英語と映画

Vol. 5 : ミリオンダラー・ベイビー

クリント・イーストウッド監督の25作目となった映画『ミリオンダラー・ベイビー』は、今年のアカデミー賞で作品賞、監督賞など4部門を獲得。ボクサーを目指す主人公役を演じ、主演女優賞に輝いたヒラリー・スワンクと、助演男優賞を受賞したモーガン・フリーマンが先日来日し、東京で記者会見を行ない、映画にまつわるさまざまなエピソードについて語った。

Question: Why do you think "Million-Dollar Baby" won the Oscar for best picture?

Hilary Swank: I think this is a movie of the heart. It's a real story about real people, and those stories, people connect to, they're universal, and I think that's why it did so well.

Morgan Freeman: I agree. Conventional wisdom also has it that if your character is maimed, hurt, in a wheelchair, crippled, or something like that, and your character is up for an Academy Award then you'll get it.

Swank: And having Clint Eastwood at the helm doesn't hurt.

Question: What do you feel about winning your Academy Award?

Swank: It's such a great honor. It's such a surprise. I don't think it's quite sunk in yet. I'm pinching myself all the time. To be in such great company with the other actors and actresses, who I admire and who inspire me. It's just an unbelievable dream come true.

Freeman: I'm of course very happy to have received the award, but the best part of having received the award is having received it in company with Clint （Eastwood） and Hilary and the movie itself. In other words, we were all honored with this award, so I wasn't singled out or anything. I was part of a package.

Question: So did you get hit in those fight scenes?

Swank: I absolutely got hit — many times. It was good though, which is weird to say, but it was good because it made me feel like a boxer. During my training, my trainer wouldn't let me wear a face guard because he said if you have a face guard on then you're not going to move your head, and obviously an important part of boxing is learning how to move your head. I did get hit by Lucia Rijker, who is a professional boxer. She's in the film. That last fight scene is with Lucia. We had these five moves prepared, and she had this right hook, and I was supposed to go under her right hook, but I forgot, so I got hit by Lucia Rijker.

（Note: Hilary Swank underwent an extremely tough training program, gaining 20 pounds in muscle over the course of the shoot. She also contracted bacterial infection from a blister she developed on her foot during training. It became so serious that she almost had to go to hospital, but instead she took a week off filming, and never told Eastwood or the producers what had happened because she did not think it would be in character.）

Question: What was it like playing Maggie Fitzgerald? How close is she to your real character?

Swank: I would say Maggie is closer to me than any character that I've ever played. Our backgrounds are very similar. I had a dream, just like Maggie, and I was really driven to pursue that dream. I had people believe in me and helped me pursue that dream, and I was also very lucky.

Question: Would you do what she did at the end of the film?

Swank: As for the end of the film, as to how I feel about that aspect, my job is to just tell the story, and it doesn't necessarily reflect my opinions or Clint's opinions. It was Maggie's choice.

Question: What was it like working with Clint Eastwood?

Swank: Clint is a true anomaly. He's one of a kind. His gift is: He says he hires the people that he feels are right for the job, and then he lets them do their job. Now, he says that but you watch the movie and you realize how gently you've been guided and led under his watchful eye. He doesn't push you or force you. He's keen and observant and so brilliant.

Freeman:I think what most actors, or all actors, remark about Clint and his work is how respectful he is of actors. I'm sure part of that is because he himself is an actor and he himself understands the process very clearly. He directs the film. He does a real good job of keeping the film moving at the pace that he wants it to move. He pretty much backs out of the way of the actors. What I appreciate — deeply — from any director is having the freedom to interpret the role, and he gives you that. He doesn't offer any guidance or advice. Sometimes I think it can be arrogant to do so. In that, I think he differs from most — not all — directors.