Full disclosure: I've been a fan of Dolph Lundgren ever since my dad took me & a friend to see "Rocky IV" on the big screen back in lovely Yellowknife all those years ago. Sure, he was ruthlessly perfect as the ruthless Ivan Drago (to this day, people still talk about avenging Apollo Creed when I bring up Dolph to them!), but there was something about his screen presence that just had me awe-inspired. So, over the years, I've seen all of his films, bought them all on DVD, even tracked down a VHS copy of his "Maximum Potential" work-out video from the mid-80s, and actually ran the most popular fan site dedicated to the guy for several years. Although I tried for many years to get ahold of Dolph - get a letter in front of him, try to land an interview or even an email from the man - I never met with any success, and ended up handing over the reins to the fan site to another rabid fan residing in France.

In a world of beautiful serendipity, thanks to the mighty CalgaryMovies.com and Sony Canada, all these years later I finally got my chance to talk to Dolph, as he was doing promotion for his latest film, "The Russian Specialist" which he came up with the story for, starred in and directed (click here for our DVD review!). Handed a number to call, I did just that, and ended up having a fantastic 25 minute conversation with the man who injected such emotion into the 4 simple words uttered to Balboa: "I must break you."

A fan for so long, how does one just sit down and call up one's favourite actor? "Oh hi, Mr. Lundgren, he of dozens of movies, he of some of the most fantastical action movies in the last 20 years... mind talking to a guy sitting in an office in downtown Calgary?" Well, I sat down, I dialed, and we talked... and it was truly excellent. Note that I was trying to scribble down notes as fast I could, so rather than delivering a question & answer transcription below, instead you'll find highlights and key points of what was discussed...

The first couple minutes of conversation were me gushing as the fanboy, letting Mr. Lundgren know just what a big fan I was, owning all his films, running the fan site, etc. I actually took the time to think about whether or not I wanted to take that approach, as I'm sure all actors get the "ooh, I'm such a big fan" type of fawning all the time, but then I realized that this is my one chance to actually have a conversation with one of my favourite actors, so the last thing I'm going to do is play it cool & laid back - I AM a fan, and I'm going to let him know... both for selfish reasons, but also to let him know that this interview just isn't another reporter-talking-to-actor, get-the-high-points, write-it-up and walk away... I was a fan, and my questions were from a fan, so hopefully that would open up the conversation to a different level than most interviewers might get... Break down the facade of standard answers, and instead talk turkey, mano-a-mano, fan-a-superstar...

The first questions revolved around his latest film, The Russian Specialist (aka "The Mechanik") - a film he not only starred in, but also came up with the story and directed! In Dolph's words, the film is a western set in Russia, all about revenge & redemption and about a man coming to terms with his past and moving on. I had watched (and reviewed) the film, and I really enjoyed it - sure, it was action, with lots of gunplay and fight scenes - but it had a powerful story and really strong characterization... plus, it was quite realistic: someone gets shot, they go down, messily.

I asked him about the evolution of the film, and it turns out they were looking for a story to fit with the locations they had available to them, as they didn't have as much pre-production and preparation time as he might've liked. The script was finished in the summer of 2004, the film was shot at the end of 2004 (approx. 30-35 day shoot), edited by early 2005, delivered in summer 2005, sound & locked done by Sept 2005, released in Russia in October 2005 (due to piracy concerns there), and finally released in North America on DVD in February of 2006.

I asked him about the challenges presented by wearing so many hats on a production and carrying such a responsibility in the creation of a film, and he said it was indeed very fun and very challenging. He really enjoyed it, and if he didn't, he wouldn't want to do it again. Dolph talked about how he liked being more in control of the entire process, as his experience as an actor and position as a director allows him to use input from others, work with the actors from their point of view (not just the director's), and ensure as smooth of sailing as possible. As a director, his responsibility is to respect the actors and give them a safe, relaxed environment to work and flourish. Directing is a heavier load to carry than just acting, as there's just so much more to focus on and worry about on set: angles, cameras, producers, cast, etc.

Amusing aside: at this point in the conversation, Dolph's young daughter came into the room and started to talk to Daddy, so he excused himself for a moment and I heard (but didn't understand) a father talking to his daughter, and I realized that while he may be this big-name actor, he really is just another guy, just another dad, with his own unique profession but all of the realities of any other average joe in the world...

In talking about the film's release in Russia, Dolph said he was there doing promotion, and saw it sitting on a video store shelf, and really liked the Russian box cover. What I picked up on - and commented to him - was that how refreshing it was to hear him say that. Here is a big-name actor, dozens of films under his belt, and he's telling me about how excited he got when he saw his film in a video store, and talking about how much he liked what they did with the cover... The passion is still there, the unabashed enthusiasm for what he's doing, and despite all his success, he's still enjoying things like seeing his movie on a video store shelf - that is fantastic...

Moving on, I asked Dolph about filming in Canada, as he's done a few movies North of 60 here. He's shot in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver (the big fight scenes in "Rocky IV" were shot there, fyi). He replied that he loves working in Canada, as you get all of the benefits of North America (professional crews, professional look) without some of the hassles that come along with shooting in the U.S. (more expensive, teamsters & unions, etc.).

I asked him what catches his eye in a script, after all these years and after such an already-stellar career. he said that there are 2 ways he approaches new films now:

• The first is to come up with his own ideas, develop them, see what can get financed and what you can shoot. He loves these, as he owns the story and it's then that much easier to work with it if it's your own project - you're ready to bleed for it and give it your all. He also noted that he has a couple of such projects currently on the go...
• The second is to read scripts that come in - typically, these are films that would need him in them to get made (i.e. get financing with his name attached), and typically have lots of action and violence in them, and/or are historical/period pieces. Now that he's also looking to direct as well as act, he's looking for more complex and stronger stories - i.e. more meat for him to sink his teeth into. (my words, not his)

Although I knew the answers from other interviews I'd read online, I had to ask Dolph if there were any truth to some of the online rumours I'd read about Ivan Drago returning in the upcoming 6th installment in the "Rocky" franchise... to which he replied, "No, unfortunately..." (with a chuckle, of course).

Finally, as a budding independent b-movie maker, I had to ask Dolph if there was any chance I could get him to film a cameo in an upcoming zombie kung-fu flick (the planned sequel to my little Calgary-filmed opus, Rotten Shaolin Zombies), to which I expected nothing more than a little laugh and a polite, but dismissive, answer. Much to my surprise, Dolph did laugh (in a good-natured way), and said that you never know - maybe if he's up in Canada and passing through Calgary, we could figure something out.... Are you kidding me?! Did Dolph Lundgren just sort of agree to maybe think about being in RSZ 2?!?

In closing, I thanked Dolph for his time and the great conversation (25 minutes worth!) and he also thanked me for my time and asked me to provide his assistant with a link to the posted interview so he could check it out. Going into this interview (nervousness aside), I didn't know what to expect - would he turn out to be a high-falootin', pompous actor? Would I get 5 minutes of standard stock answers? Well, as it turned out, he was not only accommodating with his time and answers, and put real thought into what I was asking before offering up his responses, but he was a genuinely nice guy. I say that again: he was a genuinely nice, friendly guy - easy to talk with, quick to laugh, polite and intelligent and well-spoken, and as big of a fan as I was going into this interview, I'm an even bigger one now.

Thanks very much Mr. Lundgren - and stay tuned for the special role I'm going to write for you in RSZ 2!

For more information on Dolph Lundgren, visit his official web site, his Internet Movie Database entry, or the fantastic DOLPH - The Ultimate Guide fan site.