Eric Bana started out as a stand-up comedian in his native Australia, later going on to cause a sensation on the festival circuit playing the title role in serial killer biopic "Chopper". From there he came under fire in Ridley Scott's "Black Hawk Down" and now he's getting hot under the collar as the alter ego of the big green giant in Ang Lee's "Hulk". He'll next be seen doing battle with Brad Pitt in sword-and-sandals epic "Troy".
Although you're well known in Australia, you're an unknown here - now, suddenly you're playing the lead in a big Hollywood movie...
It's quite bizarre. It's kind of nice to come to a country where no one really knows you, and to get a role like this. It was very exciting. Very exciting.
How did you get the role of Bruce Banner?
It was bizarre. I didn't audition in a traditional sense. I went to New York and had lunch with Ang [Lee, the director] and the writer James Schamus and we spent about three hours in a restaurant chatting about everything from work to family to life and the world. I flew home to Australia and three months later I got a phone call saying: "They want you to play the Hulk!".
What was the challenge of the role as you saw it?
It may sound odd, but just treating it really seriously. Just forgetting the fact you're in a comic book movie and just surrendering to the drama and leaving the balance with ILM [Industrial Light and Magic] and Ang to make it light and shade, you know? When it came to the transformation from Banner to the Hulk, they told me early on that ILM was going to do everything. All I had to do was just perform the initial stages of transformation and they'd do the rest. So they would say: "Here's a spot. So just start. Just Hulk out in that position but don't move in either direction. Just go for it."
How do you sum up the character of Bruce Banner as he is in this film?
What Ang and James have done, which is really interesting, is they've given the film an interesting and quite tragic back story - so there's quite a lot to call upon. He's really an interesting character because he's forced to go on a journey of discovery. Jennifer Connelly's character, Betty Ross, really wants him to find out about his past. I found that very interesting because some people go to therapy and stuff to find out about their past, and he's forced to do it.
How was it to work with Ang Lee?
Ang is a genius. Absolutely. I think Ang has made a really intelligent film. I think people will be blown away by it. As the film progresses, it becomes art, especially the scene at the end in the desert. It's indescribable. I think Ang's done an amazing job treating the genre seriously. There are some great films in this genre now and hopefully we can continue the trend.
