At this press conference was actor Scott Speedman (SS), director Len Wiseman (LW) and actress Kate Beckinsale (KB).

This is for Kate. Was there anything that you particularly enjoyed about the first movie that made you say yes to this?

KB: No. (LAUGHS) Um, no, it was, it was a very-- it was a big change of direction for me. I, you know, I had never done a film, you know, where I'd actually, you know, been sort of tough and active. I'm a very un-athletic sort of rather wet, frightened person in life -- and so it was, it was quite, um, a challenge for me to, you know, to, to play an action heroine and, and pull off all that training when, you know, I can't catch a ball if it's coming my way and, you know, that kind of thing. So that was really interesting. I mean it does seem to have slightly spiraled out of control now, and, you know –

You’ve done more now.

KB: I've done quite a few more, yeah, and it's still, it’s still, you know, extraordinary to me that anybody will actually buy that, which is absolutely credit to Len and to the stunt team and to everybody else. But, um, it was really fun. It was such a fun movie. We all had such a lovely time. I had never done a, an action movie and Scott, Scott hadn't, you know, either. And Len had never done a movie, and the writer had never written a movie, and, you know, so everybody was really very excited to be making this thing for, you know, not very much money and make the best thing that we could do. And, um, and, you know, I think we really pulled it off. So it was just-- it’s, it's unusual in this business. You are such gypsies that you don't often get to work with the same gang. You may get the odd one person every ten years that you've come across before, but it was such a lovely group and, um, you know, it's, uh, the sequel idea is a cool idea too. So it was, it was a nice story to tell.

This question is for Scott. What is your character’s major role in the sequel?

SS: Oh crap, I don't know. (LAUGHTER) Jeez, I don't know, I don't know. What would you say? I don't know.

KB: What are we allowed to say?

LW: No, no, I mean-- Your, your, your major role has, has, uh, some things we don't want to-- don't want to give away.

SS: Yeah.

LW: But it's, it’s a bit of a, um, he's one of the puzzle pieces I guess would best, best put it, I think.

SS: Yeah, I really don't know how to answer that question. I don't really, sorry.

KB: He provides most of the nipples in the movie.

SS: I'm naked a lot, which is good.

The first movie came in under the radar. Nobody was expecting it to do what it did. Now you have a franchise that’s hanging over your head. How did you approach the second film with that in your mind?

LW: First, thank you for that. It's, um, it's really strange because the first one was something that was just developed in my living room. Nobody was, was peeking through the windows and all that, so it was just-- we were, we were kind of left alone. And now...

KB: The second one was also developed in the---

LW: Yes, it was. (LAUGHS) And, and now everybody, uh, I mean, you know, on the sites and, and, and everything there's, there’s a lot of interest there and, and just a lot of also speculation about what the movie's going to be, which is really strange for me because I'm used, you know, just to be working on a project that, uh, that so many people have an opinion about, um, and hopes for and speculation and different, you know, different things. So it's, it’s, it’s odd. It's, it’s a weird, uh, experience for me.

My question is for whoever wants to grab this one first. What can you tell me about the physical aspect of this film, like the fighting, whatever, relative to the first UNDERWORLD?

LW: Fighting in, in general is, uh… I mean the-- like the action and, and the, and the scenes and such are, are, are much bigger. There's a lot more going on. It’s, it’s, it is just-- scale-wise it's a much bigger movie. Uh, fighting I think we're, uh, not as much-- there's not a lot more fighting. There's a lot, a lot more, uh...

KB: I think there is. There is for me. There is more.

LW: There, there, there is actually more for, for you, yeah. Actually I'm, I’m lying. There's more for you as well, you know. There's less fighting for me.

Can you go into more specifics than that?

LW: Um, we've-- there's a-- Like there are… How much do I? The, the, the end sequence there's, there’s quite a bit of, um, uh, there’s, there's a lot more transformations with, uh, with – God, I don't want to give -- uh, th-things going on with, uh, with a bigger, a bigger battle for Selene. (CLEARS THROAT) Uh, we've got this intense, uh, helicopter action. We've got, uh, people jumping out of helicopters. A big, um, scene with that. (LAUGHS)

KB: (LAUGHS) It was a whole medieval sequence.

