OH! Magazine - Australian Version May 2015 | Page 9

In Chappie, how was it to wear that outfit
and be that ridiculous looking guy?
Fine. I have no worries about that. As an
actor you lose any sort of attachment to
hair, your body, all of that. You have to
change it all the time. In 20 years I haven’t
been to a hairdresser to ask for a haircut.
It’s whatever hair I need. I actually have no
idea what my real hair would look like.

would be 10 to 14, as that’s the age where
kids don’t want to be different in any way;
they don’t want to stand out, and my son is
an out-of-the-box kid. His interests are
different, he is not into video games; he is
different from most kids. As he gets older
though, it now gets easier. He has more
choices of what to do and he can find
friends who are into the same stuff he is.
OH!: Or girlfriends.

OH!:

So you’re not afraid of losing your
status as a sex symbol?

No. That’s always been a stretch.
OH!: In the movie you’re called a ‘bad man’.
Has anyone ever said that to you in real
life?
Yeah, most days by my kids! I’m the
disciplinarian at home. I am the tough one.
My father was very strict. So for me I think
I’m pretty relaxed, but I am a little more
strict than my wife.

OH!:

Is this your natural way of behaviour
or do you have to act it?

It’s natural. It’s the way I was brought up.
I feel I am being different than my dad.

OH!:

Do you sometimes act in front of
your kids to achieve an effect?

Ach. I was going to tell you a story, but I
can’t because he’s asked me not to. Now
he is old enough to say ‘Will you stop
telling stories about me?’ It’s killing me
because it’s such a brilliant story. He will,
literally, be pissed off at me, and as much
as I’d like to tell that story I’d prefer not to
have my son pissed off at me!

OH!:

Do your kids like it that their dad is
famous?

My daughter is sort of okay with it. I used
to worry when she was younger – she has
not asked me to stop telling stories, by the
way – if I used to go out and see paparazzi
out there, I would just walk the other way.
And she’d go: ‘Dad, the paparazzi are over
here.’ That would worry me more than my
son, who always hated it and still hates it.
He wishes I wasn’t famous.
OH!: Do you think they will enjoy Chappie?

Sure. Sometimes they say the most
hilarious things and I have to pretend to be
upset about it. I have to walk into another
room and laugh my head off, because it’s
just brilliant. Particularly when they said
things when they were younger. Some of
the drama would make me laugh, like ‘You
are ruining my life. My life is hell.’ – And
I’ll just be laughing inside.
Around 14, your son must have
entered puberty. Does that make
things more difficult for you?
OH!:

Most people say it’s a nightmare. When he
was about ten, I thought the hardest years

My son will really like it and I think my
daughter will, too, because they love Iron
Giant or Wall E, they will fall in love with
the robot. And that’s what Neill Blomkamp
has done with this movie. The most
relatable character in this movie is a robot.
My daughter was like ‘Can I watch this?’
And I’d say ‘It’s a little violent for you.’ But
maybe I can just forward through some
bits for her.
You’re not living in Australia or LA,
but New York. Why is that?
When I met my wife, two weeks into our
relationship she said to me: ‘If this
OH!:

relationship is going anywhere, you’d
better be prepared to live in New York
because that’s where I want to live.’ I said
‘cool’. I knew from the beginning that’s
where we were going to spend time. I am a
bit of a packhorse; I am happy as my
family is with me. But as for my wife, New
York suits her best.
You’re
also
branching
out
careerwise – judging from parts like
in Pan or Prisoners.
OH!:

In 2005 or 2006, around the time of
X-Men 3, there was a period when I was in
danger of being a little hemmed into that.
I never thought it would happen because
from inside my world, I was always doing
theatre, singing and dancing, hosting the
Oscars. It felt different to me. But the
perception of me was starting to become a
little narrow, and I was not being seen by
directors as being capable of doing other
things. So I am really happy right now.
First of all, I am happy because I think the
X-Men movies are as good as they have
ever been. I feel they are getting better
and I’m enjoying them. But I am also
getting offered other stuff. I have just
come off doing a play – which I loved – by
Jez Butterworth, who has just written the
recent Bond movie. So it feels like things
are in a good place. I am not sure if I am
at the end, but I feel I am in the sunset of
that superhero era.

OH!:

Is it also more satisfying for you as
an actor to play more difficult parts?

I find the Wolverine character really
satisfying and challenging to play; it’s a
very different character for me. The movies
are getting better and the actors you work
with are of an excellent calibre. I have
always loved the variety and being able to
do different things. I am very lucky to be
able to do that – including a movie like
Chappie.

( OH! MAGAZINE ) MAY 2015

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