Here’s a recent interview with actors Karen David and Michael Copon, the up-and-coming stars of The Scorpion King 2: Rise of the Warrior, conducted by horror and fantasy special Scott Essman. Directed by Russel Mulcahy, the DVD Premiere was released last week by Universal.
How special was it for you as actors to play in an exotic fantasy like this?
COPON: For me it was the fact that I’ve always imitated The Rock and people think I’m a younger version. Being able to play his son is really crazy. Four years later, I’m playing him. Just being a warrior in a film is every guy’s dream.
DAVID: And to play a kick –butt action heroine was fun for me to play. I’ve been fencing for some time and always wanted to find a role where I could use it.
Did you have to get into any special shape beyond what you normally do for the film?
COPON: I’m in shape regularly, but I put on 15 pounds for the film. I ate protein shakes and wanted to build size so that next to Randy Couture I wouldn’t look like a puny boy. Just good to always keep working out.
DAVID: Michael has a stricter regime than I do, but when you are traveling so much for work, it gets challenging to keep in shape. I do push-ups on set in the middle of takes. We were working in the gym getting up to par. A lot of what we are doing is high adrenaline. In this type of film, you have to know what you are doing as second nature. The fight sequences are so intricate. It was hardcore but intricate.
COPON: You only have a month or two [of filming] to show everything that you got. After, there is nothing else you can really do. You are doing everything that you can really really fast.
How was Russell Mulcahy as a director in creating your performances?
COPON: He took the time with Karen and myself. He made sure that we knew the script front and back. That we were all seeing the same thing. He was very compassionate and an actor’s director. He wanted us to feel great so that we would perform better.
DAVID: He was like a little boy – it was lovely. This is a man who had just great success doing the early Duran Duran music videos. His eye for the visual beauty of a shot – there is a lot going inside that mind.
COPON: He comes up with a way to create something special.
What was the vibe like shooting this film in South Africa?
DAVID: The sets were so amazing that they built – it’s just unbelievable. We felt like we were there. On top of that to have the backdrop where we were. It was such a beautiful place. We got to do as much as we could on our days off. What a beautiful place to be making a great film.
COPON: A lot of the locals were living in a third world aspect of it. That brought me back to even how these Akkadians were living back in the day. The culture of South Africa is completely different. It brought me to a whole new world and made me a better actor.