LW: Yeah, the, the opening, uh, we, we, we, go, um, into this medieval sequence and we get to see Viktor, um, and his, his team of death dealers, and there's a, there’s a, a quite a big opening battle, uh, that takes place and it’s, uh… So we've got all the, uh, you know, all the guys and, and the vampires in full armor and –

KB: Horses.

LW: -- horses and, and just, uh, so we've got a little of the, uh, uh, werewolf versus the vampire action in medieval times.

A question for Len and you others might jump in. This is a sequel. What did you learn from making the first movie that you want to do differently on this one? What did you learn from VAN HELSING? As far as working with a huge overblown budget?

LW: I'm not suffering with that problem. Um, uh, in terms of what I've, what I’ve learned I-- ev-everything really. I mean just-- UNDERWORLD was my first film so there's a lot of just-- a lot of things I had never experienced before, (COUGH OVER) so, um, I, I'm finding this one about, about seventy percent less stressful and it just-- There's-- and, you know, it was shot in Budapest as well, (COUGH UNDER) and I had about maybe fifteen people that spoke English. I'm exaggerating a bit, but it was, you know, most of the crew did not speak English. So it was just a tough experience for me to, to, to battle through all that, being, being the first film. So there's a, a lot that I learned from, from that one. I mean I could, you know, go, go on and on about what, what you learn from a first film. Um, and, and budget-wise we're, um, you know, it, it helps to have a bit more to do a bit more. And so we can, we cab scale it up and, and have it---

KB: It's still not an enormous budget. It's still fairly modest for the kind of movie, isn't it?

LW: Oh yeah. No, I mean it’s, uh, in terms of like VAN, you know, VAN HELSING size. I mean, yeah.

KB: We decided not to have an enormous red cartoon monster in this one, so we saved – (LAUGHTER OVER)

LW: That does help. Yeah. We went with the rubber version.

KB: We usually go with the rubber version with anything. So…

You’ve done a lot to modernize and change the traditional vampires and werewolves, but what are your favorite parts of the old myths about these creatures that drew you to them in the first place?

LW: This, this is, this is where I go down in flames because I'm not, I’m not a –
(LAUGHTER)

LW: I, I don't really. I'm not, I’m not a huge, uh, um, fan of a lot of the, uh, the, the older, you know, films and the older legends. I actually approached UNDERWORLD as doing, doing a horror, doing horror characters in more of an action film, and actually changing it up. I mean the whole thing about just modernizing it -- I wanted to see something different -- so it was my attempt to, uh, to kind of approach it as a, as a-- almost a straightforward action film that happens to have these horror characters in it.

What did you not like about them, then?

LW: What did I not like about them? I, I didn't, I didn’t like a lot of the, you know, I-- I'm not into the I guess what I would call the, you know, religious vampires, you know, that, that you can hold up a cross and, and they, they, they cower. Um, the, the reflections in the glass and a lot of the things that, that people, um, and I get, I get, I get reamed now for talking about this stuff, but it's-- I, I see that there's a category of-- there's kind of “fantasy” vampires, and then there's “reality” vampires in my, my world, um, and ours is, is more based in science. It's about a rare blood disease and, and, uh, like, like more, treated more like a, a plague, uh, than anything that's too fantastic. So those things I guess would-- the, the, the cross stuff, the not seeing your reflection in the mirror, that's-- it's just a bit too, too out there for me.

The film wasn’t as big a success in the theater as it was later on on DVD. Were you disappointed at first by that? Were you surprised later at the fan-base it gained after the fact?

LW: I was –

KB: We were thrilled, weren't we?

LW: Oh, completely thrilled.

KB: It made all its money back in one weekend. So we were just like wow.

