Rufus Sewell Takes a Bite Out of Life (And His Co-Stars)

Talking to Dominic, I realized it was sticking out of his sticking out of his face. Literally stuck in the side of my co-actor's head.

Fourscore and seven years ago, we built upon this hotel the Young Hollywood studio, and here today is Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter star, Rufus Sewell. Hello. How was that?

That was really good. Could I be a president, do you think?

I was Yes. I was about to say your voice could be a little deeper, but then it's only marginally deeper than higher than mine anyway. Fourscore. Well, you're known for your voice, you're known for that sort of gravelly

It's from 25 years of Malboro lights. Is that what it is? It's no, you weren't born with it. Though I don't smoke anymore, kids.

There is darkness everywhere, Mr. Lincoln. My mother was murdered. I can see your rage burning. Tip the balance for the good of all mankind. I shall kill them all. Before we started rolling, we always take pictures here, and you said something about a Duran Duran look.

Yeah, because I I always hated my smile in in photos, like my first school photograph was the first time I ever tried like a smile, and it didn't work. Since then, I've realized, what is that face I do? And I think it's like a kind of mid-80s Depeche Mode album cover. So, I find that I kind of do this thing. I recognize it from the third Duran Duran album, I think I'm gonna stop. Oh, wow. It's not a good look.

Did you have the haircut and the whole thing too?

I had something. Parachute pants and all that stuff. No, I I I mean, I've spoken about this before, but I wanted to look like David Bowie, but I was the wrong shape. So I dyed my hair blonde with peroxide mixed with Head and Shoulders Dandruff Shampoo, which I mixed in a little bowl. I put it on my head, my hair went like that. Into this ginger afro. Oh, no. It didn't work. Which wasn't quite the David Bowie look I was going for. And then I wore like this striped waistcoat and slim trousers and stuff, except I was fat.

And you were not fat.

I was. I was.

So the film, I watched it last night. I loved it. I don't normally love like scary or violent movies, but it was so satisfying, the violence in it. I don't know what that says about me, or it says something about the film, but I don't know. I just when you chop a head off, it's gotta make just the right noise. If it doesn't make the right noise, it's it's strangely unsatisfying. And it's scary, but and you're just fascinated, because the the visual effects are so amazing, and I heard you said when you you were actually shooting it, you felt a little dirty throughout. Probably because there's so much blood and gore.

No, no, that's Yes. Well, people said, was it fun to do the fight scenes? What was really more fun was doing the talking scenes, because you had a vague idea of what the hell you were doing. With the fight scenes, I just know that they get me to do these kicks and stuff, and it's generally pretty crap when I do it. And then they bring in the proper people to do it. And they managed to kind of cut it all together to make it look like me, it's cool. Which I'm not complaining about.

Well, it certainly did. I didn't know that it wasn't a stunt double. But I do know that you like to bite your co-stars and leave teeth in them.

Yeah. Well, that was the first the first day, I was supposed to be doing any biting at all. I was supposed to come in to give, you know, Dominic Cooper a bite. And I just had these teeth fitted, which were porcelain and razor sharp. And no one gave me this talk about, well, because of the teeth, we don't So I just kind of went for it. I didn't bite him, but I went halfway and stopped. And then they said, cut, and I, you know, rather pleased with myself. I realized one of my teeth was missing. And I thought, hold on, I did have I remember there being two. And then there was one. I just remember there was a discrepancy in the tooth count at the end of it. And then talking to Dominic, I realized it was sticking out of his was sticking out of his face. Literally stuck in the side of my co-actor's head.

And then I heard something else really funny that you cuz you're shooting guns in the film, something about you keep making gun noises.

No, I'm not shooting guns in the film. What this came from talking about how you can't help if you've spent all your life playing like everyone's been vampires before. I couldn't stop going like that, doing my own sound effects. Right, right. And it was similar to the time I shot a a gun in the first time in the film, I couldn't stop going Because that's what I'd grown up doing. And apparently it's not that uncommon. I'd fire a gun at Kim Basinger, and it would have to go again.

Yeah. Well, how did she react to it?

She was amused. Patient. Amused.

That's such a gorgeous word. Amused.

It's one of the kind of words I use when I can't swear. There you go.

Well, you can swear here. Amused. Wow. So, I was gonna ask you, because I know you've played so many sort of dark and sinister characters.

Yeah.

I wanted to sort of practice my evil stare down with you and I wanted to see if you could give me some tips. Okay. You ready?

Have you started yet?

No, I haven't started yet. Hold on. Let's focus. It's already quite good though. What are you doing?

You can relax your lips a bit. Is you're trying to do this? You're like That was my goosestep. It's hard not to, isn't it?

Well, this is why you're the master of it. So what are the So what is the

No, I have that problem too. If you look closely enough. Yeah.

Assume you know what I can do with this. I know what you can do against one vampire. But against 20. Do you live in L. A. , or you live in

I live in L. A. Yeah.

So do you walk around in L. A.? Because I feel like you'd be a movie monster.

Well, that's the one reason I feel a little bit awkward here, you know, cuz everyone's the only other people walking like had bags, and we're going You know, like And that is a bit odd, you know. So I eventually learned to drive. Also, I realized that not driving, if you go to an audition, there is no impression you can make in an audition so good that doesn't get undercut by you waiting for a cab outside for half an hour. It's just something about them coming out and you're still being there. I know. It doesn't matter how dynamic you are in the room. That kind of So, I had to learn to drive for just that reason. Just so I can be out after an audition.

Well, you sweep your way out after it's been a Well, you sweep your way out, and then sit in the office for about forty-five minutes afterwards. And on that note, thank you so much for coming in.

All right, thank you.

Great having you here. Come back anytime.

Okay, I will.