The Hulk in Eric Bana

There’s a Hulk in every one of us. It’s there, lying dormant, like the monster at the bottom of the Loch Ness lake somewhere in Scotland. It growls and grows big, bigger, biggest like a monster when provoked. And then it wrecks havoc – and how!

You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.

Remember that seemingly harmless line popularized by the late Bill Bixby in the smash-hit ’70s TV series The Incredible Hulk where Bixby, when angry, turned into a green monster (played by body builder Lou Ferrigno) and left horrible destruction (human lives and property) in his wake? That’s a warning.

Now, the Marvel Comics character (who’s in comfortable company with the likes of Spider-Man and X-Men, among others) is revived on the big screen by the formidably famous 48-year-old Taiwanese director Ang Lee, fresh from his resounding success with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, with Australian actor Eric Bana, 34, playing the tortured scientist, Dr. Bruce Banner, whose exposure to a megadose of gamma rays causes him to metamorphose, in times of extreme anger, into a huge man-monster (this time played by a digitally-created character by the geniuses at the Industrial Light & Magic, or simply ILM, which is the leading visual-effects house in Hollywood).

I, along with Bulletin’s Cris Belen, were among some 80-plus entertainment print/TV journalists from around the world invited last week by Universal Pictures to the preview of Hulk, which was created in 1962 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, at a screening room at the Universal Studios in Hollywood where the rounds of interviews were also conducted.

Oh, yes, Ang Lee again stunned me in much the same way he did with his other films (The Wedding Banquet, Eat Drink Man Woman, Ice Storm, Sense and Sensibility and, but of course, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). The film genius incorporated Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a Greek tragedy (an unresolved conflict between Bruce and his father, played by the brooding Nick Nolte) and King Kong into one masterpiece to which other films of the same genre will miserably pale in comparison. Throughout the almost two-hour movie, I didn’t notice anybody move inside the screening room; I suspected every one of us was even holding his/her bladder, not wanting to miss a second of the mind-boggling action on the screen. Yes, it’s that spell-binding.

Perhaps like everyone else, I suspended disbelief, especially in the scenes showing Hulk jumping into space and then landing at the top of the Golden Gate Bridge while being pursued by cops armed with powerful ammunition (but no, thank you, the bullets and the missiles simply bounce off the monster’s body). Oh, well, if Ang Lee could make those martial artists fight and fly in mesmerizing choreography on top of gently swaying bamboo trees in Crouching Tiger, he could make me believe in anything, just anything!

Eric Bana is a self-effacing guy who speaks with a thick Australian accent. He was first introduced to American audiences playing the title role of Mark "Chopper" Read in Chopper which premiered at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival and was later released in the US to critical success after its box-office success in Australia. Bana won as Best Actor from the Australian Film Critics Circle as well as the Australian Film Institute for his portrayal of Chopper. Bana also starred in Black Hawk Down with Ewan McGregor and Josh Hartnett but it was his role as Chopper that caught the attention of Ang Lee who was then casting for Hulk which also stars the enchanting Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind, for which she won a Best Actress Oscar) as Bruce’s girlfriend and equally brilliant fellow researcher.

Meanwhile, let’s probe the "Hulk" in Eric Bana (who, I assure you, will be a big star after the release of the movie which is showing in Metro Manila starting on Thursday, June 19).

Very obviously, you enjoyed doing this movie.

"Yes. I guess you can describe it as a satisfying movie experience. It wasn’t a day-to-day kind of thing because I didn’t really get to partake in the fun part of the film. But as an actor, it was very, very satisfying; it was a nice, chunky role."

What did you find most interesting about the character?

"I like the fact that Bruce isn’t in control of becoming the Hulk.That’s one aspect of the role I was attracted to. And also, I like the fact that he’s on a journey of personal discovery that he doesn’t really like to be on; he’s kind of forced to be in this, you know, internal crisis because of outside forces, unlike us who can choose or not choose to delve into ourselves."

Is there anything in the character you can identify with? Not physically, of course!

"Yes. I guess you always try to find some parallel... I mean, I had a very normal kind of upbringing, thank God, unlike Bruce who had such an unhappy childhood. That’s what I couldn’t relate to –Bruce’s unhappy childhood."