LW: Yeah, and in terms of it being a success, yeah, it was great to-- I mean it was, yeah, I mean we, we-- our budget in our first weekend was great for me. And also you got-- I'm, I’m-- I don't know what everybody else thought the movie was going to be. I'm making a, a fairly small film with UNDERWORLD, and for it to become what it has become and the, the success that it was, uh, I was, I was quite, quite impressed. The DVD sales completely shocked me. And actually was, uh-- it, it excited me because it made me realize that UNDERWORLD was not, it's-- UNDERWORLD is not a comic book. It's not, um, you know, a, a game. So there was no name recognition. So the fact that it was just word-of-mouth, that after it had already gone through the theater. That I, I read so much stuff or I had been sent stuff that, uh, people said “Oh, I, you know, I never checked out UNDERWORLD in the theater, but my, my girlfriend was telling me oh you gotta check out this film. You gotta check out this film. So I watched it and, and I was, you know, I was so pissed off that I didn't see it in the theater.” I read a lot of stuff like that, so it’s, it's actually quite exciting because now there's, there’s… I'm hoping -- is, is a bigger fan-base than, than we really thought in the beginning.

At what point did you know that you could do a sequel? Had you already given up on the thought after the theatrical numbers?

LW: No no. They-- based on the theatrical numbers -- because the, the, the theatrical numbers were, um, were impressive to the studio. Everybody, um, you know, we made a hundred million worldwide. So for a, you know, nineteen/twenty million dollar film that’s, that's, that’s a-- quite a huge success. So once, once that happened I got calls from the studio. I mean they wanted a, a, you know, a sequel right away, and so we started developing from that point. And then just the DVD sales was another, another spike. I got the call that we-- I think we-- I don't know – it was something eighty… Do you know the figures? I don't know. But any-anyhow it was, it, it did over what the box office did which rarely happens. It happened, what? like I think we were told five times in, you know, the span of the last x amount of years. Whatever, it was, it was impressive to them and a big deal, and so it just kind of fueled the fire for it.

This question is for Kate and Scott. You guys had spent some time developing your characters in the first film. How do you approach the characters in the second film for it to be an interesting process for you?

SS: Uh, I don't know. For this one it just seems more-- it's more fun for me this time. It's a lot more dynamic and I feel a lot more like less watching the action going on around me and reacting and being kind of a pedestrian in all the action, but a lot more dynamic of a character. So it's a lot more fun that way. I mean I didn't really develop anything.

LW: Yeah, you got kind of pulled around a lot in the first one.

SS: Yeah, which was cool, which was fun, uh, but this is, you know, a lot more part of the story it feels like. So that, that's it.

KB: I was in a slightly different position than I've ever been in before because obviously I've not been married to the director. So I, I started being involved in the process just in terms of hearing about the development, um, very early on, which was a great treat. It doesn't usually happen. And, um, you know, not that I had any kind of, you know, Yoko Ono sort of input at that point. But, um –
(LAUGHTER)

KB: -- you know, I think we were, you know, one of the reasons that we did end up running off and getting married was that we do kind of have a very similar take on things, and I think we both felt at the end of UNDERWORLD that it would be quite nice to-- much as we, we liked that it was not a sort of slapstick, you know, laugh up your sleeve kind of a movie, that we could possibly inject a little bit more fun, um, into this one and, um, just to, to, to slightly kind of change the energy so that it didn't just stay, you know, entirely per-face the whole way through. We thought we, we could kind of rock it up a little bit, and I really think we have which does, you know, Selene's, you know, incredibly cool and, um, you know, obviously isn't smiling very much or having highlights or anything in this movie. Um, definitely there's a, there’s a little-- (MUMBLES) You know, I think because, um, our relationship is progressing as well she's got, she’s got much more of a foil, um, you know, with, with, with Scott's character, um, and there's a little bit more opportunity for some, just some different colors in the character, which I thought was great. So…

This question is for Len. In designing this film have you built into the story any elements which would enable you to go to a third sequel? Did you have that in mind?

LW: Yeah, I mean there’s, there's a lot, there's a lot there. Yes, there's, um, actually a, a sequel, um, as well as, as prequel ideas. I mean nothing, you know, we’re we're still –

KB: What!?!?
(LAUGHTER)

LW: Yeah.
(LAUGHTER)

LW: As, as, um, in terms of, you know, I'm still, you know, seeing how this one goes and, and there's, uh, um, there's no, you know, set plan in terms of ideas for, uh, for, for either.

