TAF EXCLUSIVE: AN INTERVIEW WITH ANDREW DAVIS!
Davis tells TAF why "Damage" ended up rated R!
Reported By: Randy Jennings
Tuesday, January 29, 2002
The ARNOLD FANS: Last year when we talked to you, you
said you had a PG-13 rating in mind for Collateral Damage. Can
you tell me what decisions lead to the heavy R-rating?
Andrew Davis:Well, The Fugitive was PG-13
but I think it's a different time. I think ratings are tougher
these days and it was very hard to depict the realities of Colombia,
this bombing and staying in the guidelines of what it would
of had to have been in.
I've seen some films lately that are PG-13 that I go 'wow, that's
pretty violent' but if you don't show the blood, if you don't
swear you can do a lot of things.
Q: It IS a fairly violent graphic film. Are you under
any criticism at all for that?
AD:I was probably under some influence to
distribute it at a certain level based upon what the expectations
are for Arnold's audience. I personally don't like that stuff
and I don't go out of my way to say 'Hey, isn't it great what
we did there? There are a few moments in the film that I think
ARE STRONG but they tested it and some parts of the audience
like that stuff and some do not.
Q: Arnold never carries a gun in this movie but he relies
heavily on his wits and he has the opportunity to pick up a
gun a couple of times and he doesn't. What is the thinking behind
that?
AD:Well, like I said, he is a lifesaver. He MAY take
a life but he's very specific. He's not willing to kill a bunch
of innocent people in doing that. I don't believe he had access
to a gun once he's in Columbia - he probably could have found
one but your not allowed to walk around in the Guerrilla zone
unless they want you to have one and they certainly didn't want
this mechanic to have one. So I consciously did not want to
see Arnold Schwarzenegger running around spraying bullets all
the time. That's not the movie I wanted to make and the studio
was supportive of that. And If you try to make a more realistic
and more emotionally connected story about a man who doesn't
have those tools - but is driven by his own sense of resolution
or closure as to what happened to his family and let's go find
this guy.
TAF EXCLUSIVE: AN INTERVIEW WITH ANDREW DAVIS!