I’m curious. How are you, Eric, when you’re angry? Do you grow big like the Hulk?

(Joking) "I grow a little bit taller than the Hulk. Really now, when I’m angry I get very quiet; I’m the opposite of Bruce. I go to a quiet corner somewhere because I’m a bit scared of what I might do if I get too angry."

Do you suppress your anger?

"I guess I do...like most of us."

So what was your first reaction when the role was offered to you?

"Oh, I couldn’t believe it! I was just so honored to be part of Ang Lee’s team, of helping bring his vision to the screen. I just couldn’t believe it. I was too scared to ask Ang why he got me for the role; you know, I didn’t dare ask him. I was just very honored – and very flattered."

Did you see the original Hulk, with Bill Bixby (as Bruce) and Lou Ferrigno (as the Hulk)?

"I did, yes. I was a big fan of the TV show and I probably saw every episode of it. I just loved it!"

Are you a comics fan?

"I wasn’t a big comic-book reader but I do like the whole Marvel world. I was more familiar though with the TV show than with the comic book."

How old were you when you were watching the TV series?

"I guess I was a teenager, although I wasn’t born yet when The Hulk started in the comic book in l962."

What was the difficult part of doing the role?

"I guess it was playing a character always in the middle of some kind of a mental and emotional torment. There’s no real moment in the film where the character gets to just kind of exist comfortably. He’s always under a lot of mental and emotional stress. It was physically and mentally draining to maintain the character’s, you know, troubled state."

Going back to your being cast as the lead star of the movie... Were you not surprised?

"To be honest, I wasn’t surprised that Ang was interested in casting an actor because I knew that’s how he likes to work; but I was surprised that the studio was going to give him the power to not cast a star. When you think about a lot of his movies, you’ll realize that he has never really cast a lot of major-major, in the true sense, superstars. He always casts actors. So, as I was saying, I was flattered and honored and at the same time humbled. It also got me a lot of confidence because it made me think that there’s got to be a good reason why Ang so trusted me, so I gave everything I could."

You’re an Ang Lee fan, obviously.

"Oh, yes, I am. A big fan of Ang Lee. He has a certain style of filmmaking; he has a real level of substance and credibility in everything he does; he’s very, very consistent. The role is quite challenging and interesting because there’s basically no frame on it. As I’ve said, I love the Marvel world and that includes such other comics characters as Spider-Man and Batman. They were all part of my childhood. I like the way the Greek mythology was incorporated into the story. I think that, besides the special effects, that angle is part of the movie’s attraction."

Have you always wanted to be an actor?

"Yes, I have. But I never for a second envisaged that I would end up here...in Hollywood! As a child, ever since I was just past being a baby, I knew acting was what I wanted to do. Even as a small child, I did mimicry and impressions of characters and things. I had no idea that was years ago in a professional sense until I got much older when it suddenly kind of dawned on me. And then I was introduced to movies as a young boy and I saw some films that really transported me and I thought that maybe that area is a home for my skills. I was thrilled watching Mad Max. It was one of the movies that had such a big impact on me, my favorite film of all time."

You started as a stand-up comedian... even as a child.

"Purely and simply, it was the medium most convenient and readily available to me at that time. I didn’t really have a desire to be a joker; I’ve never been one to wanna make a roomful of people laugh. Friends are the kind of people I want to make impressions of. To me, stand-up comedy was never really making jokes but telling anecdotes – you know, storytelling with characters and voices and some such stuff."

Did you have any formal education in acting?

"You know, I never really had any formal training in acting. I pretty much learned everything on the job, starting in my childhood when I was doing stand-up comedy."

Did you seriously consider stand-up comedy as a profession later on, a means of making a living?

"I left school and I was kind of just bumming around, doing a lot of traveling and doing a few odd jobs. I wanted to go into acting professionally but I didn’t have any idea how to go about it. I was so bloody arrogant that I refused to go to a drama school. I was then 20 or 21. My friends suggested that I consider stand-up comedy as a profession and I thought, why not? Then my friends took me to a stand-up venue and I worked there as a day job."

