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	Television Interviews Tribute TV January 14, 2005

Bruce Greenwood was interviewed by Tribute TV the day his movie Racing Stripes opened. The 2-minute interview was one-on-one with an unidentified hostess and without intervening clips of the movie. A video of the interview is on the Tribute TV website. A transcription follows with some of the hostess' comments shortened:

HOST:	This is a little different for you - the genre. What was it that went "I want to be involved with this." Was there a significant reason why?
BRUCE:	The biggest reason was that the movie has a great big heart. And I get to play a decent guy with no agenda but trying to take care of the people he loves.
HOST:	First of all, it was all shot in South Africa, which must have been a wonderful experience for you.
BRUCE:	From August to Christmas of last year
HOST:	What was it like being there?
BRUCE:	It was fantastic! We were in an area called KwaZulu-Natal, which is about an hour and a half West from Durban, which is on the East Coast on the Indian Ocean. It's just beautiful, beautiful, beautiful rolling hills and little villages. It was spectacular!
HOST:	I have to say, you really convinced me that you knew what you were doing with those horses.
BRUCE:	Yeah, Yeah? Thanks
HOST:	Did you prepare?
BRUCE:	I petted a lot of them.
HOST:	That's it?
BRUCE:	Yeah, I went training with them. I learned how to dig the stuff out of their hooves; I'd watch them shoe them and I learned how to put bridles on them and all that business and how to talk to them. But it was mostly - for me - sensing the vibe of the animal and trying to pitch my voice in a way that would make the animal relax. So, if you let that pour out, the animal will pick it up and if you don't, the animal will go [makes a snarl and biting motion with his mouth] and bite you! So you feign calm while your heart's going [shows pumping motion with his sweater on his chest]
HOST:	There's a lot of animals that you hang out with in this film. I hope you didn't get poked by that pelican?
BRUCE:	No, I just got bitten by the baby zebra and kicked by the baby zebra, but so did everybody.
HOST:	You weren't special?
BRUCE:	[decidedly] No!
HOST:	Were you amazed at how the trainers kept everything in sync?
BRUCE:	The trainers were really amazing. The pelican! They'd throw him into the air, they'd roll the camera and he'd fly around until the trainer waved a rake! Then the pelican would fly down and go Boing! and land on a fence post! Get an actor to do that! Even if you beat him with a rake!
HOST:	You'd have to pay him big bucks for that
BRUCE:	And the pelican you throw him a herring! I wouldn't work for a herring.
HOST:	Well, maybe...
BRUCE:	Well, I did in my youth. I worked for herring for a long time in my youth on stage.
HOST:	Now you're a big star
BRUCE:	Now it's just sushi.
HOST:	Yes, you've moved up. After you've worked with these animals - What was it like seeing the finished product?
BRUCE:	It was fantastic, because it was what you hoped for. And to laugh out loud at a movie you're in. Usually I'm so catatonic with fear and trepidation that I've done a terrible job that I can't enjoy anything
HOST:	Uh [clucks with sympathy]
BRUCE:	No, well, it's just the way it is, right? But in this one I laughed out loud and made a real pest of myself.
HOST:	It's a really good family film, which must be a pleasure for you after the stuff you've done.
BRUCE:	It has poop jokes!
HOST:	What can be better than that?
BRUCE:	No, really, I'm not in many movies that kids can go to and it's really nice for me to be part of that. Cause it plays to the stuff that I really like.
HOST:	You did a great job in it
BRUCE:	Well, thanks.
HOST:	Now, Hayden! She impressed me tremendously and did all her own stunts. What impressed you about her?
BRUCE:	As I was saying to you in the beginning, she's really, really sunny. She's extremely positive and works really hard. But she's very open - she was really open to me being her Dad [snaps his fingers] right away . And it was very impressive the way she got on the motorcycle and had to ride off in the scene. And she rides off camera and we were "Oh!" [makes horror sound] and she rode right through a fence! And came scampering back and did it again!
HOST:	She's great
BRUCE:	She's a lot of fun, a lot of fun
HOST:	You have a lot coming out.
BRUCE:	The World's Fastest Indian is coming out
HOST:	with Anthony Hopkins. What was it like working with him?
BRUCE:	It was great! He's a fantastic guy. And Donaldson I know from Thirteen Days, so I called him and said "Give me something!" and he goes "You can come up and have a few lines with Tony if you want" and I went "I'm there"!
HOST:	And I'll do it for a herring!
BRUCE:	And I'll do it for herring, which we did! And then Being Julia, of course, is out already.
HOST:	And playing opposite Philip Seymour-Hoffman who plays Capote
BRUCE:	This guy - he's one of the best actors I've ever had the privelege to watch. Amazing watching him work. It's goofy. You just go, "Oh, THAT's what we're suppose to be doing." Wow!
HOST:	Yeah, he's good
BRUCE:	He's REALLY good
HOST:	Must be nice working opposite him
BRUCE:	I'm working with him tonight
HOST:	Oh! Well, say hi!
BRUCE:	I will
HOST:	Now I have to ask you, I think Annette Bening's chances of getting an Oscar for Being Julia are really amazing.
BRUCE:	Oh, do you?
HOST:	Well, what do you think?
BRUCE:	I'm so out of the loop! I don't even know. She did a fantastic job, but in terms of handicapping people's chances, don't even start.
HOST:	Well, just working with her must have been an awesome experience for you
BRUCE:	It was. She was really very, very focused and happy to be there. It was great.
HOST:	Always happy to see you and talk to you. And good luck with this, it was a great film.Thank you for doing it.
BRUCE:	Thanks, thanks. Thank you. Glad you liked the movie.
HOST:	Oh yeah, it was great

To view the interview, visit: Tribute TV.