An interview with Dragonball Evolution star Justin Chatwin
Q: How does it feel to be the star of a blockbuster, Justin?
A: It feels great. When I was growing up, my friends’ little brothers were always talking about Dragonball and the character of Goku. They were always playing around and pretending to be these wonderful Dragonball characters – and now I have the chance to be involved in this amazing story.
Q: How much do you relate to your character in the movie?
A: I love playing the character of Goku because he’s such a positive guy. He symbolises moral good, positivity and hope – but he’s also just a regular kid. He’s out there trying to create a healthier, better and more positive place in the world. I like that a lot.
Q: How similar is this live-action movie to the Dragonball cartoons?
A: The movie is different in a number of ways. The cartoon was about a guy who was already a hero and a developed warrior. But our movie is about a regular guy who finds his way in life – as well as his fate and his destiny.
Q: Did you have to undertake any physical training for the role?
A: I did six weeks of intensive martial arts training. I worked with the stunt guys who worked on Fight Club, 300, Mr & Mrs Smith and the Bourne movies, which was amazing fun. They’re all really talented and each guy specialises in a different form of martial arts, such as ju-jitsu, karate and kung fu.
Q: Take us through your daily workout routine…
A: I would train every day and do a general boot camp to help make me fit enough for the role – and then I’d go to a boot camp in either kung fu or ju-jitsu afterwards. It was tough. It was a lot of work.
Q: Do you carry yourself with more confidence after all this physical training?
A: I used to be a snowboarding slacker dude crossed with a skater dude. I would slouch around high school, but I got addicted to the adrenaline that comes along every time you work out. It has definitely turned me onto a healthier lifestyle. I’ve quit sugar, bread and pasta for six months now – and I find I have much more energy during the day.
Q: Don’t you crave any sugar?
A: I really crave chocolate ice cream. In fact, it would kill me on set. I used to walk past a gelato place every day to get to the shooting location and it would drive me nuts, but I stuck to the discipline.
Q: Were you involved in many stunts for the movie?
A: I’ve got war wounds from Dragonball because it was a very physical role. I would go home with bruises every night, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I have seven scars on my hand from different films. Some people get tattoos, but I get scars.
Q: Did you have an interest in fantasy and comics before you signed up for Dragonball Evolution?
A: Not really, but I immersed myself in the comic book world after I won this role. I made sure I watched all the Dragonball cartoons and movies – and I researched the comics. I love this movie so much because it reminds me of the movies that got me excited when I was a kid – films like Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters and Back To The Future. Those are the movies that had a huge impact on me when I was a kid because the characters all gave such a positive perspective to the world. I hope this movie does the same thing for a new generation.
Q: Ghostbusters star Ernie Hudson is one of your Dragonball Evolution co-stars… How did you react when you met him?
A: I nerded out! I walked past him in the hotel hallway and I screamed, ‘Oh, wow… Ghostbusters.’ He turned his head as if to say, ‘Loser’. Afterwards, I welcomed him to Mexico where the movie was shot and I apologised. I said, ‘I’m sorry, man – I just loved Ghostbusters as a kid and you were great in it.’ He looked at me a little strange, but it wasn’t until we filmed some scenes together that he realised I was the lead actor in the movie. He couldn’t believe it. It was all very funny.
Q: Chow Yun-Fat is another Dragonball Evolution co-star. What was it like to work with him?
A: Chow is amazing, but this is not the Chow you see in most of his films. There’s a lot of comedy in this role, which is something I’ve not seen him do before. He was a lot of fun to be around. I feel really blessed because I learned a lot from every person I worked with on the set.
Q: Did your work on the sci-fi blockbuster War Of The Worlds help you with this movie?
A: Definitely. I was thrown in at the deep end on War Of The Worlds because it was a massive movie with massive stars. I wasn’t used to it at all. It was the biggest movie I’d ever done, so I flapped my arms around and hoped to stay afloat. Thankfully, I got through it.
Q: What did you learn from your War Of The Worlds co-star Tom Cruise?
A: You know what? Tom Cruise is very similar to Goku. He’s very positive and very energetic. He’s very into physical fitness – and sometimes you think it’s too good to be true that he’s so positive, but he is. It rubs off on people. I’ve never seen Tom Cruise grumpy. I’ve never even seen him frown.
Q: So what’s it like to see your face on the big screen?
A: It’s weird. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to it. At the end of the day, I’m playing a hero who has already existed in peoples’ lives through the comics and the cartoons. I just hope I do the comic justice.
Q: Were you anything like Goku when you were growing up?
A: I feel like I was similar to my character in this movie in high school because I was a pretty positive guy. I was nice to everyone, but I never felt that I fit into one particular group. I felt alienated and outlawed by some groups, although I never knew why. I never really had any best friends in high school. I had acquaintances and friends, but I never fit in and I could never understand why.
Q: Do you know why now?
A: I found my niche later on in life. I found that my friends are creative and artistic people – and there weren’t really any of them at my school. I would always doubt myself at school, but if I just trusted myself, maybe I would have discovered that I was meant to find another group of friends. I had to venture out there and explore, rather than following what everyone else was doing.
Q: Are you looking forward to becoming a Hollywood heartthrob?
A: I don’t know about that! To be honest, I try not to think about that kind of stuff. I wouldn’t call myself a heartthrob.
Q: But are you based in Hollywood?
A: I’m from Vancouver, but I moved to LA about five years ago. I came down to visit for two weeks, but I stayed ever since. I told myself I wasn’t going to stay for long, but I ended up liking it too much to leave.
Q: Why didn’t you want to stay in Los Angeles very long?
A: It’s probably got something to do with my parents putting bad thoughts into my head. They’d talk about changing for the worse and the devils and drugs of Hollywood. It’s a load of rubbish because I’ve met the most interesting and beautiful people in my life in LA.
Q: What do you want to do in the future?
A: I want to continue doing what I’m doing. I admire people like Clint Eastwood and Mel Gibson because they branched out into every part of the industry, so maybe I’ll try to follow in their footsteps. Going to movies was my favourite thing as a kid and now I’m involved in it. I can’t believe this is my job. I’m very blessed and I hope I stay with the industry for a long time to come.
