The 'Q' in Maggie

BEVERLY HILLS, California — I gasped when Maggie Q entered the function room at Four Seasons escorted by a St. Bernard, followed by a smiling Karl Urban.

“No,” Maggie assured me and the eight other international journalists at the “round table,” patting the seemingly menacing dog on the head, “he’s nice; he doesn’t bite… he won’t bite you, unless…” He left that sentence hanging and then started laughing. “His name is Caesar. I have two more at home, just as big as Caesar.”

Maggie and Karl are among the stars of Priest, the Columbia Pictures release done in 3D based on the popular Korean graphic serial novel by Min-Woo Hyung and directed by Scott Stewart (Legion, etc.), a post-apocalyptic action-horror film that touches on the war between humans and vampires, a pack of which has kidnapped a girl (played by Lily Collins who co-starred with Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side). Maggie plays the Warrior Priestess who helps Warrior Priest (played by Paul Bettany) rescue his niece while Karl plays the villain Black Hat, a character “who can destroy a town in broad daylight, can survive the hot sun and can live among the vampires at night.”

Also in the cast are Christopher Plummer (The Sound of Music, etc.) as the “lovely, stylish” ruthless despot villain, a priest gone wrong; and Cam Gigandet (not Sam as erroneously identified in last Sunday’s Conversations with Ricky Lo; who played the predatory vampire James in Twilight) as the boyfriend of the kidnapped girl.

Born in Hawaii to an American father and a Vietnamese mother, Maggie started as a model in Hong Kong and ventured into movies, among them Deception (2008) with Hugh Jackman, Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon (2008) with Andy Lau, Live Free or Die Hard (2007) with Bruce Willis and Mission: Impossible III (2006) with Tom Cruise.

Born in Wellington, New Zealand, Karl started in showbiz as a child actor and throughout his school years he wrote, directed and starred in several films and stage productions. He’s best remembered for his roles in Star Trek (as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy), and in The Bourne Identity (with Matt Damon) and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.

Maggie Q in scenes with Karl Urban (below, as the villain Black Hat) in Priest in which Paul Bettany plays the title role

Besides passion for acting, Maggie and Karl have one thing in common: They are both humanitarian. Maggie is an animal-rights advocate who supports Animals Asia Foundation’s various campaigns, and works with the Human Rights Action Center and Best Friends Animals Society; and Karl is an avid supporter of KIDS CAN, an organization that feeds and clothes more than 30,000 New Zealand children who live in poverty.

The first question I asked Maggie was, “What does the ‘Q’ in your name stand for?”

“Good question,” said Maggie, stealing a glance at Caesar, hovering around Maggie’s chair. “It stands for Quigley. My father is also Irish-Polish and Quigley is my surname — Margaret Quigley.”

That “mystery” solved, the one-on-two exclusive proceeded without any hitch.

How do you think Priest is different from other vampire movies (the Twilight series, etc.)?

Karl: I think it’s different in many ways. First of all, Priest is a wonderful, eclectic mixture of different genres. The vampires in the film, apart from me, are different creatures from those in Twilight and True Blood.

Maggie: Like what Karl said, you know, we created these massive creatures and it’s quite an experience to watch them. They are violent and strong, and they suck blood, too. This film has a very real feel to it.

Karl, you started in the business as a child actor. Didn’t you think you miss having a “normal” childhood?

Karl (Laughs): Hmmmm, what is “normal” feels very sequential. No, I didn’t miss having a “normal” childhood. I didn’t really go professionally into the business until I was 17 when I left high school. But even as a kid, I’d always been interested in theater and film.

It’s the first time for both of you to work with Paul Bettany (the albino assassin Silas in The Da Vinci Code and recently seen in The Tourist with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie). How was the experience?

Maggie: Incredible! He’s incredibly talented and incredibly supportive. He’s generous, too, and he has a way of setting his co-stars in the right mood. It was fun working with Paul, my first time and, I hope, not the last time.

Karl (Joking): He’s got an amazing odor. (Laughs, then seriously now) He’s a gentleman, he really is. Every day, he would come to the set with a positive attitude which is very infectious.

Karl, how is it playing a villain…again?

Karl: Well, I look at Black Hat not necessarily as a villain. He’s a fallen hero, not a villain by choice. He started as a Warrior Priest like Paul’s character.

Maggie, how do you keep yourself fit? What kind of diet do you follow, what workout do you do?

Maggie: I just work really hard and it’s a good workout! I’m vegan, so I don’t eat animal products.

Any role models who got you interested in martial arts?

Maggie: I was never interested in martial arts, actually. You know, I’ve worked with Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung, and other martial-arts actors and people ask me, “Do you understand who you are working with?” And I’d say, “Yes.” I’d never done martial arts before that. When Jackie found me, I was an athlete; I was a swimmer. But since then, I began training in martial arts. No, I don’t want to claim that I’m an expert at it; I just work very hard at it.

(Note: Distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International, Priest is showing nationwide starting tomorrow, May 11.) 

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