'Gunman' director Pierre Morel: 'I'm just having fun'
French cinematographer and director Pierre Morel created one of the best action movies ever made in 2004's "District B-13," a love affair with the breathlessly exciting "parkour" discipline.
He also gave Liam Neeson a career vitamin shot with 2009's "Taken," a thriller that launched the Irish actor as a major action star.
Now, Morel has directed Oscar-winning actor Sean Penn in an international tale of intrigue, "The Gunman."
I pitched Morel six questions during his recent visit to Chicago.
Q. Was it intimidating to work with Sean Penn, who has a reputation for not being a cake walk on the set?
A. Not intimidated. Our first conversation was on the phone and that is key to establishing our relationship. We were on the same page. There was no fight. We worked together to get what we wanted to get.
I mean, wow! He is one of the most gifted actors of his generation. I wondered, how would he be to work with? That didn't last long. First day, first scene, I said "Action!" and we go.
Q. Was Penn's experience as a director helpful in the making of this movie?
A. Sean has many skills. He's an actor, a writer, a director and a producer. On the set, he was only the actor. But because he has been a director, we could create a shorthand way of communicating. He could process things faster, because he knew what the director was talking about. It was very helpful.
Q. What's up with making action movies with middle-aged stars?
A. Hey, I'm middled-aged! But it's not just about their age. It's about their experience and capacity to do more than just action. If it was just action for action's sake - guys trying to kill each other, guys shooting guys for two hours without any reason - you wouldn't need actors of this caliber and skill. This is more than action, it's about character and that's what appealed to us making this movie.
Q. I get the sense that you're just a kid who happens to work in an adult industry? Am I wrong?
A. No, you're not. I'm in my 50s but I feel like I'm 18.
Q. What compels you to make these movies?
A. I wish I knew. It's hard to explain. Ever since I was a kid, I've loved sci-fi and superheroes and that sort of thing. I'm just having fun. The guilty pleasure that you can have as a teenager and as a young man gives way to more serious things.
So, it's combination of an older guy who wants to have a story and the younger guy who just wants to have fun. The fun of this movie ("Gunman") is to combine more intense, more complex storytelling with the action.