I actually really enjoyed 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE when it hit cinemas back in March (you can read my review here), so am pretty amped for the upcoming DVD, Blu-Ray and Digital Download release next week. The film stars Eva Green, Sullivan Stapleton and a returning Rodrigo Santoro as Xerxes, who we caught up with for an exclusive Q+A ahead of the home entertainment bow.
QUESTION: I wonder if you could start by telling me how would you describe 300: Rise of an Empire and how it relates to the original 300?
RODRIGO SANTORO: Well, I’m going to describe it not as a sequel, but, as we like to call it, a companion film because there are different cameras and different angles of what is happening at the same time as the first film. In a way, it’s really an experience that helps the audience to understand and to visualize the size and scope of those battles. It really gives the word ‘epic’ new meaning in the way we explain how big those empires were.
It’s definitely a fresh story that introduces some new characters, as well as the characters that you saw in the first film. The battlefield is also entirely different because now we’re at sea. We shot it all on green screen, so you don’t really have an idea of what it’s going to look like until it finally comes together. When I recently saw the film, I was very impressed. I think that it’s not only as good as the first film, but it’s been enhanced because technology is constantly evolving. The film has something fresh about it, even the quality of the details have caught my attention.
The film is packed with great action and adventure and all of the great scenes that action films have. It’s exciting. But what really spoke to me, especially from the point of view of an actor in the film, is the way the story was told. I was following the story while also connecting to storylines from the first film. And I thought that was really well done and smart to tie the two films together that way.
QUESTION: What was it like for you to return to Xerxes, and where do we find the character in this film?
RODRIGO SANTORO: I’ve never done that before, to revisit a character. It was a big challenge, especially after six years. But I thought that could be interesting. I really understood what the challenge was when I had a conversation with Zack [Snyder, co-writer/producer], and he explained to me how he wanted to have a back story for Xerxes and how we could meet him before he was a God-king. So, I think the beautiful thing about this film is that you learn how he became a God-king.
And two of the new characters—Darius, which is the great king, his father, and Artemisia—are very important not only to the film, but to understanding Xerxes. I think they reflect Xerxes’ personality and help the audience understand his inner conflicts and his inner world. In this movie, I had a chance to explore even more of his emotional side, the psychological aspect, in trying to bring more dimension to the character, and in making him more human.
I thought the God-king being humanized was very interesting, especially in the relationship with Artemisia. It’s interesting because it’s sort of like a love / hate relationship. She’s like a stepsister, but not really, and there’s a lot to play with between them. I think they complement each other. I never thought that one of these characters was stronger than the other. I think they have different strengths and the same power structure, and they have to learn how to deal with each other and become one. But you do have two very strong characters facing each other and having to deal with each other, which is great material.
QUESTION: What was it like to work with Eva Green, and what does she bring to Artemisia?
RODRIGO SANTORO: It was great. She’s an incredible actress and really talented, and I remember that she had a very clear vision of Artemisia from the beginning. I think she brought a great quality to this female heroic figure. It could easily fall into a place where it’s not really believable, but she was able to fit right in, and I think that’s a testament to Eva and the directors and producers. It is a collective collaboration. She was embraced by the film and becomes part of it in a very organic way.
Artemisia is a new character, but had to belong to the greater story being told and I think that’s very challenging. So I thought that was very well done. I was completely into the film, and it felt like she was a part of it from the very beginning.
QUESTION: You made quite a stir in the first film with your regal God-king outfit. What was it like for you to put that back on and did you have to do any training for this film?
RODRIGO SANTORO: Oh, yes. Training? [Laughs] A lot of training. This is probably the hardest one. A lot of work—physical work, a strict diet, working out—because it’s required for the character. You just have to make it clear that it’s not a case of, ‘I want to look good.’ The character is a God-king and needs to look like a God-king on Earth. So it was required.
I worked out in a very specific way, not to be buff [laughs]. It was more about alignment and elegance, and god-like characteristics that we have in the collective consciousness of the Greek gods and all that.
Then I had a long makeup process, which was a good five hours every day, plus an hour-and-a-half to two hours to remove everything. So I was the first one arriving on set and the last one to leave. Plus, I’m acting most of the time by myself in order to accomplish the effect that I’m a giant. So it was a lot of work, but the wardrobe also plays a big part of it because of its very unique look. It’s definitely part of the character.
So it was interesting to put it back on again. This time I knew how it would feel, but it was still different. I’m playing the same character and had to match what I’d done before, because we are in the same time frame. But it was very interesting to be able to now explore more of his internal world and more of the little details. It was like reconnecting with somebody that I knew back then and now he’s back here. It was very interesting.
QUESTION: What was it like to work with Sullivan Stapleton as Themistokles?
RODRIGO SANTORO: Oh, it was fun. The problem is that we didn’t really work together. I met Sully at the gym, ‘cause that’s what we do. He was arriving and I was about to start shooting the next day, and instantly we had a great connection. We talked, and then I started shooting. He’s a pretty cool guy. I really like him in the movie, and he had a tough task, after the first one. I think that he got it accomplished and he did a good job. He’s a solid guy.
300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE is out on DVD, Blu-Ray and Digital Download in the UK from September 29th. Catch an exclusive clip from the film below.
