Emile Hirsch may soon be the new name on everyone’s lips, given the 23 year old's already impressive CV. Thus far he’s starred alongside Jodie Foster, Bruce Willis and acted opposite the late Heath Ledger in one of his last movies, The Lords of Dogtown. Today, however, he’s here to talk about his new starring role in the long-awaited Speed Racer, the first film directed by The Wachowski Brothers since The Matrix. In it he plays Speed, a young racing driver who attempts to uncover the corruption and greed that rules his sport.
Hirsch has had a great few months, with the late part of last year seeing him star in the critically adored Into The Wild, which was directed by Sean Penn and earned two Oscar nominations. “It’s really an exciting time for me” says Hirsch. “‘Into The Wild’ was an amazing experience, from the very beginning - getting the part, shooting it, getting it’s release and then how people responded to it. I feel really privileged to have been a part of that, and this film, for so many reasons that are different.”
He adds that the change from edgy independent film to multi-million dollar action was a great challenge for him. “A lot of people say to me, ‘these are such different projects’ and I think that’s what so much fun about them. Also, the fact that they’re back-to-back for me, they were about 4 months apart.”
The role sees him working with the enigmatic Wachowski Brothers, however it was not the first time he had met the pair. “Believe it or not, I had actually met them years and years ago on ‘The Matrix 2’, I had auditioned for one of the roles” he says. “I was mesmerised by them when I first met them. I thought that they were just so brilliant, and I was such a huge fan of ‘The Matrix’, that to get to meet the guys who created ‘The Matrix’ was like a ‘holier than thou’ meeting! So when I came back in years later, I was really hoping that this time I’d get the part.”
Although he had to act against a green screen (a process which he simply describes as “maddening”), Hirsch researched into the culture of motor racing, a process which he enjoyed immensely. “That’s one of the things I’ve always enjoyed about being an actor, is that you can not know about all these different worlds” he enthuses. “Just like I didn’t know much about the outdoors before I did ‘Into The Wild’, but you get to learn about it. And that’s always been one of the more fascinating parts for me is before the cameras even roll, getting to go to Texas and see the speedway, and NASCAR, and see all the cars and drivers. It’s just a whole different world.”
Finally, given all that exposure to speed, has he noticed his driving getting a bit more adventurous? “No” laughs Hirsch, “I certainly have a lot of respect for race car drivers, but I’m not a very fast driver.”
Speed Racer is released 9th May.
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