Emile Hirsch (Speed Racer) Interview

From writer/directors Larry and Andy Wachowski, the creators of the groundbreaking The Matrix trilogy, and producer Joel Silver, comes the live-action, high-octane family adventure Speed Racer, starring Emile Hirsch and Christina Ricci.


When you were making Speed Racer, were you ever behind the wheel of an actual racecar?

When I was in Europe, I didn't get behind the wheel of a car the entire time. It was all it was all green screen. It was crazy. It was like being in warehouses with green walls everywhere and imagining this whole fantasy world around you. It was a mental challenge. But then you finally see the finished product and are just like, ‘Wow, that was amazing.’

Did you have physical props to work with?

Yes. We also had the advantage that we didn't have to look at an X and talk to it and pretend it was there. We had, for the most part, a realm of real people, which is very helpful. The background is fake, but you can talk to your acting partner, and you guys are real for each other. That is very helpful. If I had to talk to a person that wasn't there I would have some serious issues.

Even though this story is based on a cartoon, was the back story of Speed Racer important to you?

I think that it was more about getting his vibe down. The back story is actually fairly well described in the script. So, that was there, but it was more about getting down what kind of vibe does Speed have? What kind of guy is he? It was really finding out he is a very sweet-natured, kind of a cooler-than-cool guy, who is very by-the-book in a lot of ways, not into cheaters. He likes things done the right way and he has got certain morals that he is not willing to compromise, no matter what. He does not sign with the evil corporate conglomerate of Royalton. He sticks to the old-fashioned independent racing ways.

You have some fight scenes in this film. Were you a martial arts guy prior to this?

I'm the guy in the scene that usually would get beaten down, but not in this one. It was very fun to go through the martial arts training with the stunt coordinators Chad and Dave. Those guys are tough. They really put me through the wringer with the training and such. I mean, you get tired when you finish an hour of punching and kicking and stuff. I didn't want to hit him. That was their problem, because I was like, ‘I don't want to hurt these guys.’ These guys are just doing their job, and they want me to punch them in the stomach. They don't have pads on or anything. And maybe I was giving myself to much credit for how much force I had in a blow. Eventually they would start doing little things, like we would be sparring and they’d slap me a little bit, like ‘Come on, hit me!’ And I’d be like, ‘No, no,’ and then they would hit me again. I would actually punch them and they would be like, ‘Good, I like.’ It was like, ‘I can feel your anger.’ They were trying to get to me. (laughs)

Is there a plan for a Speed Racer 2? And if so, would you come back as Speed?

Who knows. I think the film was really great. I loved the movie. I think that there is a just a lot more story and the world is so rich and interesting. I think that there is a lot more to explore in it.

What was it like for you seeing the whole movie for the first time? And do you want to see it with an audience?

Well, I had seen it once before and it was like ten percent done. It was totally different visually and you really realize how much the special effects matter when you see it in it's finished form because it looks so amazing. It is jaw dropping. I love watching movies with a big audience. I mean, I think everybody does. It’s just more fun. If you go to a big summer movie on opening Friday and there is no one in there and you are the only person that is in the theatre, how boring would that be? It doesn't matter how good the movie is; it is all about having a huge crowd like whooping and going crazy.

What is it like working with the Wachowski brothers?

They are so wonderful. I mean, they are just guys that are super creative, super smart, always dazzling you with their intelligence, and they have very specific vision for the movie. I think that they knew in their heads the kind of movie they wanted to make from the beginning. I have a lot of respect for them. I really was a huge, huge admirer of The Matrix Trilogy. The first Matrix I saw when I was 13 in theaters. I was like so loving it. It was one of those mind-blowing theatre experiences for me. So, as soon as I heard they were making Speed Racer, which was also a show that I loved growing up, it was just that right combination – a Molotov cocktail.

In real life, what kind of car driver are you? Are you a speedster or do you play it safe?

I'm pretty safe, actually. Sorry to disappoint, guys. I'm pretty safe. I drive a black Prius with a rocket booster on the back. No I don't (laughs) .

In the movie there are many effects created in post-production, like the hearts on screen when they kiss. Do they explain that to you or is that a surprise?

So much of it is such a surprise. I mean, the level of the visuals and the shots were when they are flying through Cosmopolis – it’s all 2-D buildings in the background. When you see the sand dunes on the Casa Cristo Road Rally, the wave dunes, the dunes are actually moving like they are alive, like they are flowing water. These really interesting takes on things are just done a lot in the movie. You haven't really seen them before.

How do you decide what kinds of project you want to do?

I hope to just read a wonderful script and do it. I mean, there is not much to it other than that, I suppose.

So, you are going to do a variety of movies?

Yeah, I never thought I would do Into the Wild and I never thought that I would do Speed Racer. I had no idea either of those projects would ever come along. That is how it usually is, though, when you are acting. It’s one of those things where you are always out of a job until you get one, and then you are working all the time while you are working. Then you are done and you don't have a job again. You are out of work. You have no prospects and you never know what is going to come along. You can never predict what is going to come along all of a sudden. I got a call and they were making Speed Racer, and I was like, ‘That is awesome. Who is going to direct it?’ My manager Sam goes, ‘Well, the Wachowski brothers just committed to directing it.’ I was like, ‘Are you joking me? That is the craziest thing I have ever heard.’ And as soon as I heard that I was like, ‘I would love to be in that film.’


Speed Racer is relased in UK cinemas on 9th May 2008.