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movie news
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Thu. 05 24. 2007 6:01 AM EDT
Original 'Hitcher' Rutger Hauer On Playing The Heavy, In Role Call
Actor's autobiography, 'All Those Moments,' recently hit shelves.
by
Josh Horowitz
Rutger Hauer
(
MTV News
)
He tussled with Harrison Ford, romanced Michelle Pfeiffer (even if she was a hawk most of the time) and played a blind swordsman. Such is the illustrious résumé of the great Rutger Hauer. Since making his mark in his native Netherlands by
collaborating with fellow Dutchman Paul Verhoeven in the 1970s, Hauer has had one of those careers that inspires an unusual kind of fan worship (count this writer among his admirers). On the occasion of the publication of his new autobiography, "All Those Moments: Stories of Heroes, Villains, Replicants and Blade Runners," MTV spent some quality time with Hauer recalling some of his most memorable roles.
"Nighthawks" (1981)
Hauer's first major American film was an action flick that starred Sylvester Stallone and allowed him to flex his villainous muscles for the first time.
"You know what they say about [Bill] Clinton? When he enters a room, the room changes. This character: same idea, just different. When he enters the room, your life is going to change and not for the better, probably. Your life could be ending right now."
"Blade Runner" (1982)
Though it received mixed reviews when first released, this groundbreaking sci-fi film from Ridley Scott gave Hauer his most celebrated role, that of replicant Roy Batty.
"I'd never seen a script like this before, never saw a director who was looking at it this way and never felt more comfortable," he said. "I could put anything in that I thought would be totally impossible and make it more exciting. I have two moments with [Harrison Ford]. One, he hits me over the head — short scene, 20 seconds, boom. And the other scene is on the rooftop, where I say, 'Saved your ass, how are you doing?' I didn't see a lot of him. We were always on different sides of the wall.
The day I broke his finger, he wasn't there."
"Ladyhawke" (1985)
After playing a string of memorable villains, Hauer got to show his heroic side in this old-fashioned sword-and-sorcery romp from Richard Donner.
"Kurt Russell was set to do the role," he said. "I'm not sure what happened. Thank you, Kurt. Thank you, Dick [Donner]. The year before, Dick wanted to give me the bad-guy [role] and I said, 'Dick, it's boring. Don't give me that. Consider me for the good guy.' Thank God he remembered and wanted me. He called up and said, 'Are you ready? Because I really need you now,' and I said, 'I'm on my way.' Great horse, great bird, great Michelle [Pfeiffer] and lovely story."
"The Hitcher" (1986)
Terrorizing C. Thomas Howell gave Hauer one of his most memorable roles, and the thriller immediately attracted a cult following.
"It's one of the movies I like best," he said. "I don't know why I like it so much. I think it's funny. I think it's scary. I think it's even warm in places. But maybe that's because I'm so cold."
Earlier this year, a remake of "The Hitcher" was released. It turns out Hauer was given an opportunity to make a cameo in the retelling.
"My agent was very excited. He said, 'They want to pay you lots of money,' and I said, 'Oh really? How long do I shoot?' He said, 'Oh, only one day.' I said, 'Well, I guess it's not the hitcher that they're asking me to [play].' I said, 'Maybe with "The Hitcher 7." OK?' End of story."
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1992)
Before the TV show spawned a phenomenon, there was a film that was best known for a rogues'-gallery cast that included Hauer, Paul Reubens and Luke Perry.
"I had a great time making the movie," he said. "I was the first one on board. The whole thing for me is that vampires are not sexy. They're dead. They have no feelings. It's all bull. They're performing, just like actors perform. The closest character to an actor is a vampire. Excuse me, without the teeth."
"Batman Begins" (2005)
Devoted Hauer fans were pleased to see the actor pop up in a big Hollywood spectacle for the first time in many years, playing a villain in the relaunch of the "Batman" series.
"I was about to do a small independent film with a bunch of crazy Internet people who had written a story," he said. "It was about a virus that gets into a building and starts to work on people's brains. Very interesting, intriguing story; very nice people. Then I got a call that the money is gone. There wasn't a lot anyway. Then I got a call from my agent, and he said they're shooting a 'Batman' in London and Christopher Nolan is directing. So I read the script Friday, called them Saturday and on Sunday, I sat down with Christopher Nolan at breakfast. It was just an hour, and he said, 'OK, this is nice, let's start work on Monday.' He could only do that because they gave him the power, and I love him for it. I like people who work like that, and I like also people like me who take it."
This report is from MTV News.
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