- Title: USA: Tom Cruise says "kill Hitler at the holidays"
- Date: 19th December 2008
- Summary: KENNETH BRANAGH ON RED CARPET (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR KENNETH BRANAGH TALKING ABOUT THE VARIETY OF ACCENTS IN THE FILM: "If we all somehow did some version of a German accent in English, that would be no more accurate. If you talked to all the people down this line and maybe they come from Los Angeles or around about, they all sound different. That's the nature of things. I think people get worked up about it. It's not an issue."
- Embargoed: 3rd January 2009 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Usa
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVAC1WFZFI01404WIYW3E8ZAYB54
- Story Text: Tom Cruise and his co-stars say it's not a big deal that they don't have German accents while playing German characters in "Valkyrie."
Tom Cruise walked the red carpet on Thursday (December 18) at the Los Angeles premiere of his suspense-thriller "Valkyrie." The film has been kept mysteriously under wraps for months and its release date moved four times, but finally the curtains have been pulled back. Revealed is a coolly efficient and entertaining tale about the last of 15 known assassination attempts against Adolf Hitler.
While some might think that a World War II Nazi movie might be a bit of a downer during the holiday season, Cruise said don't be too quick to judge.
"I thought, go kill Hitler at the holidays. I don't get it. It really is, at looking at it, the only action-suspense thriller coming out during this time period and I think it's the type of film you could release at any point and Christmas is a great time because you have audiences that want to see movies and there's nothing else like this to see," said Cruise.
The film has raised issue with some critics because Cruise and his co-stars, who play German officers, speak with their natural accents instead of using German ones. Cruise said, however, that his American accent has little impact on the actual film and his character Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg.
"I think when people see the film they're going to realize we have an international cast and they're just going to...what we've seen when audiences see it is that's not an issue. You just get involved in the story."
Veteran British actor Kenneth Branagh agreed.
"If we all somehow did some version of a German accent in English, that would be no more accurate. If you talked to all the people down this line and maybe they come from Los Angeles or around about, they all sound different. That's the nature of things. I think people get worked up about it. It's not an issue."
Audiences can make up their own minds on the issue when "Valkyrie" opens on December 25. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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