But you planted ideas in the second one? In a different way than you would have done for the first one, because you really didn’t know at that point?

KB: No, they did for the first one.

LW: We did for the first one.

KB: They had a whole plan the first one.

LW: Yeah, yeah, what we're resolving with, uh, with Marcus in, in this one, the, the the last elder, you’ll, you'll find that in this film there's still the, the characters that-- whether the characters have died in the first film or not, there's a lot of stuff that's still being discovered and uncovered about them that's in this film that we always knew we were going to do in the first one. So yeah, and there's aspects of this one that –

Which could carry over.

LW: -- that absolutely could carry over, yeah.

This question is for Scott. In this film you get to be hybrided out more than you did in the first. Can you share a little bit about the makeup process and also what it feels like when you’re fighting?

SS: Oh, uh, the makeup process, you know, it's still-- from the first one I really enjoyed it. This one it's a little more intricate. I don't know -- we won't say too much -- but it's a, a, a little more detailed so it's a little longer. But for whatever reason I really like that process. I like-- The guys that I get to work with are amazing and they’re very nice and they are like artists. They, they work really hard. So that part of it's really fun. And in terms of just physically, you know, I, I love that, that you kind of get to -- it sounds kind of corny -- but you can kind of-- to disappear into the, the whole makeup thing, and I love that. And I love jumping around in it and being kind of crazy and…

KB: Plus you look hot.

SS: Yeah, I look, I look pretty good in it, so…

LW: He becomes a-- He, he becomes a different person when he's, when he’s on set with the makeup. You, you realize that.

SS: Yeah, I do. Yeah, well yeah.

KB: It's the mask.

SS: It's the mask. But it is really fun I mean and the, you know, they've been letting me do a lot more of the stunts and stuff like that. So I love that.

Len, have you found that Vancouver has provided the right locations for everything? Is it just like in your head?

LW: Yes and no. We built a lot, uh, because it's still trying to bring across a, you know, a European flavor in, in Vancouver. So a lot of the movie is, you know, it takes place in the mountains, so that, that was easier. But there was a lot of stuff that was quite difficult. We have, um, we go to an ancient monastery. There's a whole medieval village. There's a lot of stuff that was easier to find in Eastern Europe, but it's just-- it was (MUMBLES) there was a balance of, um, what kind of movie I could get here versus there. I mean UNDERWORLD it was great to go and just have all that production value free just ‘cause it's there and, you know, and didn't have to build it. So we've, we’ve, uh, we've, we’ve found a lot and we’ve built a lot.

It’s also nice that people speak English.

LW: It's-- I can't even tell you. Yeah.

To Scott and Kate, it seems like in this movie there’ll be something different between your characters. I’m also sensing a sort of a Tracy/Hepburn thing with fangs and hair. (LAUGHTER)

LW: I haven’t heard that one.
(LAUGHTER)

KB: Not really, no, not quite that. (LAUGHS)

SS: I don’t think it’s that.

KB: No, it's-- what’s-- I mean the thing is that, you know, in the first movie they-- obviously they met up and they were in, um, you know, very different positions and, you know, he was human and she was vampire and she was doing a lot of sort of telling him, you know, bringing him up to speed with what was happening and he was just generally sort of confused and, you know, not, not really knowing what was going on. And, you know, by the time they start this movie obviously he's no longer just human and, um, they, they just got a little bit more time to get to know each other, (CHUCKLES) you know, so, um, so they're much more partners than they were before, and --

SS: Yeah, there's just more of a connection too.

Are there any further thoughts on the relationship dynamic there as well?

LW: I mean actually I, you know, I always-- I was, was intending that the first film ended with the relationship beginning. I know a lot of people-- there was, there was this ROMEO AND JULIET sort of aspect took off, um, and it wasn't necessarily that. There was always the, the story between Lucian and his love that was the parallel to the more traditional ROMEO AND JULIET, um, story. And the Michael and Selene – they, they were, you know, Selene hated humans, um, from, from the get-go, so that relationship was, um, was really-- it was really not given a chance to start until the film was, was kind of closing. So I, I felt like if-- I had done my job if at the end of the movie people would speculate will there be a relationship? What will that relationship be like? Will it build? Will it, you know? And, uh, and so this one now we get into what, what happens to that relationship. This is kind of what you guys said.

