- Title: USA: Jack Black and Emily Blunt pitch "Gulliver's Travels" at premiere
- Date: 20th December 2010
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) JACK BLACK ON WHY THE STORY WAS UPDATED TO MAKE IT MORE CONTEMPORARY, SAYING: "Although the book is awesome, and remains this incredible classic, for kids today, we wanted to--we didn't want to do a period piece where, you know, I was speaking in 18th century English accents, and costumes. We wanted to bring it to now. Just to make it more fresh and exciting for now." EMILY BLUNT POSING FOR PHOTOS JACK BLACK, JASON SEGEL AND EMILY BLUNT POSING FOR PHOTOS TOGETHER (SOUNDBITE) (English) EMILY BLUNT ON WHY SHE WANTED TO BE A PART OF THE FILM, SAYING: "I don't know. I always thought it was just going to be fun, and people can take from it what they will. You know, I'm sure that there's diehard Jonathan Swift fans who will be like 'Well, that's just silly.' But, you know, who cares." JACK BLACK, JASON SEGEL AND EMILY BLUNT POSING FOR PHOTOS TOGETHER EMILY BLUNT AND JACK BLACK TALKING TO THE MEDIA JACK BLACK TALKING TO A REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) EMILY BLUNT ON WHY CHILDREN WILL ENJOY THE FILM, SAYING: "Jack told me his tummy looked really impressive in 3D. There's some really fun stuff in it. There's a certain episode with peeing on Lilliput. The kids will enjoy that. Yeah." JASON SEGEL TALKING TO A REPORTER AND PAN TO JACK BLACK TALKING TO A REPORTER JASON SEGEL TALKING TO A REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) JASON SEGEL ON WHY HE WAS EXCITED TO BE CAST IN THE FILM, SAYING: "It's a modern spin on a classic story, obviously. But, you know, Jack gave me my first writing job when I was 19 years old. So we've been trying to work together for 10 years. This is just a dream come true for me." ROMANY MALCO POSING FOR A REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) ROMANY MALCO ON BEING ALLOWED TO IMPROV WHILE SHOOTING HIS PARTS WITH JACK BLACK, SAYING: "Most of my role was improvisation. We improved our behinds off. And me and Jack Black, you know that we've got crazy chemistry, so that was natural. I promise you, we are going to give you a great laugh when you watch this movie." TJ MILLER TALKING TO A REPORTER TJ MILLER POSING FOR PHOTOS (SOUNDBITE) (English) TJ MILLER ON THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DOING STAND-UP COMEDY AND ACTING IN A FILM, SAYING: "And if you don't get a laugh on a film set, you can do a second take. If you don't get a laugh when you're doing live stand-up, it's just a very sad time. No, but I like doing both. You know, I think stand-up is very valuable for me, you know, to--I feel like it's nice to do live performances. You get that immediate feedback, and I'm the director, producer, writer, actor of everything that I do in my stand-up. But film is great because it's a collaborative process, and you get to work with people like Jack Black and Jason Segel, and all these incredible actors. And, you know, you're confined a little bit more, but within that you can find other freedoms." JACK BLACK AND EMILY BLUNT TALKING TO THE MEDIA AND TILT-UP TO MOVIE POSTER
- Embargoed: 4th January 2011 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Usa, Usa
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVA9Q9NHC73VFQRXHYT8XHM2CNKZ
- Story Text: Jack Black and Emily Blunt hit the red carpet on Saturday (December 18, 2010) for the Hollywood premiere of their new film "Gulliver's Travels."
The 3D feature puts a contemporary and comedic twist on the classic 18th-century tale written by Irish author Jonathan Swift.
In the movie, Black plays the lead role. But his modern portrayal of Lemuel Gulliver is quite different than the seafaring ship captain upon which the legendary character is based.
Black explained.
"Well, this is how it goes down. I'm working at a newspaper in New York City, and I'm working in the mailroom. And I really want to be a big shot writer. And, I'm too shy and kind of insecure to ask for the promotion. So, for like 10 years, I'm working in the mailroom. And then finally I an opportunity to impress the girl of my dreams, and become a writer, and go to the Bermuda Triangle and write a story about it. So, I ignore the dangers. I ignore the fact that I don't know how to drive a boat. I get out there, and unfortunately, I got sucked into--you guessed it--an inter-dimensional time warp. And I wake-up on an island of tiny people."
The 41-year-old actor also talked about why the much-loved story has been changed for the new film adaptation.
"Although the book is awesome, and remains this incredible classic, for kids today, we wanted to--we didn't want to do a period piece where, you know, I was speaking in 18th century English accents, and costumes. We wanted to bring it to now. Just to make it more fresh and exciting for now."
Blunt said she thought playing the part of a Lilliputian princess would be something fun to do.
"I don't know. I always thought it was just going to be fun, and people can take from it what they will," shared Blunt, 27. "You know, I'm sure that there's diehard Jonathan Swift fans who will be like 'Well, that's just silly.' But, you know, who cares."
The London-born Blunt also talked about why she believes children will enjoy the film.
"Jack told me his tummy looked really impressive in 3D. There's some really fun stuff in it. There's a certain episode with peeing on Lilliput. The kids will enjoy that. Yeah."
The 6-foot-4 Jason Segel was cast as Horatio, Gulliver's 6-inch sidekick. Segel, 30, said he has been waiting a decade to work with Black on-screen.
"It's a modern spin on a classic story, obviously. But, you know, Jack gave me my first writing job when I was 19 years old. So we've been trying to work together for 10 years. This is just a dream come true for me."
"Gulliver's Travels" also stars TJ Miller and Romany Malco. It was directed by Rob Letterman.
The film will open across North America on Christmas Day (December 25, 2010). - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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