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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2010THE PHANTOM -- RYAN CARNESRyan Carnes, who is starring as The Phantom in Syfy's four-hour event on Sunday, was the subject of a telephone press conference.
Following is an edited transcript of the call.
Question: The mini-series may be a backdoor pilot for an actual series. We're wondering if there is any truth to those rumors.
Carnes: Yes, there is truth to those rumors in terms of the way that the project was presented originally. It was presented as a backdoor pilot.
And, you know, at this time we don't know what's going to happen. We don't know what the fate of the mini-series is going to be, but obviously the more people that watch, the better chance this thing has of getting some legs and getting a following and becoming a series.
So we obviously are encouraging as many people as possible to tune in.
Question: Have you always been a comic book fan and The Phantom in particular? Were you a fan of him?
Carnes: I actually have to be honest, I wasn't as a kid. I wasn't into comic books; I was more into sports and music and stuff like that. I was outside a lot. I grew up in a really small town kind of on a farm and in the woods so that occupied most of my time.
But, you know, I mean I think it definitely has been a dream of mine as an actor to be able to play a super hero at some point. You know, there's so many more super hero movies and comics being turned into movies now. It was awesome. It mean it really was like a boy's dream come true.
And in terms of The Phantom, I had heard of The Phantom. I was somewhat familiar with The Phantom though I can't say that I was, you know, a loyal fan who had followed it.
So when I got the audition for the project I did some research and then once I got the part then I dug in and did a lot more and found out a lot more about Chris and Kit Walker and The Phantom.
Question: Since this is a re-imagining, what did you actually look at? Was it the comic strips or the previous movie version of The Phantom in preparing for the role?
Carnes: I did both. I screened the movie from the '90s with Billy Zane. And god, I only wish we would have had the budget that they had for that movie. You know, we would have shot for six months instead of two.
And I did, I went back and I looked at some of the old comic strips, you know, and I looked online. But at the same time I was cautious with myself to not get too caught up in, you know, I have to make sure that I do this, this, this, this, and this because it was a re-imagining and it was a very new take on an original series.
And, you know, I wanted to be able to still make my own choices and my own conclusions based upon what was on the page for me in this project.
Question: So now between Desperate Housewives, Doctor Who, and now The Phantom, it's safe to say you've played some very diverse characters and you're always very interesting to watch in these different roles. When you look for parts to play, what is it that grabs you about a character or what do you look for in a script?
Carnes: Really it's a combination of things. One, is it going to challenge me in some way and what are those ways that it's going to challenge me. Is it going to push me? is it going to push my boundaries?
And also I really like to find characters that have something to say, that are not two-dimensional, that are three-dimensional, that have a really great arc. And obviously in this show, I mean, what an incredible treat to be able to play this character.
I mean he has a fantastic arc - a huge arc. H.e's a boy in the beginning and he's forced to sort of become a man as it were and assume this massive responsibility. Generally what I look for is just a character that is able to reveal a part of his soul through his journey.
Question:Now how does it feel to put on that new suit as opposed to the famous purple suit?
Carnes: Well I'll tell you what, this is a point of great contention among the fans.
I think I've gotten the impression that they really, really loved the old suit.
You know, I've never put on the purple spandex so I can't speak as to how that feels. I would imagine it feels tight and vulnerable.
But I can speak to how it felt to put on the new suit and that was really cool. There was a process in terms of going when I first arrived in Montreal, going to the fittings and all that with the costume designer, and so I sort of knew what I was in for.
But it wasn't until I finally actually put the whole thing on that I went, "OK, wow, this is pretty rad, I could get used to this."
And it changed actually. It evolved through the course of the shoot because in the beginning it was very tight and restrictive. I actually had to because of some of the stunts and some of the choreography that I was doing, I actually wore it for rehearsals for the martial arts choreography so I could break it in because it was so restrictive.
But very quickly it just sort of loosened up and took on the contour of my body. And about halfway through the shoot of two-thirds of the way through the shoot we actually had to have them take it in in areas because it had stretched so much.
So it was really cool. I've never gotten to wear anything like that before and it's not what you get at the Halloween costume store for dress up for Halloween, that's for sure. It's a little fancier than that.
Question: Can you talk about the different stunts you performed and how difficult or fun they were?
Carnes: Well anything that I got to do was fun. Unfortunately because of insurance reasons there were some things that I would have loved to have done that I didn't get to do.