SS: That's what I was going to say.

This one’s for you, Len. The first film had the very distinct blue look. How did you approach this more brand film?

LW: The, the blue look actually was-- a lot of it was what I wanted and, and actually to be honest a lot of the really blue look came as a, um, uh… When, when we went through the, the, the coloring process, um, the, the release print was a bit more blue and almost black and white blue than I had intended, just because I was pushing the look so far. We had, we had an end result that wasn't entirely what I was, what I was going for. The DVD is closer because I was able to retime it and recolor it. So this, this film has a bit more color in, in, uh, but in different environments. We've got the, the cold blue UNDERWORLD feel, but then open up into some different looks, just-- also just to, uh, to do something different and, uh, and just have a different variety of, of, um, um, environments and everything for the, for the film. So it's uh...

KB: There's a lot more scope in the story for doing different things in this one.

LW: Yeah, it o-- it opens up. UNDERWORLD was also very urban and kind of claustrophobic, and this film opens up. It's on the run. It's outdoors. It's in the mountains. And I didn't want to do the same film over again.

Do the flashback scenes take on a different look?

LW: The flashback ones will as well. We have-- the, the genetic memories will-- There, there's genetic memories in this film that will have, uh, that will have the look of, of, um, the ones in the first film. And then there's other flashbacks. When we go into the medieval era and all that there's, um, a whole different design for that as well.

Question for Len. In terms of the title of the film, UNDERWORLD EVOLUTION, what kind of evolution do we see in terms of story and character?

KB: It's really a working title anyway.

LW: It, it is, it is a working title, yeah.

Oh, it is?

LW: I mean it's something -- yeah. (LAUGHTER) Yeah, I don't, I don’t want to-- Um, if, if it ends up being, uh, evolution, um, that was something that came about through the-- it is an evolution of the characters and what, what happens to, um, what happens actually to Selene's character as, um, as well. There's, there’s an evolution with her character. And just also the-- it was, it was, it, it fit the, um, the story with the elders as well. Um, that's all I really, I guess, want to say on it without giving too much up.

A lot of people saw the first movie and liked it a lot. The premise of vampires versus werewolves is a cool premise. But some people were disappointed with the first movie. What about the second movie do you think will get them back in to try and get back into the premise…?

LW: I think the second movie will impress a lot of people and it'll upset the same amount of people. I mean it's, it’s always…

KB: Everyone's always disappointed in some way.

LW: Some people it-- will love it. Other people will, you know, will hate it and that will be the case for any movie anybody ever makes. I mean so, um...

What about this movie will people like that didn’t like the first film? What will grab them?

LW: I mean probably him. (POINTING TO SCOTT) Yeah. (LAUGHS) I mean in terms of, um, what will grab them? It's a funner movie...

KB: Well, can I just say something? I do think that the way that the trailer happened was the trailer was very impressive and I think people were expecting a movie that had a much bigger budget than ours did. And I think that the expectation from the trailer was to see something that could compete with THE MATRIX or any other, you know, eighty to a hundred million-dollar movie. It was made for nineteen/twenty million dollars. So I think there may have been a slight like “Ooh, there's not quite as much action as I would have expected of a movie of this scale,” and it wasn't a movie of that scale. So possibly it'll be a little bit more realistic with people sort of maybe getting what they think they're going to get this time.

LW: Uh-huh. We, we did. We got a lot of that and felt a lot of that because the, the, the, the ad campaign, everything, the, the trailer was presented no different than -- in my, my mind -- no different than a, a DAREDEVIL or whatever was out at that time. And I was actually really shocked at the….

KB: You were actually upset.

LW: Yeah, it was like a, a bus, a bus goes by with UNDERWORLD as it passes by the billboard, as we have the, you know, and I was impressed about how large they were presenting my small film. So there was a bit of that reaction. So and, and now, um, you know, we have probably closer to what...

KB: (OVER) -- to reflect the movie this time.

LW: Exactly.

