Christopher Lambert's first Chat on AOL January 20, 1995 ------------------------------------------- Christopher Lambert, star of "Highlander The Final Dimension" OnlineHost: Copyright 1995 America Online, Inc. OnlineHost: The auditorium consists of two major areas: the audience, where you are right now, and the stage, where the speakers appear. Text which you type onscreen shows only to those in your row, prefaced by the row number in parentheses, such as (2) if you are in row 2. To interact with the speaker, use the Interact icon on your screen. OnlineHost: Hollywood Online's Inside Hollywood is pleased to present Christopher Lambert. A charismatic and talented actor, Lambert has enthralled audiences world wide in an impressive and inspiring range of feature film roles. Born in New York to a French Diplomat and his wife, Lambert's family moved to Switzerland when he was two years old where his father headed the United Nations Geneva division. OnlineHost: His first break came with a part in the French film "Le Bar due Telephone", and he would obtain roles in other French pictures. He landed the lead role in the film epic "Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan", which took two and a half years to film. During that time, Lambert learned to speak English. Lambert appeared in a number of films including the romantic comedy "Love Songs" with Catherine Deneuve and the action romance "Subway" with Luc Besson and Isabel Adjani for which he won the French "Caesar" for Best Actor. OnlineHost: Soon after, Lambert was cast in the lead role in the 20th Century Fox feature "Highlander", a smash hit which became an instant cult classic. Lambert next appeared in "The Sicilian", for Columbia Pictures and in "High Z", "Night Moves", "Fortress" and "Gunman". He then appeared in "Max and Jeremy", his first French film in five years, and also made "Highlander II". OnlineHost: With "Highlander III", Lambert returns to this successful series, in a story that mirrors the excitement of the original movie. Lambert also completed a starring role in the Universal pictures thriller "The Hunted", and another as Lord Raydon, God of Speed and Lightning, in the highly- anticipated feature film "Mortal Kombat". Lambert is next set to star in "North Star", which he is also producing. OnlineHost: Lambert also helms his own production company based in France, and is serving as producer on such films as the 20th Century Fox comedy "Nine Months", and the English production "Pint of Bitters." OnlineHost: Joining us onstage tonight is Joey Berlin, host of Hollywood Online's Inside Hollywood, located online at keyword: hollywood. Welcome Joey! HOL Live: I am your emcee for this evening, coming to you live from Hollywood Online! Good evening, Joey and Christopher! JoeyBerlin: Great to be here again. Welcome Christopher. Lambert C: Glad to be here JoeyBerlin: Christopher, can you tell us about your new movie, "Highlander The Final Dimension?" Lambert C: It is a direct sequel to the first Highlander movie. We're going back to the original story. JoeyBerlin: What's the storyline this time? Lambert C: The Immortal Cane, played by Mario Van Peebles who has been buried for 400 years by Connor comes back to extract his revenge. JoeyBerlin: Did you have any hesitation about returning to this role again? Lambert C: No. I was glad for the opportunity to make the proper sequel to the fantastic story of the first Highlander film. Question: Have you had any formal martial arts/sword training for the Highlander role? Lambert C: Yes. For about 16 weeks we trained on the routine of the sword fights just because we didn't train enough on Highlander II and I had 15 stitches on my hand. Question: Christopher just wanted to say hi this is Sue from StarBase. Hope you got the magazines and enjoyed your article. Glad to see you online. Lambert C: Yes I got the magazines. Loved it. Thank you. JoeyBerlin: Does martial arts training relate to acting training. Any similar elements? Lambert C: Regarding the concentration, it does. Martial art is obviously violent, and a tuning of the spirit. Acting is only splitting your personality and becoming somebody else and believing in that somebody. Question: You've already done a couple of movies with Mario Van Peeples. You seem to work well together. Any plans to do another movie with him in the future? Lambert C: We'll see. It was interesting to have Mario to play the bad guy. Because he's bringing a different edge. He went all the way. He's the bad guy you love to hate. He's very evil. But he's got a great sense of humor which I believe makes the greatest bad guys in movies. You can't take yoursel too seriously. OnlineHost: To send your question to the speaker, click on the Interact icon, then