knowledge like hes like get away from me! Im a spy! He goes through that first, whereas my guy really cant theyve done a really good job toasting him, he cant remember a single thing. The only thing he does recall is a feeling. He cant remember anything that the mind has done, but he can remember a f! eeling a nd the feeling is very much in relation to the woman in his life, Melina, played by I now hand you over to the beautiful and talented Jessica Biel.
BIEL: (laughs)
Bill Nighy as Matthias in Total Recall
Throughout today we learned that a lot of the characters are going through some changes from the original to this one, like Kuato is now Matthias, but you guys keep the same names. Youre still Melina in this one but how does your character differentiate from what Rachel did in the original? Is it different or is it a similar journey?
BIEL: They are taking a similar journey, together, though with a lot of question marks and a lot of confusion. I think where Rachels character and this Melina differ specifically is that originally her character I remember the first time she sees him, she slaps him across the face and shes like dont you remember me? You love me! Shes very clear who this person is, what he is to her.
FARRELL: Yeah, she goes maybe youll remember youll love me
BIEL: Exactly.
FARRELL: once you get your memory back (laughs).
BIEL: Right, and Melina, this Melina we talk about this a lot is she 100% sure this is, first of all, the guy, which we realize, yes, but shes not sure what he knows and how does she respond to him and how can she be compassionate towards him. I feel like theres a much greater level and sense of compassion to her
FARRELL: demonstration of patience
BIEL: to look at the man that she knows is the man she loves, knows that somewhere in there! are the memories and the feelings and hopefully he will be able to capture who he was and remember us at all. But its much more of a touch and go with each other and shes much more sensitive to that. And all the same things Colin is saying about Quaid now as opposed to what Arnold did with the character, its just a bit more grounded. Shes just a little less big, a little less of a caricature. And again, that was perfect for that tone and that time, so thats not a negative view of that character at all.
FARRELL: You hope you dont strangle the fun out of it, because it is a different film and the original was a lot of fun. I have a friend who has two sons who are very bright, theyre 14 and 16 and kind of at the age where theyre very bright and too cool, saying Captain America ***** and Thor whatever and Im like well, I kinda liked it and Im embarrassed to say it in front of them but they saw the original Total Recall and were like that was fucking fun and the dad was like, dont say fucking, and they were like yeah, but it was fun, dad! And he told me that it is a really fun film, and you hope that this is. I mean there are a thousand ways and its really hard to capture any of them on film, but this is a different way. There are different questions being asked and I know Len is diligently pursuing some kind of emotional truth thats dressed up in this really beautiful and magnificent backdrop of this future world that he has envisioned and created with a really wicked production team.
You did another remake in Fright Night, what is the biggest challenge about working on a story that has already been told?
FARRELL: Answering questions about it afterwards (laughs). Answering questions about it afterwards is tricky you know, like I genuinely was a fan of film long before I thought of being an actor so I have certain pockets of my youth and my childhood that are significantly tied in with songs, with films. As I said, if I hear they are remaking Goonies I may ! not be t hat happy. You know, I may get a little pissed off and go really? Okay. Unless I get the call to play Sloth (laughs). I have the Superman T-shirt ready.
Farrell proceeds to do a Sloth impression, loudly shouting hey you guys! as the group and Biel laugh.
FARRELL: But seriously, so I understand why people get frustrated. I mean, Im well aware that there is this whole kind of pocket of the filmgoing public that are like ugh, remakes, how unoriginal and all that stuff. So, its kind of addressing that or being aware of that and then not apologizing for what you do at the same time, but respecting that people have their opinions. And you just hope and its too much to ask the people go in and judge something like this based on its own, especially if they have some heart for the original. But you just hope that what you do, I mean you just dont think of the original thats the hardest thing for me because of both Fright Night and Total Recall, is to go, trust in the concept of this one, trust that Kuato is a bit different and designed differently as Matthias and that thatll work, trust that the relationship between us (points to Jessica) is something that weve worked on hard enough and long enough that itll carry the audience through it.I can see what Len is gonna do, Ive seen the artistic renderings and how he is creating the world. I know that is going to be fucking magnificent looking, I know its gonna be so beautiful. You just have to switch off any expectation you have, even as an actor born of being a fan and just commit completely to the originality of a remake I suppose, as much of an oxymoron as that is.
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