What experience do you think the audience will have as they’re watching the movie in the theater?

LW: Oh God. Their reaction?

As they’re watching the movie.

LW: As they're watching the movie?

Not after, but during.

LW: As they're watching. Um…

KB: Profound change...

LW: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)

LW: You know, I have no… Hopefully some, you know...

How did your personal relationship change the nature of your working relationship with one another?

KB: I'm not scared of him now as I was.

LW: That's a shame. Yeah, actually there's no, there’s no intimidation factor on unfortunately. So, um, no, I mean it's, it’s-- to be honest it's, it’s fantastic because there's a lot of stuff that you're kind of nervous about that you, you, you can't really discuss with your, with your actress.

KB: Could you hold your stomach in please.

LW: Yeah. Could you, could you not use---

KB: Which you can say to your wife.

LW: Yeah. So there's, there’s, there’s a lot of things like that that, um, uh-- it's just, it's more comfortable and you can have discussions about certain things where you're not nervous about how they're going to take your comment. And we, we are on the same page so often, uh, that, that it, it helps just to cut through a lot of the -- I guess -- kind of tip-toeing around that a director has to do.

KB: You still have to do it with him though.

LW: Yeah. Um, so it, it cuts down on a lot of that. And I, I find it makes it much easier.

KB: It means we also-- we get to, you know, be in the same country. It's quite difficult conducting, you know, a relationship in this business where you're separated for months and months. And so that we were both able to work and were able to actually sleep in the same bed is a miraculous treat. So that's really fun. We haven't had any big fights or anything like that, so the crew still likes us.

LW: I know. Amazing.

To Scott. Compare and contrast the two experiences: UNDERWORLD EVOLUTION and KITCHEN PARTY.

SS: KITCHEN PARTY was like my, my first movie, one of my first jobs I ever did. So I was twenty-one and, you know, it's still one of my favorite jobs I've ever done. I think this is the fourth movie I've filmed in Vancouver. It's become, you know, obviously one of my favorite places to film. It's-- there's something great about this town to film in. But it’s totally different. I mean this is, you know, obviously a big action movie and that was a small little teen movie that, uh….

LW: KITCHEN PARTY. We might-- we’re, we're going to go rent it now.

SS: It's a pretty good movie. It's a pretty good little movie.

LW: KITCHEN PARTY, when did you do that?

SS: I was twenty, twenty-one. Yeah a long time ago. About nine years ago now.

LW: Are you a chef? What are you doing?

SS: No, I'm a-- what is it? It’s, uh, my parents go away and I have a party.

KB: Oh, it’s just like a teenage ---

LW: Oh, oh, it's like a teenage -- like a John Hughes.

SS: Well it's actually-- it's pretty cool though. It's actually-- It's not crap.
(LAUGHTER)

Question for whoever wants to grab this one first. What kind of new challenges are you getting being that this is a sequel and it’s a much much bigger film now? What are the new challenges that you’re having?

KB: We didn't have a big press junket last time.

LW: Yeah, I was going to say que-questions like that, um, to start. The, the, um, the fact that people know about the franchise now. Like I said it was-- before it was just any decision that, that, uh, that you had on, on, uh, the way certain things should go or the way one-- the characters should play out. There's a lot of, um, of anticipation now that there wasn't before. So the pressure. There's, there’s, there’s pressure on to, um, to satisfy what the fans are looking for.

So do you feel you have a little less creative control this time around?

LW: No, no. I have more.

KB: You have more this time.

LW: More, I think, yeah.

You guys are now veterans of kicking ass on-screen. What was it like … nobody expected to see you in a film like that. And you (TO SCOTT) hadn’t done an action film before.

SS: No.

KB: He's a natural. He is really good at it.

LW: He, he is a complete natural, yeah.

So does it feel like play now?

SS: Yeah. I don't know, for whatever reasons it's been-- I've been having way more fun too.

KB: I, I was paralyzed with terror the first time. I just felt every single time I did anything I was going to just get busted and all the stunt guys would be like “Oh, the girl, you know.” Um, I mean I really did. I had to be really coached out of running like this, and, you know….
(LAUGHTER)

LW: I would. I would always say the “With, with the hands and all.”