use the Ask a Question option. Question: Mr. Lambert, loved you in Greystoke and Highlander I. Highlander is loaded with metaphysics. Are you a metaphysics follower? Lambert C: I'm interested in metaphysics. I don't know a lot about it. So I wouldn't have the pretension to talk about it. But I agree with you that Highlander I is loaded with metaphysics opening doors on reincarnation, immoratility and the purpose of doing Highlander, The Final Dimension, was to go over Highlander II and go back to some metaphysical concept if part of the audience wants to see that. Question: Do you feel that Conner McCloud has been your strongest character, out of all the roles you've played? Lambert C : Greystoke was my first movie so obviously it's a movie that counts in my career. But I would say that Highlander is probably the closest character to what I am in life. Not believing that I'm immortal. Question: What film was the most fun to do? Lambert C: All of them because you don't calculate anything and you put yourself 100 percent in every movie or every part you're doing. So I can't say one particular movie was more fun than another. Question: A short article in Glamour magazine a few years ago intimated that you enjoyed surrounding yourself with stuffed animals and toys. Do you still enjoy the child in yourself? Lambert C: I think that's part of the personality of Connor McCloud because when you've lived 450 years you'd better keep the child within yourself and enjoy it. Otherwise you walk through life like a zombie. Question: Were you at all disgusted with the script of Highlander 2? Or did you feel it was a great answer to the highlander questions? Lambert C: Highlander 2 was for me a different issue because I had no say, no script approval. I was signed back to back to do 1 and 2. I believe if number 2 had been called a different name, it would have been a better movie audience wise because it had nothing to do with the concept of Highlander. It was very painful to shoot a movie when you know you don't have a good story, or at leasta story that doesn't follow up on the concept of Highlander. That's why when they approached me on "The Final Dimension". I told them I would to it if we went back to the direct sequel of number 1. I am happy to say because I never lied about number 2, that number 3 is the direct sequel. "The Final Dimension" is going back to what made number 1 so original. Question: Christopher, are you aware of the large following of fans you have here on America Online? You have your own board and weekly chat rooms. Lambert C: Well, I can see it on the screen and I'm very proud of it. I appreciate that you girls or guys are behind me and behind the movie in such a big way. I definitely don't want to disappoint you that's why I tried my best with the director, the writers and the producers in The Final Dimension to go back to the original. I didn't say I was perfect. Question: Mr. Lambert, what are your thoughts on the Television series HIGHLANDER? Lambert C: I think it's very well made. Don't forget that it's on the small screen I think for the money they're spending and the amount of work that they are putting into it that it is a very well-made show. You obviously cannot get the scale on a tv screen that you can get on the big screen. They shoot 45 minutes in 8 days. In features, we shoot 45 minutes in 8 weeks. That gives you an idea. Question: Were you approached to be the Highlander on the TV series? Lambert C: Yes. I turned it down because as long as I can have the luxury to be a feature actor that is my preference. I did a couple of days on the first episode just for the fun of it. Because after all, I love the character. Question: Mr. Lambert- how is doing a film like Mortal, where people already have an idea of who your character is, different from another film where you are a new character Lambert C: It doesn't change anything because you put your personality through the character you're going to: portray. In some ways, being a known character or not, you bring the character to you. Question: Do you do your own stunts? Lambert C: As much as I can in The Final Dimension, I did 90 percent of them. But I also listen to the stunt people and if they turn me down, it's for a good reason. I'm not on the set to: prove that I'm a hero in life. Or to put the movie and the crew in jeopardy. So I listen. JoeyBerlin: How are they turning "Mortal Kombat" into a movie? Lambert C: Within the video game, Mortal Kombat, you already have a story. On the contrary of Super Mario or Streetfighter. So it was easy for the writers to expand the game and make a real saga out of it. I was very suspicious at the beginning before reading the script. But after reading it I was happy to be part