Post by qb on Jun 23, 2005 20:41:36 GMT -5
MANY THANKS to Teri in Florida for sending me the July 2005 issue of MUSCLE & FITNESS!! There’s an interview with Michael Chiklis and Peach, honey, there’s a photo of him that is TO DIE FOR!!
Here’s the interview:
---------------------------------------------
"NEXT BIG THING"
- Jeanine Detz
Michael Chiklis has tackled his share of tough characters: comedy legend-turned-tragedy John Belushi in WIRED, pudgy, punchy Tony Scali in THE COMMISH, and of course, the ultra-cool, kick-ass cop Vic Mackey in THE SHIELD (for which he won an Emmy). But nothing could prepare him to embody, quite literally, the persona of Ben Grimm/The Thing in this summer’s big-screen rendering of FANTASTIC FOUR. Talk about going hard and heavy!
Q. So was that costume a blast or what?
MC: When they put that suit on me for the first time, I had a full-on anxiety attack. I didn’t realize, psychologically and physically, what I was in for until then. I thought, “Oh my God, I can’t do this.” It wasn’t a claustrophobic thing; it was more of a control issue. Because, when they glue my hands on, I can’t get out. It would take two people quite a while to get it off me. When I was alone, it was terrible. When I engaged with people, I could stay in the moment and it was okay. Except for the heat.
Q. How did you prepare physically?
MC: I started running a lot before the movie. I would just get on a treadmill and run 6 to 7 miles because I thought I’d need my endurance to be really up. And from the day I started the movie, that all went right out the window. It had nothing to do with wind endurance. Knowing that I know now, I would’ve trained with a weighted vest on so that my legs would be prepared to deal with the weight.
Q. What was the moving like?
MC: Incredibly cumbersome. You’re drinking 15-20 bottles of water a day because you’re sweating as if you’re in a full jog, and the outfit absorbs that water. So as the day goes on, it gets harder and heavier and hotter. And going to the bathroom was a 45 minute ordeal. I had to train my body to just go at the beginning and end of the day. By the end, my system was completely screwed up.
Q And yet you had pushed for The Thing to be real, not CGI (computer generated imagery), right?
MC: Yeah! That was a great irony, and I was kicking myself. But at the end of the day, when you look at it, it’s unbelievable. The whole thing about Ben Grimm is he’s a man trapped in a body he doesn’t want to be in. When you see the close-ups [of me], you can tell he’s in there, wanting to get out. That’s such a pathos for the character. I ended up hating the suit, yet it gave me everything I needed to play him.
Q. How much can The Thing bench?
MC: Ha! I gotta get back up on my stats about him. I think it’s something like 8,500 pounds.
Q. And you?
MC: Let’s put it this way—whatever I ‘ve lost in raw power, I more than make up for in experience.
Q. Have you ever been athletic?
MC: I played baseball, hockey, and football in high school. And it has come in handy in my life, because working on a film set is like a team sport. You can’t go onto a set and have it be all about you. Film is the best when it is collaborative.
Q. Was it tough returning to THE SHIELD right after the movie?
MC: I went through the worst flu of my life when I got out of that suit. My body said, “Okay, you’re done,” and I just fell apart. At the same time, I went back into Vic Mackey, one of the toughest characters in the television world. When you have the flu so bad you want to crawl into bed in the fetal position, suck your thumb, and say “Mommy,” it’s kind of hard to play a badass. I just pushed through it and now I am on the other side.
Q. How would you compare THE SHIELD to your earlier police gig, THE COMMISH?
MC: Oh god. They couldn’t be more different. I love THE COMMISH because it was what it was, a family-friendly cop show. Now THE SHIELD is adult, smart, provocative, top-shelf material. It’s the kind of stuff that you fantasize you wanna do. Finally you get a shot like this, you try to do the best you can with it.
Q. Between you and Bruce Willis, bald is back. How’d that look evolve?
MC: Shaving my head was part of reinventing myself before THE SHIELD happened. It just so happened that it fit Vic Mackey. I was going to the gym 2 ½ to 3 hours a day, six days a week for six months leading up to the show, so I was in sick shape. And shaving my head was part of the transformation. I wanted to shed everything, and I shed the hair as well.
