Actor Jackson Rathbone weighs in on 'Last Airbender' experience
The DePaulia's Chris Osterndorf sits down with Jackson Rathbone, who plays Sokka in "The Last Airbender."
The DePaulia: Once you got cast in this movie, did you go back and watch the original show that it's based off of (the Nickelodeon cartoon)?
Jackson Rathbone: Yes, I, you know I was always aware of the original show. I think I actually watched more of the original show during the auditioning process than I did during the actual run of the film.
I wanted to kind of step away from it a little bit and kind of make it as natural and as realistic as possible because, you know, that's one of the difficulties in bringing an animated TV show to life in a two-hour movie is, you know, you're condensing 16 hours or so of animated television to be put into a two-hour film.
And especially with all the kind of extreme martial arts and the extreme element bending and all that, it's a lot more serious so I, you know, I tried to stay away from watching the show.
But you know I've always been a fan of the show and all my friends were excited as all hell when they heard I was going to be playing the character.
TD: What was the dynamic like on set in terms of working with your co-stars and director (M. Night Shyamalan) and the overall experience?
JR: Well, it was really - it was a pleasure and a joy. I mean, first off I got to do a lot of kung fu training and a lot of martial arts training with some incredible stunt men and women, just some of the most sweetest and talented people I've met.
And then we actually filmed the first two weeks in Greenland which was extremely cool and I don't think I'd have any other reason to go there except for, you know, filming a movie. And that was just an incredible experience.
And it was like - it was like a big family you know. M. Night likes to have the same people in all of his films, and the (same) crew, which is really nice, and it creates this kind of family element. So, you know, while you're filming, it's not a chore ever. It's not like you're working. It's like playtime you know. It's an amazing thing.
TD: Obviously you've been really busy lately but now that "The Last Airbender" is completed, do you have any more interest in producing films with your friends like you did with "Girlfriend" (an indie film produced by Rathbone and his buddies)?
JR: Oh, yes. I've got a couple of projects in the works right now… like I've got a couple of options for books that I'm kind of waiting on the legalese to finalize, you know, just to get all the signatures on the dotted line and whatnot.
But yes, I definitely plan to do a lot more producing the next few years and kind of eventually work my way around the camera. I'm still going to act and play music and, you know, all that, but I also want to try my hand at directing, try my hand at writing, and working with these amazing artists that I get to call my friends.
TD: If this movie does well, do you think that there's going to be other movies that follow it (based on the original books)?
JR: Oh, I definitely hope so, and I think that's the plan. You know it's waiting at the - waiting for the box office basically…As an actor I'm not too privy to all that but at the - at the end of the day from a, you know, from a speculative standpoint, I think hopefully this movie will do extremely well and people will want to see the next two books put up into a film format. And you know I'm really excited and ready for it.
The DePaulia: Once you got cast in this movie, did you go back and watch the original show that it's based off of (the Nickelodeon cartoon)?
Jackson Rathbone: Yes, I, you know I was always aware of the original show. I think I actually watched more of the original show during the auditioning process than I did during the actual run of the film.
I wanted to kind of step away from it a little bit and kind of make it as natural and as realistic as possible because, you know, that's one of the difficulties in bringing an animated TV show to life in a two-hour movie is, you know, you're condensing 16 hours or so of animated television to be put into a two-hour film.
And especially with all the kind of extreme martial arts and the extreme element bending and all that, it's a lot more serious so I, you know, I tried to stay away from watching the show.
But you know I've always been a fan of the show and all my friends were excited as all hell when they heard I was going to be playing the character.
TD: What was the dynamic like on set in terms of working with your co-stars and director (M. Night Shyamalan) and the overall experience?
JR: Well, it was really - it was a pleasure and a joy. I mean, first off I got to do a lot of kung fu training and a lot of martial arts training with some incredible stunt men and women, just some of the most sweetest and talented people I've met.
And then we actually filmed the first two weeks in Greenland which was extremely cool and I don't think I'd have any other reason to go there except for, you know, filming a movie. And that was just an incredible experience.
And it was like - it was like a big family you know. M. Night likes to have the same people in all of his films, and the (same) crew, which is really nice, and it creates this kind of family element. So, you know, while you're filming, it's not a chore ever. It's not like you're working. It's like playtime you know. It's an amazing thing.
TD: Obviously you've been really busy lately but now that "The Last Airbender" is completed, do you have any more interest in producing films with your friends like you did with "Girlfriend" (an indie film produced by Rathbone and his buddies)?
JR: Oh, yes. I've got a couple of projects in the works right now… like I've got a couple of options for books that I'm kind of waiting on the legalese to finalize, you know, just to get all the signatures on the dotted line and whatnot.
But yes, I definitely plan to do a lot more producing the next few years and kind of eventually work my way around the camera. I'm still going to act and play music and, you know, all that, but I also want to try my hand at directing, try my hand at writing, and working with these amazing artists that I get to call my friends.
TD: If this movie does well, do you think that there's going to be other movies that follow it (based on the original books)?
JR: Oh, I definitely hope so, and I think that's the plan. You know it's waiting at the - waiting for the box office basically…As an actor I'm not too privy to all that but at the - at the end of the day from a, you know, from a speculative standpoint, I think hopefully this movie will do extremely well and people will want to see the next two books put up into a film format. And you know I'm really excited and ready for it.
Source => De Paulia / Via => Jackson Rathbone Source
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