On the other hand, fortunately for insurance reasons there were things that they wouldn't let me do that probably saved my life and some bones.
Question: Now you're only the third actor to play the character in the character's 70-year history so there's a lot of traditions and a lot of background for the character in print and on the big screen. And while the mini series respects those traditions of character there are a number of changes, obviously the suit being number one of which. Which of the other differences did you find most interesting?
Carnes: In terms of the things that have been on the screen, you know, like compared to the movie of Billy Zane, I found it interesting that they chose - because this was an origin story that they chose to make The Phantom younger.
And I mean this was a kid who was in law school so he's somewhere between 22 and 24, assuming that he went straight to law school after undergrad. And you know, that's young. That's much, much younger than the Billy Zane character was.
And I found that interesting because that is a time of great transition in any young man's life. it's not like you're 35 or 30; you're sort of beginning to figure out life a little bit maybe.
So to me that was, I think, the most interesting departure.
Question: What it's like going from work on a TV series like, you know, general Hospital and Desperate Housewives to a TV mini-series about a super hero on Syfy?
Carnes: Well, you know, it's different. It's very different especially in this instance where basically we were doing two movies. I mean we were doing two back-to-back movies essentially.
I liked that. Sometimes TV - I have a lot of respect for actors who do a lot of TV because, you know, from my time on Desperate Housewives - one doesn't know from one week to the next really what's going to end up in the script, what turns and corners the character is going to go around, what new revelations are going to occur.
So it's really challenging and you've really got to sort of fly by the seat of your pants.
And to contrast that with this you know, I had two full-length scripts in front of me and I could really chart the journey. I could chart the arc. I could track that and that helped me as a performer to be able to I think, give the best version of myself and the best version of the performance.
So, you know, in that respect I loved it. I loved what it afforded. And, you know, just beyond that I mean, it was a very different kind of role.
I mean I had a blast. Like getting to do drama and some comedy you know, there's definitely some light moments in it mixed with action adventure it's like my dream role. It really was. To get to just run around and run away from villains and chase villains and shoot guns, it was great.
Question: I wanted to find out if there wasone particular thing you thought was your special contribution to this iconic role. And what was it like to work with Isabella Rossellini?
Carnes: Well that was a tremendous honor to get to work with her. I don't think that many young actors my age have been able to have that honor so, I mean, and she's an icon. And I was just really honored to get to do that.
I don't want to give anything away to anybody who's going to be reading these releases, but the way that she and I interacted in the movie was pretty surreal for me. So I'll just leave it at that.
And then to answer your first question, yes I think one thing for me that I really wanted to maintain I guess in this character was his sense of sort of irreverence at times as Chris.
You know, at the core he was an irreverent guy, but there was something about him that really wanted to rebel against who he was becoming I think in terms of becoming a law student.
So, you know, just in terms of like - I was really insistent upon keeping my tennis shoes untied as much as I could because to me Chris wasn't the type of guy who would have his tennis shoes always tied up perfectly.
He was the guy who would walk around with his sneakers untied so he could just kick them off whenever he wanted. It was like it was a small thing but for me that really helped ground the character in the way that I saw him.
Question: Since comic-book fans can be very unforgiving, did you feel any pressure stepping into this role?
Carnes: Actually I didn't really allow myself to entertain those doubts. When I got cast in the role I didn't go online -- which I don't anyway. I make it a habit to not go online and read what people say about me or the projects that's I'm in.
I let that stuff be filtered through my team that's around me. You know, I trust them to inform me of what I need to know.
I just didn't allow myself to go there because that that's a good way to kill the art and to kill a performance by being affected what people think and what they're saying about you or the project or the role.
Quite honestly, I can't say that it affected me at all. I mean, you know, of course inherent in being number one on a call sheet and being the lead in a franchise like this, sure there's some pressure. But I just chose not to go there.
Question: Well, now that the project is wrapped, if you had a chance, what would you tell fans that might be staying away from this version because of the differences?
Carnes: Well, I guess I would just say that I would really encourage them to try to go into it with an open mind and attempt to allow themselves to surrender to viewing something that is in some ways an entirely different story.
And that you know yes, it is the same story. It does carry the title of The Phantom. Many of the things are the same, but we really were going out trying to re-imagine a story and tell it in a slightly different way and take some risks.
So I would just encourage them just to surrender to what they might see and see if they don't enjoy it. I would challenge them to just watch it with an open mind and just see if they don't enjoy it.
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