What kind of characters were you creating in your act?

"Oh, characters based on my observations of people around me, impressions of people here and there, or whatever I thought was funny and amusing."

Did you impersonate some big stars?

(Joking) "I can do Nick Nolte if you dare me!" (Proceeds to talk and act like Nick Nolte, complete with a heavy-serious look in his face and Nolte’s near-whispering manner of speaking.) "I want to tell all of you that Nick Nolte is among my favorite actors, so when I learned that I’d be in Hulk with him, I was in shock. I did have very high expectations of him and I wasn’t disappointed."

What did you learn from him?

"The thing that I enjoyed most in working with him is that he approaches his work very seriously; he’s very professional. He has an ability within the character and within the framework to play and be a child. To be opposite someone who helps elevate you into that area is a wonderful experience. The scenes I had with Nick were so much fun. We had a great time together. We just went absolutely crazy and that was fun!"

How was it working with Jennifer Connelly (who begged off from the press interviews because she’s six months pregnant)?

"You know, I was really surprised by her but I knew she’d be great – and she was! She’s a very serious performer. I thought she was absolutely perfectly cast. It was a challenge to both of us to make our relationship in the film look credible because she and I as actors weren’t really granted the usual tools to convince the audience that we were a couple. We had no love scenes, there wasn’t any intimacy whatsoever. So in some respects it was quite difficult. Jennifer and I barely knew each other, we are happily existing with different partners in real life, and yet we had to make our screen relationship work. We had to make it look convincing."

Are you going to tell your kids to watch Hulk?

"Not for a while. They’re pretty young. My daughter is one-year old and my son just turned four. For them, it’s pretty much The Wiggles and The Little Mermaid and Snow White. But I’ll remind them to watch Hulk when they grow older."

You live in Melbourne with your family. Why not move to Hollywood?

"There doesn’t seem to be much point to move to Hollywood. I’m on my third Hollywood film, Troy, in which I play Hector, Prince of Troy. (Based on the epic poetry of Homer, The Iliad and The Odyssey; Troy also stars Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom and Sean Bean, set to be released early next year; by then, Eric should be a big star, especially after the release of Hulk. – RFL) Hulk was the only one made in Hollywood. If I moved to Los Angeles, what would I do if my next film were to be shot in Sydney? It doesn’t matter where I live; I go where my work is."

Aside from Mad Max, what were the other movies that had such impact in your life?

"There’s Wizard of Oz, aside from Mad Max 2 which was even more beautiful than the first. And a slew of films from the ’70s, such as Deer Hunter... I love Deer Hunter!"

Do you bring your family to the set?

"Yes, I do."

Is your wife an actress?

"No, she’s not. Thank goodness!"

Why not?

"Because we travel together as a family and we have two children. I’m very fortunate that she’s doing everything as far as taking care of the children is concerned – and taking care of me."

How do your wife (especially) and your older child react to your Hulk character?

"Oh, like any family, they are proud of me and excited for me."

What about your mom and dad?

"Oh, they are just as proud and as excited. My father is in Melbourne, involved in logistics. He works with Caterpillar, an American company; he has been there for 40 years. My mother is a retired hairdresser, also based in Melbourne."

Were you educated in Australia?

"Oh, yes, I was. I went to school in Melbourne. In high school, I used to be pulled aside by teachers who asked me to do impressions of other teachers. That got me into a lot of trouble."

Were you a trouble-maker in school?

"Not really. What usually got me into trouble was what usually got me into it – mimicking the teachers."

Can you mimic Ang Lee?

(Trying to look and sound serious) "I really doubt it. Ang Lee is hard to mimic. He’s really a very interesting man, almost a philosophical filmmaker. He makes you work very, very hard. It’s a very intense working environment that Ang creates, very grueling but at the same time very satisfying. You walk away from an Ang Lee film feeling really professionally satisfied. He’s a very intelligent man and he knows exactly what he’s doing and what he wants."

How is Eric Bana off camera?

"Off camera? Oh, I love life. I’m a pretty passionate guy. I just enjoy life...I enjoy eating and drinking and partying. I live life!"

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