Interview with Jon Turteltaub, Director of "National Treasure 2"
National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets hit store shelves on Tuesday. It’s the second installment of the franchise starring everyone’s favorite droopy-eyed historian, Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage). Read my review of the DVD here.
I caught up with director Jon Turteltaub (pictured, right, with Nicolas Cage and Diane Kruger), who dished about working with Cage, what’s on “page 47,” and why he hates DVD extras.
Gecko: What’s the key to making a successful sequel?
Turteltaub: You have to accurately judge what it was about the first movie that the audience liked. In our case, we believed the most important element of the first National Treasure was the relationships between the characters. Obviously, the use of real history and real landmarks in the search for fictional treasure is the main concept, but what made the movie stand out was the humor and warmth shared by the characters. So we made sure to get the entire cast back together and build on those relationships.
More after the jump…
Gecko: Is there a third ‘National Treasure’ in the works?
Turteltaub: We’re trying! Our philosophy is that until we have a great story, a great adventure, and a great piece of history to explore, there’s no point in making the movie. But we are working on it (and by “we,” I mean “other people”).
Gecko: Which locations were the least and most problematic in making “National Treasure 2″?
Turteltaub: Without question, shooting on the streets of London was an enormous undertaking. As many of you already know, just WALKING on the streets of London is difficult. There are an enormous number of rules, regulations, departments, governments and laws that had to be obeyed for us to pull off that car chase, and I’m very impressed with our production team who had the determination and the patience to pull it off. Surprisingly, one of the easiest places to shoot was Mt. Vernon. While they were very protective of the landmark home of George Washington, they were also a private organization without connections to the government. So it was only a matter of one or two people saying “yes” to our requests.
Gecko: How long does it take to get the National Treasure scripts written and then plan out the special effects and stunts?
Turteltaub: It SHOULD take years, but we pulled off “Book of Secrets” in eleven months. The first “National Treasure” took almost seven years to write, but on the sequel, we were writing and shooting all at the same time. It’s a miracle that we finished. If we were better and smarter filmmakers, we would have spent more time finishing the script, then spent six months preparing, another five months filming, and another five months editing.
Gecko: How do you view violence in adventure films?
Turteltaub: Good question, because I have some strong feelings on this subject. I remember driving down the Sunset Strip one day about ten years ago, and I passed about seven giant movie billboards. In every one, there was a character holding a gun. It hit me that Hollywood does too good a job glorifying gun use. I’m not saying there shouldn’t be guns in movies, but I wanted to make a movie where the action hero didn’t use a gun. I thought if I could come up with a character who was just as brave and athletic as any other action hero, but used his head instead of a gun to get out of trouble, then we’d be making a more interesting film and maybe doing a good thing by not encouraging kids to solve problems with guns.
Gecko: Ben Gates is often compared to Indiana Jones. How do you feel about that?
Turteltaub: The comparison is a fair one and doesn’t bother me. Both characters are passionate about history and judge the value of their treasures on their historical and cultural value, not their financial value. But I think Indy and Ben Gates are both characters derived from old-fashioned movies of the 30’s and 40’s. Also, Indiana Jones has one big advantage over Ben Gates. Indy is directed by Spielberg. That’s a plus.
Gecko: What’s the secret on “page 47″?
Turteltaub: Call me later and I’ll tell you privately. Or email me at ItsASecret@I’mNotTellingYou.com.
Gecko: Did you have reactions, critics or comments, from Masonic people who’ve seen the movies?
Turteltaub: The Masons we’ve spoken to have loved the movie. My belief is that the Masons are a wonderful group of charitable people who meet in their beautiful buildings to discuss life and how to make it better. I’m not a big conspiracy theory guy.
Gecko: Since the action is such a hallmark of these films, which sequence were you giddy to shoot in “Book of Secrets”?
Turteltaub: I loved shooting all the final scenes in the water. I’d never done that before and had no idea how or if it was going to work. But the special effects people and set construction people did a brilliant job. Turns out it’s really fun to spend an entire week floating around in a gigantic pool, wearing a wet suit, swimming across the set to talk to the actors, and shouting “action” only to see millions of gallons of water shoot out from the magnificent sets.
Gecko: What’s your take on DVD Extras? What characterizes great DVD extras?
Turteltaub: I think directors have mixed feelings about the DVD extras. In some ways, our egos love the fact that the movie gets all that extra attention. On the other hand, I hate having to show outtakes and deleted scenes. There’s a reason these scenes were deleted! It’s like having a section in your photo album of just pictures with your eyes closed and your chin looking fat.
Gecko: Nicolas Cage is a great action star, but also a huge dramatic actor. What’s it like to work with him?
Turteltaub: Nic is as unique as they come. He approaches his roles the way he approaches his life — with lust, courage, freedom and mischief. But as unpredictable as he is as an actor, he is always fully committed to making things work. In some ways, playing Ben Gates — this buttoned-up, straight, serious, and nerdy guy — is more of a stretch for him than playing some of his more outgoing characters. The thing that’s so impressive about Nic is that he’s always a gentleman. He’s very responsible and polite. He’s never late to the set, always learns his lines, and always treats people with respect.
Gecko: What’s it like working with Jerry Bruckheimer?
Turteltaub: More than any well-known person I’ve ever met, Jerry Bruckheimer is the most different from my expectations. He’s a very quiet, calm and patient man, and he’s also extremely supportive of his directors. I’ve never heard him say a bad word about anyone he’s worked with, and he always gives credit to others. When it comes to having differences of opinion, Jerry’s track record and passion gives a lot of weight to his opinions. I usually say to myself, “What are the odds that I’m right and what are the odds that Jerry’s right?” When I look at the big picture, it makes a lot of sense to do what Jerry thinks is best.
Gecko: What’s the hardest part of making a movie today? What challenges are you facing that weren’t there, say, 10 years ago?
Turteltaub: If you look at the slate of films coming out of most of the studios, they’re all filled with sequels. The marketplace is such that you need to have a big opening weekend, and the best way to do that is to have a movie that audiences have already shown an interest in. The problem is that sequels cost more. That’s the biggest issue in the movie business today. Cost. It’s stupid how expensive it is. On the other hand, the revolution in digital technology has been a big plus for movies. We can do so much more than ever before to make movies more fun, entertaining, and believable.
Images: National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, 2007
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May 23, 2008 at 12:12 pm
[…] Gecko gives us an exclusive interview with Jon Turtletaub, director of National Treasure […]
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