I've been drawn to darker, smaller, quirkier scripts...I don't want to be in a hit movie for a hit movie's sake... U571 is an exception to the action genre because when we shot it--and I don't know how it's going to turn out--the dialogue and characters were rich. My character was in great contrast to Matthew McConaughey's. We're best friends, we're of the same rank, and it would have been easy for me to say, 'He's the star of the movie--I'll just do what he does, and maybe I'll get another role.' Wrong--I went in there and did the polar opposite, so that my character stood out as his own man. Now if the rich dialogue isn't cut out--and it might be because of the movie people who get involved--it will challenge the audience to pay attention to something that can be commercially successful and emotional.
THE MALTA TIMES, May 04, 1999 - Interview with JON BON JOVI from the set of U-571 in Malta
Writer: Fiona Galea Debono
April 24, 1999
It was a chilly night down at the Rinella water tanks last Friday, where filming for the +ACQ-90 million, war epic adventure, U-571, was underway. And the simulation of a full-blown storm, complete with crashing waves, unrelenting wind and heavy downpours sent shivers down the spines of onlookers. The scene was, however, far from make-believe for the ensemble of renowned actors, including Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel and Jon Bon Jovi, who braved the storm, as they rowed towards the enemy submarine. Watching them waiting, soaked to the skin, it was clear what Jon Bon Jovi meant when he said acting was not a cushy job, as he prepared to face the cold in his trailer. The only downside to the big, action movie was the waiting and the rain missions, he said. The singer-turned-actor plays Lt. Pete Emmett in U-571, the seventh movie under his belt since he took up acting in 1998. It is his biggest and his first action movie, and although he has never been an ardent fan of the genre, he claims U-571 is different. The acclaimed rock star bases his decision to take part in a film on whether it has a good story, which he defines as the potential to ultimately teach the audience something, even about themselves. U-571 is more than a mere story about a bunch of guys, sent on a secret mission, who are scared to death. It became a character study, explained Bon Jovi, offering a deep insight into the various roles, each an individual in his own right, with his own emotions and a distinct personality. Director Jonathan Mostow was going to great pains to ensure that no character is a carbon copy of the other. When I first got involved with the film, I had read for a different role, as one of the sailors, Bon Jovi said. But he had turned down the offer because there was not enough of a character for him to commit four months of his life to it. However, Mostow promised to develop his role. He did not just assemble a great cast - a guarantee that the movie will sell - but made sure that each character would have his moment. And with a 10-strong cast that was no mean feat, pointed out Bon Jovi, praising Mostow on his success. Describing his Pete as+ACY-nbsp+ADs- more grounded than U-571 star Matthew McConaughey's wildfire character, he believes, to the surprise of those who would imagine him to be wilder than wild, that they were both well cast. Reflecting on both their personalities in real life - the two share mutual respect and a deep friendship - he added that it is right that I am the guy who holds back and watches his back in the movie. McConaughey is a wonderful guy, who is really living life to the full and enjoying everything that comes his way. He is so giving, not only to me, but to all the guys on the crew and cast. Although initially it was intimidating to be in the company of a master, working with Harvey Keitel - whom he described as a legend - has proved to be awe-inspiring. Though he usually portrays rough characters, the Keitel on the set is a jovial man, always laughing and teasing everybody, said Bon Jovi of the mentor to the entire cast. Everybody looks up to him, he added, flipping through the pages of a book by Bolostavsky on acting, which Harvey gave to the cast. Worlds apart from his life on the road with a band, Bon Jovi described the atmosphere on the set as stimulating. The newness of the scene and the opportunity it provided to meet other people contrasted sharply with the rock star's established music career. When I tour with the rest of the band, we don't talk much because anything we experience, we experience together. Making music is second nature and the band is so coordinated that it can easily switch into automatic pilot. It was, indeed, the need for another stimulus that made him turn to the film industry. His new creative outlet became acting, until acting became a passion. Originally, the idea was to make music for movies whenever he got tired of the band. It was on the set of Young Guns II, in 1989, for which he wrote the soundtrack, that he discovered, as he befriended actor Emilio Estevez, that there was more to life than music. Estevez was busy skydiving and racing cars, while, up 'til then, Bon Jovi's life revolved around consecutive albums and tours. He had spent seven years living out of a suitcase and, if you talked to me about anything other than what was last night's show, I didn't know how to answer you. Making movies was a constant learning experience. Indeed, even for U-571, Bon Jovi did his homework, attending submarine school to find out about the different instruments on board and how a U-boat functions, down to how to march and salute, as well as how to shoot a gun. To a certain degree, it's like speaking a foreign language, unlike a romantic, boy-girl scene where you know what you're talking about. Even though he suffers from claustrophobia - a fear that does not go too well with submarines - he has plucked up the courage to repeatedly crawl into a minute