of this big adventure epic. JoeyBerlin: What can you tell us about "The Hunted.?" Lambert C: The Hunted is a story about survival instinct. And it is the story of how far you can push a normal human being until he has nothing to lose not even his life and fights back. Being thrown in a place (Japan) where he doesn't speak the language he doesn't have any friends and he's basically not a killer. Question: You've done a lot of nude scenes in your movies. Is this something you're comfortable with? How do you feel about it? Lambert C: It's always fun because there's nothing better than making love after all, and feeling good about it. What's interesting about doing it on a movie set is that you really have to be in character to make it believable. I mean, you have to forget about the 150 people being next to you. So I feel good about it. Question: Do you have any interest in performing classical theatre or movie adaptation of one? Lambert C: Not yet. I don't feel. I'm ready to accept the impositions of stage. We have so much freedom in the movie business. You can improvise which is difficult to do when you are performing Shakespeare. So I'll do stage when I feel ready for it. Question: What work are you most proud of? And which are the one you wish you said no to? Lambert C: I made one movie in my career that I did for the moneyand I will never do it again because it's a business that's coming out of passion therefore from the heart and money can't buy that. I don't have any specific movie to talk about because I'm proud of most of them. Not because I like to look at myself but just because I put 100 percent of my heart in them. Question: How do you feel about violence in popular media? Lambert C: I think as long as violence is coming from a fantasy movie it's much more acceptable from an audience point of view because they can create a distance between fantasy and reality. We have enough violence on the news to not amplify it in the movies. Let's keep the entertainment and the dreams alive. That's all we have left. Question: Do you consider yourself at the highpoint of your career? If not, then where? Lambert C: Absolutely not. I have the feeling I'm only starting. I'm not complaining. I've had a great career so far. But I have so much to show and to prove that I'm only at the beginning. Which is a very good feeling. I hope to keep it for the rest of my life. JoeyBerlin: Christopher, is there a dream project you want to do someday? Lambert C: My dream project would be to play somebody very childish, very naive not because I want to stay a kid, just because I like the way kids are looking at life. Constantly asking questions and not having the feeling that they know something. Because we never do. We have to stay fresh. That's the best way to be positive. Question: Hey Chris how many requests for parts do you get in a year, I think your acting abilities are great and you should be in more movies/TV? Lambert C: In more movies, I agree with you but mystery is better than over-exposure. So I'm trying to do the movies. I really want to do and trying to make myself scarce. So people might still be interested in me 30 years from now. Question: would you do a fourth highlander film? Lambert C: At the moment, The Final Dimension, is really the final chapter I've done what I wanted to do meaning going back to the original movie to do the real sequel to the first Highlander. Question: Where did you receive your training and how did you decide to become an actor? Lambert C: I decided to become an actor when I was 12. Just because we did a play during a summer holiday with some cousins of mine and I loved the applause at the end of the play. So somewhere, I must have an ego. JoeyBerlin: You are the object of a lot of women's desire. What's that like, after the initial awkwardness? Lambert C: There is nothing bad about it. It's good to be aware of it. So you don't fall into traps of that side of the business. A human being is a human being, after all. I'm not looking just for a specific relationship. I just want a straight person with charm, personality a good heart and somebody that could handle the way I'm living. Which is not easy. No complaint in that. Just a fact. But I'm very happy and I'm not looking because the more you look the less you find. OnlineHost: Our thanks also to Joey Berlin, host of Hollywood Online's Inside Hollywood, for joining us tonight. Hollywood Online thanks you for attending, and encourages you to see "Highlander The Final Dimension". A transcript of this event will be available within 24 hours at Hollywood Online's Inside Hollywood under "Press Conference Transcripts". OnlineHost: Good Night! OnlineHost: Copyright 1995 America Online, Inc. Transmitted: 95-01-26 14:27:56 EST