Ryan Reynolds talks vampires in Blade: Trinity

Do you still have your six pack?

Ryan Reynolds: Oh, it's a one pack now, I'm afraid. More of a keg.

Now, instead of wise-cracking yourself out of a tough situation, do you just kick someone's ass?

Ryan Reynolds: I just beat people senseless, yeah. That's pretty much it. That's the current of my life at the moment.

Did you enjoy shooting that scene with Parker Posey in the dungeon?

Ryan Reynolds: I could still be shooting that scene and I would be very happy about that. It's just so much fun to work with an improv pro in a very large scale action movie. That's is few and far between to find somebody that can just go like that. She was just a treat.

You've still got some of your muscles. How hard is it to keep up when you're not getting paid to look like that?

Ryan Reynolds: I'll never work out like that again. That was pretty intense but it slowly goes away. I'm ten pounds lighter than I was in the movie but we put on a little over twenty pounds just for the role specifically. David asked me when I first met him, "Can you do that?" And I said, "Absolutely." That was so full of sh*t. I didn't know if I could do that. But whenever an actor auditions for anything they're like, "So, can you fly an F-15 Tomcat?" and you're like, "Yeah. I went to camp for it." You just lie, lie, lie and figure it out on the day. But, I actually managed to do it. New Line was very helpful with trainers and nutritionists. You learn so much and you've just got to live it and do the four hours of whatever every day.

Like weights?

Ryan Reynolds: Yeah, like more weights than I could ever dream of. I can hear the clink of barbells in my head still. It was intense. We'd do two hours of weightlifting a day and then an hour of fight training and then go shoot for fifteen hours. The shoot was a workout. When you're getting tossed around like a midget with Triple H, it looked like midget tossing. I thought I was big but that guy, you know.

What were the nutritional restrictions?

Ryan Reynolds: There weren't restrictions for me. Jessie had a very different diet but I had to eat, eat, eat, eat, as much as you possibly can all the time in every shape and form.

No matter carbs or protein?

Ryan Reynolds: It didn't matter. Every two hours I would eat.

And the fight with Triple H, how much of that was you being flung around?

Ryan Reynolds: All of it. I mean this with some humility but we got in such shape that they couldn't find stuntmen that looked like us, Jessie or I, so we just did them. That little space is so small that you're going to know if it's a stunt man if you get somebody else.

So what's it like being pounded by Triple H?

Ryan Reynolds: I recommend it for everyone. It's fantastic, very character building for one, very painful for another. These guys don't know subtlety in a physical sense. When he picks you up and throws you, he picks you up and throws you. The floor was cement because I had to slide every time he threw me. We'd established that early on in another sequence which we'd shot so there was no way to put a rubber floor down as much as we tried. We begged them to. We put one down but it just didn't look right. I'd bounce off the ground. So, it was hell. We shot it four or five days, that one sequence. Just kept going at it. Two grown men wrestling around on the ground.

Was it important to actually be able to do all that fight stuff or just look like you could do it?

Ryan Reynolds: Both were important. The whole reason I had to get in shape like that [was] if he was just a wise-cracking guy, I think I would want to kill him. I'd want him to look like he could actually handle himself. And, it also adds to that vampire mythology. Hannibal was a vampire and was turned but he still has some of his abilities and I just thought it was interesting, we all did, for him to look that part. It was also important to do it. I wanted to watch the movie and say ‘I did that'.

Did either Triple H or Wesley give you any advice about the physical routine?

Ryan Reynolds: I think they both said, on the first day, I'll never forget it, "Stay the f*ck out of my way."

We hear that Wesley was really quiet on the set.

Ryan Reynolds: Well, he's Blade. He's a method actor.

Was that helpful to you?

Ryan Reynolds: Oh yeah. I mean it's perfect. We are contentious to begin with, our characters. We're fighting on the same side against a common enemy but we're adversaries as well so it really helps. The less he gives me when I'm popping off, the more it feeds me, the more it inspires me. There was a scene where, it was something that I begged David to let me do and it was where he [Blade] just throws some guy off the roof and I wanted to say to him, because I'd never actually seen Wesley blink and I said, I'd really like to say something to Wesley while we're walking away in this badass shot. David was torn because it was like one of those real trailer moments where the three of us are walking, looking badass, or you play it where Hannibal is like, "Have you ever thought of sitting down with somebody, having a little share time, working out some of these childhood demons. When you threw that guy off the roof and also you might want to try blinking once in a while. It's just a thought." When Wesley looks at you when you're saying that stuff, it just feeds you. He looks like he's just going to turn you into some kind of ass pulp any second.

Do you think he's laughing inside?

Ryan Reynolds: I hope so. Aren't we all?

Wasn't that creepy between takes when you're hanging out?

Ryan Reynolds: Yeah and you're like, "My life might be in danger." He's so method though and I certainly don't subscribe to that style of acting at all. You might have seen some of my work but whatever works for him and whatever works for anybody, I give so much respect and space for that. If that's the way Wesley works, I respect that. At the same time I have a job to do as well so I'm going to use whatever is in the environment to do that job.

After wrapping, did you ever talk to him?

