Clive Owen On the Biggest Challenge of Working On Gemini Man

Clive Owen tells us what makes Ang Lee unique as a director.

Shot of Clive Owen and younger version of Will Smith from Gemini Man.

(Photo Courtesy: Screengrab/YouTube)

Clive Owen known for his roles in Children of Men (2006), Closer (2004) and for his part in Croupier (1998). He now plays the bad guy in Ang Lee’s Gemini Man. His character mostly deals with the CGI version of Will Smith i.e. Junior which meant shooting with Will Smith who had a whole camera computer rig on while shooting. While talking to The Quint he opens up about working with Ang Lee and what makes him different from the other filmmakers. He also speaks about Will Smith and what a generous actor he is.

Working with Ang Lee. What makes him unique as a director?

He’s got the whole spectrum covered. He can do films from the most intimate psychological drama to to state of the art technology as this film, and be totally on top of all of it. And carries everything. He carries a film of this size, this complicated you know. Every time we do a shot there are five special effects, people standing around having things to say and he carries it all with a real elegance and lightness of touch. So there’s never any drama, he never gets frazzled. He’s just very quiet, elegant but also a powerhouse, super strong and powerful but just in a very elegant way.

Because you’ve worked with Will Smith can you tell us three things about him that we don’t know?

I don’t know if you know them or don’t know them, but I found him to be hugely impressive. Terribly generous as an actor in terms of when the camera’s not on him and the camera’s on you. He is as committed and focused and as generous when the camera’s on him, which is a big thing because not all actors are like that. Some actors save themselves when they need to do their thing. He was like, just the ultimate professional. You know, there’s a reason Will Smith’s Will Smith.

Editor: Ashish Maccune