Here’s the interview:
---------------------------------------------
"NEXT BIG THING"
- Jeanine Detz
Michael Chiklis has tackled his share of tough characters: comedy legend-turned-tragedy John Belushi in WIRED, pudgy, punchy Tony Scali in THE COMMISH, and of course, the ultra-cool, kick-ass cop Vic Mackey in THE SHIELD (for which he won an Emmy). But nothing could prepare him to embody, quite literally, the persona of Ben Grimm/The Thing in this summer’s big-screen rendering of FANTASTIC FOUR. Talk about going hard and heavy!
Q. So was that costume a blast or what?
MC: When they put that suit on me for the first time, I had a full-on anxiety attack. I didn’t realize, psychologically and physically, what I was in for until then. I thought, “Oh my God, I can’t do this.” It wasn’t a claustrophobic thing; it was more of a control issue. Because, when they glue my hands on, I can’t get out. It would take two people quite a while to get it off me. When I was alone, it was terrible. When I engaged with people, I could stay in the moment and it was okay. Except for the heat.
Q. How did you prepare physically?
MC: I started running a lot before the movie. I would just get on a treadmill and run 6 to 7 miles because I thought I’d need my endurance to be really up. And from the day I started the movie, that all went right out the window. It had nothing to do with wind endurance. Knowing that I know now, I would’ve trained with a weighted vest on so that my legs would be prepared to deal with the weight.
Q. What was the moving like?
MC: Incredibly cumbersome. You’re drinking 15-20 bottles of water a day because you’re sweating as if you’re in a full jog, and the outfit absorbs that water. So as the day goes on, it gets harder and heavier and hotter. And going to the bathroom was a 45 minute ordeal. I had to train my body to just go at the beginning and end of the day. By the end, my system was completely screwed up.
Q And yet you had pushed for The Thing to be real, not CGI (computer generated imagery), right?
MC: Yeah! That was a great irony, and I was kicking myself. But at the end of the day, when you look at it, it’s unbelievable. The whole thing about Ben Grimm is he’s a man trapped in a body he doesn’t want to be in. When you see the close-ups [of me], you can tell he’s in there, wanting to get out. That’s such a pathos for the character. I ended up hating the suit, yet it gave me everything I needed to play him.
Q. How much can The Thing bench?
MC: Ha! I gotta get back up on my stats about him. I think it’s something like 8,500 pounds.
Q. And you?
MC: Let’s put it this way—whatever I ‘ve lost in raw power, I more than make up for in experience.
Q. Have you ever been athletic?
MC: I played baseball, hockey, and football in high school. And it has come in handy in my life, because working on a film set is like a team sport. You can’t go onto a set and have it be all about you. Film is the best when it is collaborative.
Q. Was it tough returning to THE SHIELD right after the movie?
MC: I went through the worst flu of my life when I got out of that suit. My body said, “Okay, you’re done,” and I just fell apart. At the same time, I went back into Vic Mackey, one of the toughest characters in the television world. When you have the flu so bad you want to crawl into bed in the fetal position, suck your thumb, and say “Mommy,” it’s kind of hard to play a badass. I just pushed through it and now I am on the other side.
Q. How would you compare THE SHIELD to your earlier police gig, THE COMMISH?
MC: Oh god. They couldn’t be more different. I love THE COMMISH because it was what it was, a family-friendly cop show. Now THE SHIELD is adult, smart, provocative, top-shelf material. It’s the kind of stuff that you fantasize you wanna do. Finally you get a shot like this, you try to do the best you can with it.
Q. Between you and Bruce Willis, bald is back. How’d that look evolve?
MC: Shaving my head was part of reinventing myself before THE SHIELD happened. It just so happened that it fit Vic Mackey. I was going to the gym 2 ½ to 3 hours a day, six days a week for six months leading up to the show, so I was in sick shape. And shaving my head was part of the transformation. I wanted to shed everything, and I shed the hair as well.