Ryan Reynolds: No. I had no life. No one did. I'd have to go home and eat.

I mean after the whole production was over.

Ryan Reynolds: I had a few moments with Wes where we'd chat. Sometimes early in the morning when we'd be coming in before he'd get all into the gear, we'd have little chats, small talk and share a pretzel.

How was working with the vampire dogs? You have a doggie on your shirt.

Ryan Reynolds: It looks like my dog, actually. The vampire dog Bam Bam was a great dog. That's the little Pomeranian. That was David's idea. I loved that. It was originally written as a Doberman or something else and David was like, "It's a Pomeranian." "Oh, all right. That's inspired. I love that." Bam Bam was great. They were putting liver on my ears to make him lick my ears and it got a little gross. Eww, that slivery little tongue feels like it's poking my brain. Sensory memory. But the dogs were great. It's the dog owners and trainers you want to be wary of.

What kind of research did you do for this on vampires or whatever?

Ryan Reynolds: I definitely got into the mythology of it all but I was a huge Blade fan before. I have both DVDs at home. When I first bought a really cool system to play movies on, a home theater system, one of the few things I really splurged on, I tested it out with the first Blade movie because it looks so cool. As far as research goes, you've got to learn. I learned all the various fight training and techniques and choreography. We basically went through a basic overview of some martial arts but Hannibal is a street fighter. He's not like a martial artists.

I was thinking more emotionally, about your character being a vampire before and being cured and going back.

Ryan Reynolds: Not so much other than tapping into a bit or rage. I read a book called "Deep Survival" which I thought was interesting because there's a scene where Hannibal is being tortured by these vampires and I thought, "Well, how would I get out of this situation? How would I keep myself alive or keep myself from breaking?" And this book "Deep Survival" is interesting because it talks about how people use humor to do that, to stay alive. I love that about Hannibal King. He would never sell out his friends or give up his friends. I like that it came from a rooted place of heart and showed a test of his character and mettle. There wasn't a tremendous amount of research that had to go into this. I wasn't speaking Latin or anything like that in the film.

Are you playing James Brolin in The Amityville Horror?

Ryan Reynolds: Yeah. Well, it's not a biopic of James Brolin parse.

But are you doing an impression of Brolin?

Ryan Reynolds: I can't. There's no such thing. That one was a ton of research. Just exploring that story. But we're doing the Jay Anson novel not a re-make of the movie.

Can you make any jokes in that?

Ryan Reynolds: No. The first three scenes are us being taken back further in the first house before they moved into the Amityville house because we just felt it was a more interesting turn to see this guy that you go, "There's no way that that guy is gonna turn" because you see him playing with his step kids. I had the big beard so that was the only Brolin-esque thing. But, it was good, after Blade finished, I still had a beard so I just kept going with it. You see him playing around with these kids and there are some light, humorous moments with the kids and you just go, "That guy could never turn.' It just helped us going to the next place.

Was there any weird stuff going on on the set? They say there is on these haunted house movies.

Ryan Reynolds: I think a lot of people make that stuff up to sell their movies. But, there were some weird things that happened. A lot of the crew was waking up at 3:15 in the morning which was when all these atrocities in the house took place. I think it's a subconscious thing. You read a script and pop awake at 3:15 in the morning, kill a couple of kids.

Was there a dead body found in a river?

Ryan Reynolds: Yes, there was. There you go. In Wisconsin. There was a body that was found on the river and then the real Kathy Lutz died while we were making the movie. There were a few weird things, the dead body not the least of which.

Whose body was it?

Ryan Reynolds: Some guy who was hitchhiking, no. I think it was somebody who just drowned. The cops had to come in the middle of the night because all the lights were flashing on and off, on and off. The cops went up there and there was nobody there.

What did it feel like going to this iconic house?

Ryan Reynolds: They found this house that they sort of retrofitted as the new Amityville house. It was terrifying. I didn't expect it to be scary to shoot the movie and it was. It was a pretty scary house, the production design, everything was unsettling. That's what's more scary to me. It's not like, "Oh, my God, that's terrifying." You walk up and it's just upsetting. There's something about the house that's upsetting, something about the colors around me, everything was just a little upsetting.

How will this re-make really scare us?

Ryan Reynolds: This, unlike a lot of re-makes, is worthy of a re-make. This is from a guy who re-made The In-laws so I know when you do one and when you don't. But this, I think, is a movie that's truly worth it. You stick to the book. This is what we did. We stuck to the book, the Jay Anson novel which was far more in depth in a psychological sense. We went into the psychology of George Lutz a little more and we really enjoyed that. I think with modern technology now, you can still tell the story, which is such a great story. The original, I don't think, holds up at all. I think it was great for its day, but it doesn't hold up so we just remake it with all the abilities we have now, that we're blessed with and we can really create something that is truly scary. I've seen some of it already and it worked.

Can you talk a little bit about working with Jessica on Blade: Trinity? You couldn't joke with Wes but did you two joke with each other?