KB: And also because I had much more of a dance background, if I did any jumps or anything I was sort of inclined to, you know –
(LAUGHTER)

KB: And, and it was, you know, gentle reminders of “You're not in PETER PAN right now, you know. Look tough, look tough.” That kind of seems to have just absorbed now. So I still -- funny enough -- still get nervous and think “Oh, God, I'm going to blow it and ruin it,” um, and yet I can-- I actually I can throw a punch and I can, you know, I can kind of pretty much do that stuff, which still surprises me. So it is more fun. I did-- I mean I remember the first time I shot the gun was, you know, on the set. I mean I, I felt immediately afterwards like please, just go into the corner and quietly sob, you know, cause it was, it was quite a shock. Whereas now it’s, you know, crossbows and God knows what else. The costume was very comfortable, so I’ve been complaining a tiny bit more about that. Um, but it’s, it’s really fun. I mean it's, it’s peculiar. I've never had the experience of -- especially ‘cause there's one costume for the whole movie, you know, and then put the same one on again and you're right back and your hair is the same and you go “Wow, I have more wrinkles now,” (MUMBLES) ‘cause you notice what's different. (CHUCKLES) But it’s, it's, you know, as I said I had such a nice experience on the first one that, you know, it’s, it’s…

LW: It's a, it’s a bit like, um, I mean just the process of going back and stepping back into it. It's a bit (COUCH OVER) going back to –

KB: Summer camp.

LW: -- to high school or summer camp, it really is. Just when we, when we were doing the tests and got the suit back on and, and, and everybody's back out there, um, that I, I thought was, was a, a really good feeling of just feeling like you're, you’re back with, um, uh, kind of like the high school friends. I thought.

KB: Well it is. It is.

This question is for Kate. Could you compare the differences in the directing styles in the action sequences between this film and VAN HELSING?

KB: Wow. (LAUGHTER) That's, you know, (MUMBLES) I, I like Stephen very much, you know, but obviously he's not my husband, so our rapport is different. I mean he's terribly nice and very upbeat and very sweet and everything, but obviously on a, just on a sort of every level, um, Len and I are very well matched in terms of he can sort of go “Can just do that?” and I'll go, “Oh, yes,” you know, and nobody else probably knows what we're talking about. But the, you know, the point comes across. It’s different ---

LW: We, we’ve become an old couple very quick.

KB: (LAUGHS) And, um, and, you know, I had a lot more training with the stunt men on this movie. And, um, I had sort of two or three months of it before, uh, before UNDERWORLD ONE, so I knew those people very well by the time we started. And, and it does for so--I think everybody experiences there's a kind of, you know, little Zen guru and little acolyte relationship that develops and you do start thinking “Stuntmen are the coolest people ever in the world,” and, you know, because you're, you’re so busy trying to sort of get to their kind of Olympic gymnast level, and they just seem so brilliantly talented. On VAN HELSING I literally showed up and they were saying “Well, you're doing a flip today, you know,” so I think they, they felt I’d had my training by then, so it was just a very different kind of vibe really. Um, and this time, you know, we've got the same people. So it's, you know, it's, it’s, it’s not-- I wouldn't, I, you know, I'd hate to kind of do Stephen or any of his team a disservice, but these are kind of my friends. So it's just a different, you know, it's a different set-up.

Is there less wirework on this one?

KB: Yeah, yeah. Not because we failed on the first one. (LAUGHS) Yeah, a bit less.

LW: A bit, a bit less and, and also just there was a lot of, um, a lot of backlash from, uh, there's a lot of wirework going on and --

KB: And we find even, you know, it’s like well we've seen that quite a lot.

LW: It's, it’s just a bit, uh, it's, it’s been a bit overplayed, so I just wanted to cut back on, on the level of wirework stuff. I mean we have to use a lot of wires for the creatures and just-- I mean just sometimes when the creatures are walking around. But, um, in terms of actual like, you know, flips and kind of Hong Kong type stuff, uh, really toned back on that kind of wire work.

Feel free to email me any questions or comments at dan@latinoreview.com.