box, with another four actors. The ordeal became all the more harrowing when the box accidentally caught fire. Asked how he felt the film industry perceived him - as a talented actor, or as a big name with a well-known face who would undoubtedly draw in the crowds - he admitted that it had been initially difficult to make a breakthrough because he was pigeon-holed. But now - maybe even only with U-571 - I am treated as an actor, and being a singer is no longer the focu of the conversation. Indeed, Bon Jovi auditioned for the part and went through all the normal channels to get it. Doing away with his usual entourage of bodyguards, road managers, the biggest trailer and excessive luxury, his no-airs-and-graces attitude has earned him the reputation he now enjoys in the industry. And he has come a long way from the days when he started acting lessons, with his nose buried in his books, memorizing his lines. Distinguishing between his two personas - music and movies - Jon Bon Jovi described acting as an exercise in humility. When it came to music, you can get comfortable with your surroundings and start taking things for granted, he said. The difference between the two was that he had no control over the movies he made, while in music every single aspect, down to the album cover, writing the songs, singing, marketing the record and touring, is yours.' Being the writer, director, producer and star, all rolled into one, made his music career that bit more challenging, whereas to do a film, he just had one minor role. Do your homework as far as Pete Emmett is concerned and your mission is accomplished. Those who know him well have predicted that his next career move would be directing and producing movies, but Bon Jovi thinks they are too foreign to him for the time being. When the shooting of U-571 ends in May, he plans to start recording his forthcoming album, the tentative title of which is Sex Sells. Its concept, he explained, is a throwback to fun songs... a return to the fun days, the sense of summer and the outdoors, as opposed to the more romantic These Days and the deeply introspective Destination Anywhere. Still experimenting with music, he has already written around 50 songs for the new album, which is expected to be released in January of next year. Bon Jovi explained that, because he missed the feeling of playing to huge crowds - his most recent album had been oriented towards theatres and clubs - he decided to write bigger for this one. About 30 songs down the line, he decided it was a band record, so I called the boys to collaborate and add the icing to the cake.So, what inspires him to write lyrics? It could be a line he hears on another record, or in a movie. whatever the case, when he is struck, he itches to start working on it. Ralph Fiennes' great line in The Engligh Patient: I dont miss you yet, which he heard when watching the video recently, has particularly touched him and could possibly turn into a hit. But, so far, Malta has failed to have any impact on the singer, musically.
Do you have anything for me? he has pleaded in vain with his guitar. Inspiration depends on the scenario , and life on the set is exhausting and energy draining. Besides, on the radio, all he hears is American rock 'n' roll.
Nevertheless, he has been pleasantly suprised by Malta - land of the Bush-Gorbachev Summit and the Popeye movie. In particular, he likes the people and the architecture although, he believes that in a couple of years it would be dramatically and shamefully unrecognisable.
I see more cranes in the sky than I see clouds, he said. Attached to home in New Jersey, Bon Jovi revealed he felt out of place anywhere else and started missing all the goofy things. Even his house in California was never a home.
Besides not having the time, it is hard for Bon Jovi to play the tourist in Malta because he fears causing a stir. The star is recognized wherever he goes, but he takes the fervent attention in his stride and is generously obliging with all. It's part of the job, he said, adding that he too had his own heroes, whom he wanted to meet when he was a kid.
The truth is that my fans are very kind. My music hasn't attracted those looking for religious or political answers. I've simply tried to make people happy and aware of the emotions they feel.
Money and success are not motivating factors, and he is no applause junkie. It was not the idea of standing on a stage for adulation's sake that stimulated him.
The positive aspect of success is having the opportunity to decide when to make a record, where to tour and whether to make a movie - a position Bon Jovi has long achieved and cherishes. Nevertheless, he insisted on the importance of remaining grounded.
Money can do lots of things, but he has not fallen into its trap, and attributes that to his ordinary-boy upbringing and, particularly, to his New Jersey background.
Despite knowing the meaning of success, Bon Jovi believes everyday is a failure. Driven people are constantly trying to do better tomorrow. I don't leave here (the studios) at night thinking I'm on top of the world. I don't take it for granted and I'm grateful that I still have a record deal and that Jonathan gave me an opportunity to take part in this film.
His winning philosophy of life revolved around the idea that I'd rather try something and fail than wonder if I could do it. Asked how he thought he would go down in history - as a singer, or an actor - after a pause, Bon Jovi said he had never thought of dying. His story was only just beginning and he had not written his epitaph yet.
I think I'm going to be able to do both for as long as I like, was his answer to a less morbid and more welcomed question regarding the direction of his double career. Bon Jovi looks to the life of Frank Sinatra, whom he regrets never having met, as the way to live a career - until the end and to the best of your ability.
Fading away is not an option.