AsianConnections' Jim Ferguson Interviews
John Woo - Producer of "The Replacement Killers"

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Jim Ferguson:  John, nice to see you again.  I think we've done this a few times in the past, but never as executive producer, always as director John Woo, but now as producer John Woo.  What's the difference with the executive producer and directing?  Less work?

John Woo:  Yeah, I must say that as the executive producer I think I feel much more relaxed.  But on the other hand, I must say that I am a bad producer, because I always on the director side, I give [Director Antoine Fuqua] knowledge and support, and let him alone and I'm less involved.  At the first beginning, we just went through the story, the structure, and the character, and then I leave him alone.

Jim Ferguson:  You leave it alone.  Right, right.

John Woo:  That's how I learned from Michael Douglas.  When we worked on "Face-Off," Michael have never tried to do any control, and he had never given me any notes.  So I could make the change everyday, change the dialog, the scene, try to make it better.

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Jim Ferguson:  A lot more relaxing for sure.

John Woo:  Yeah, a lot more relaxing, because the reason I like to involved in this project because I love the whole structure, I love the combination of Chow Yun-Fat and Mira Sorvino, Antoine, and the studio, and the story.  It's a great story.

Jim Ferguson:  Well that's a family in itself.  And even though this is an action thriller, "The Replacement Killers," it's always... it touches on family and about family values, would you agree?

John Woo:  Yeah, I agree.  and also it is something about human nature.  Like the killer in this film, he got an order to murder a little kid, and he didn't do it.  It's kind of ah, a very strong moral message.

Jim Ferguson:  Are you pleased with the performance of Chow Yun-Fat?  He has good looks, he has charisma.  Do you think he, for his first American film, did a good job?

John Woo:  I think he did a great job.  I'm extremely pleased to see him do so well.  I admire him.  But on the other hand I think he is a great actor.  Besides the action, he really give a great performance in this film.  He looked so much emotional, and also so much elegance.

Jim Ferguson:  Style.  He plays a hitman that is kind of forced into his job, and he does this to protect his family in China.  As in reality... does some of that take place here in the United States, a gang, American Chinese gang, could threaten somebody to send somebody's family back to China?

John Woo:  Ah, I don't know.  It might happen.

Jim Ferguson:  It's possible, yeah.

John Woo:  It's possible.  But I don't think it's that real, because I think the idea came from the writer.

Jim Ferguson:  Yeah.  It's a good idea anyway.  Mira Sorvino, she's a very intelligent actress, but yet were you surprised that she could handle all the physical stunts and handle a gun?

John Woo:  I have no surprise, because she was my choice.

Jim Ferguson:  She was your choice.

John Woo:  Yeah.  I like her a lot.  I found she's a great actress.  She's so professional, she's pretty, intelligent, and full of energy, great energy.  We almost worked together in "Broken Arrow," but it's a pity it didn't work out.  And I think Mira and Chow Yun-Fat got a great chemistry and they become a great pair.

Jim Ferguson:  They do, they do.  They do a lot of good stunts, and as I've mentioned in my last question, a touch of humor.

John Woo:  Yeah.  That's our style, you know.  And I think Antoine also can capture a lot of big humor moment in the film, since the movie is a little dark, you know, so he thought, he intends to use Mira and also give a lot of humor things.

Jim Ferguson:  Mira is the comic relief, I think.

John Woo:  Yeah, of the whole movie.

Jim Ferguson:  John, you always do a great job, whether it's directing or executive producer.  Don't miss a John Woo movie any time.  Thank you so much!

John Woo:  Thank you, thank you.

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