Antoine Fuqua directed Chow Yun-Fat and Mira Sorvino in "The Replacement Killers" and helped earn Denzel Washington a Best Actor Oscar for "Training Day". He's currently at work on Jerry Bruckheimer's "King Arthur" - which we hope will be a lot better than the very average actioner "Tears of the Sun".
Why did you decide to make this movie?
When I read the script, straightaway I thought it was a great opportunity. I also wanted to do something that would honour the Navy Seals. I'm a fan of the Special Forces because of what they do. I thought this was a great opportunity to show heroism and maybe, as well, to show that we can do something about some of these awful things in the world.
Why was Bruce Willis right for the leading role?
Bruce was always the first choice. There's no one better for this role.
You're known for high-octane action. What was the challenge here?
The action sequences got pretty intense! I tried to make them as realistic as possible. We worked and trained with real Navy Seals every day. We blocked out all the action sequences with the Navy Seals. I wanted to make you feel like you were right in the middle of it.
How hard was the shoot? We've heard about it being very wet and muddy all the time...
Filming in Hawaii turned out to be really hard. You know, it may have been easier to have done it in Africa. It was just really tough!
How do you sum up what the film is about?
There are two stories side by side. There's the story of what's happening in Africa, and there's the story of the Navy Seals. So in my mind, there are two sets of heroes. There's the African people who suffer and go through what they go through and yet still manage to survive and even smile. Then there are the Navy Seals who are prepared to sacrifice everything, including their lives, to protect the United States and its citizens, but who do so anonymously and usually without any fanfare. I wanted to show that heroes do exist.
