|
This sequel to the 2000 film, The Whole Nine Yards, is scheduled
to be released on April 9, nationwide.
The
“hit man with a heart of gold,” Jimmy “The Tulip”
Tudeski (Willis) traded his murderous past for domestic bliss,
with his wife, Jill (Amanda Peet). With the help of ex-neighbor,
Oz (Perry), Jimmy faked his own death, to quietly slip out of
the hit-man world.
However,
Oz needs “the Tulip’s” help in rescuing his wife,
abducted by the Hungarian mob. Jimmy reluctantly agrees, and as
the plot unfolds, he discovers he took on a greater job than he
imagined.
“People
really liked the first movie,” Perry commented, obviously
eagerly anticipating the release of The Whole Ten Yards. Willis
expressed a similar sentiment, explaining “I was excited
[about the sequel]…I wanted to do it again.” In a recent
teleconference interview, Willis and Perry voiced their thoughts
on working with one another on a second feature, the new film
itself and future projects.
Perry
and Willis have great chemistry, and this was clear in their banter
during the interview.
“We’re
better friends…we know so much more about each other’s
comedic timing,” Willis said, indicating that this made The
Whole Ten Yards a more relaxed experience. The guys just wanted
to have fun with the film, and hope that their enjoyment working
on it is projected to the audience. “We just tried to be
goofy, just to make people laugh…we work together here as
friends,” Willis affirmed.
Perry
agreed, stating “it’s a great creative process [making
the film]. We’ve tried to assemble the best team…it’s
funny, wacky and funny…we set out to do a good job.”
The
easiest part of production was, in Willis’ eyes, “working
with the same, funny crew of people who had a big, fun time on
The Whole Nine Yards.” Contrary to his acting resume, which
includes many action hits such as Tears of the Sun (2003), The
Fifth Element (1997) and, of course, the Die Hard series, Willis
is a big fan of working on comedies. “I always enjoy comedy,
trying to do comedy” and he described the shift from dramatic
work to comedy as “not hard, it’s fun.”
Perry,
on the other hand, is looking to expand his horizons, and move
away from his past romantic, slapstick roles, such as in Serving
Sara (2002), Fools Rush In (1997), and as the sweet, sarcastic
Chandler Bing on Friends. “[I] kind of get typecast a bit,”
he admitted, “most people just think of me as just doing
slapstick.”
When
asked about his future projects, Perry enthusiastically revealed
“I’m focusing more on Hawaiian Punch commercials,”
and “I’ve been looking to get more figure skating into
[my work].” Naturally, he plans on remaining an actor, but
didn’t specify what his next move post-Friends would be.
As
The Whole Ten Yards takes place several years after its prequel,
Willis and Perry had to explore their character growth. Jimmy
is married, and very focused on household duties, such as cooking
and cleaning, taking on the stereotypical “female” role.
Oz is thrust back into the underground, hit-man world; something
he thought was completely behind him after Jimmy moved away.
“I
think the characters…hate each other in a weird way, and
love each other in a weird way,” observed Willis. “Well,
I’ve gotten a lot better looking,” Perry joked, but
revealed that “Buster Keaton” was a major influence
“for the physical comedy.”
When
asked which actors they would most like to work on a film with,
the pair voiced contrasting preferences. Willis vaguely voiced
his aspirations, and said “a ton of guys…the Cohen brothers…A-List
guys.” Perry answered he wanted to work alongside “any
of your famous cartoon characters.”
At
times, it was hard to discern how serious Willis and Perry were
during the interview. They joked back and forth, giving truly
hilarious answers to some often clichéd questions. Their
interaction was a pleasure to listen to, and one can only wait
eagerly to see if they convey the same friendly, comic competition
in The Whole Ten Yards.
*
|
advertisement
|
advertisement