Ryan Reynolds: Yeah. Constantly. We were having a blast. We were just perpetually exhausted too. Jess was fantastic. It was just great to have her around. It was also great to have somebody to relate to because these guys like Wesley and Triple H, these guys live this way. They are always lifting weights and in shape. When you start out where you've never done that before ever and you have to keep up this huge transformation, it's great to have somebody to relate, just to say, "Oh my God, can you believe this?" That girl's got a few muscles. I consider her a good friend.

Did David Goyer pull a lot of pranks on you?

Ryan Reynolds: He seemed to pull them on Jessie the most and I would too. He seemed to go with Jessie the most. He just threw things at me. He was always throwing stuff at me whether it was candy glass or rubber glass and every time, I would be slammed by Triple H, a full on body slam by this five million pound guy, landed on top of me and I'm lying there wondering if my sternum is snapped in two and David would just peer over the ledge above me and go, "You know you love it." No sympathy. Just cold, so cold. He would mostly just rib me. Character assassination, instead of actual practical jokes.

Is this a character you would love to play again if there were a Blade 4?

Ryan Reynolds: Well, there won't be a Blade 4 but I'm signed on to do a Nightstalkers film. I can't tell you with any certainly there's not going to be a Blade 4 but I would bet a lot on it.

Did you read Wesley's letter?

Ryan Reynolds: I wrote that letter myself. It's like, "Dictation, Wes?" It was always written as a trilogy and I don't see going any further than that. If there is a Blade 4, I would not be involved with it but I am signed on to do this property that Marvel owns which is the Nightstalkers franchise.

Would you fight other monsters?

Ryan Reynolds: Well, that's something we'd have to discuss. David would have to be directing it and writing it. Essentially, The Nightstalkers, originally were part of this group Midnight Sons and there were all these different factions. In the 1970's this comic book was like a Ghostbusters at the time. We would kind of reinvent that. There were a paranormal investigation agency.

Who else would be in it with you and Jessica?

Ryan Reynolds: James Brolin is what I said but they don't listen to me. But, I don't know. Everybody's dead. I don't know who you would get. The little girl grows up and she's played by Famke Janssen. I don't know who you surround us with. I know David really wants Andre 3000, he mentioned. I wouldn't put it past David to write a great villain role for him. That would be an honor. I think that would be great. That is something he's been messing with. I know that's he's not actively writing at this point. It's entirely conjecture at this point. We're just signed to it which they often do.

Are you signed for one or two?

Ryan Reynolds: I'm signed for one.

Are you worried about getting stuck in this genre?

Ryan Reynolds:Amityville is totally different. There's no winking in Amityville, a little bit lighthearted in the first ten pages and then you go into a really dark, depressing, psychologically imbalanced place.

Was it that important to you go get a chance to-

Ryan Reynolds: To act? Yeah. It was important. Some time this year I wanted to do that. It was kind of a banner year. I'd mostly been spending my time in Vancouver. I always have one foot in and one foot out of this business. While, I like to do it a couple of times a year, I was never really invested in it so whole-heartedly and now I feel like I am. I just really love what I do and I got inspired. This year has just been about really going for it.

Did you have other business opportunities?

Ryan Reynolds: No. Improv comedy is where my heart was. I just liked doing that. It was just easy, small audiences. It felt like a family and I was looking for that in film earlier on and never really found it and why would I? It's film. So I just wanted to stretch myself this year and I just felt really inspired to do that.

Would you go back and do a comedy like Van Wilder again?

Ryan Reynolds: I wouldn't do a Van Wilder again but the next movie I do is a romantic comedy for New Line as well.

How early do you need to get notice to get back into full shape for Nightstalkers?

Ryan Reynolds: It took four and a half months and then we had two more months of shooting so we shot the movie in six months. It was right before shooting that we really started. We had a month's notice but I didn't need to be in that kind of shape until the end until we were shooting in December or January for that whole torture sequence. I would have liked to have had four months. That would be great because it's really hard on your body and your immune system. It'll kill you.

Will you be on Scrubs again?

Ryan Reynolds: Yeah. Billy Lawrence is a friend of mine. He created the show so I don't know. We'll see.

Tell us more about the romantic comedy.

Ryan Reynolds: It's called Just Friends. It's a New Line Cinema movie as well and it sort of explores that notion of two people who are "just friends."

With benefits?

Ryan Reynolds: No. That's the problem with this guy. He wants to be more than that and she sort of destroys his life in his mind.

Who is playing "she"?

Ryan Reynolds: We don't know yet. It doesn't start for a couple more months. But, this girl sort of destroys his life in high school and his entire life, up until he's 28, has been a reaction to this. So, he gets in shape and does everything he can to not be that guy that he was. And his flight gets stranded in the small town that he's from and he's a record executive now. He's on this plane with like a Britney Spears type and they both get stranded there and he has to go back to his roots and confront this girl again because his flight is stranded. There's no flights going anywhere and he reverts back to what he was. His false veneer falls apart.

What is the story with your Chihuahua t-shirt?

Ryan Reynolds: My fiancée got it for me because it kind of looks like our dog.

Have you set a wedding date yet?

Ryan Reynolds: No. We're still trying. When we have time. As soon as we get a little break. We're going to do it as soon as we can. That's what we're hoping.

Dont't forget to also check out: Blade: Trinity