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Dom Robinson interviews

Peter Weller

Robocop Trilogy The following is two interviews with actor Peter Weller, police officer Alex Murphy in the first two Robocop films.

The first 7 questions are my own to the man and the following 6 were presented by the radio publicity agency for MGM's PR company, the latter for which I have been granted exclusive first print of which will not be made available generally until the week of release.

Peter Weller was born on 24 June, 1947 in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. His father was a helicopter pilot in the Army and therefore the Weller family travelled around the world on different military postings ncluding Heidelberg, Germany and San Antonio, Texas.

Peter is currently studying for his masters in Italian renasissance Art in Florence.

A review of the DVD will be online as soon as we receive the full trilogy, which is released on February 11th, 2002, for £32.99.

Peter Weller as Robocop

  • 1. What made you get involved with Robocop?
      I knew (Paul) Verhoeven's films and talked to him about the theme of resurrection. Hence we met again three times and then he hired me.
  • 2. How long had you known Paul Verhoeven before Robocop began filming?
      I knew his movies but I did not know him personally at all.
  • 3. What is favourite recollection of working on that film and with Paul Verhoeven?
      The discipline of the movement training and making a human being come alive underneath a metal suit.
  • 4. You're a very prolific actor. How did you first get started in this industry?
      I wanted to be a jazz trumpet player. Realising I would never be Miles Davis, I turned to acting, which I had been doing for fun since I was ten years old. Got a scholarship to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Began working immediately out of acting school. Continued studying with the great teacher Uta Hagen, then became a member of the Actor's Studio in the 70's.

    • Peter Weller as Robocop
  • 5. Which has been your favourite film-making experience and why?
      Naked Lunch and The New Age. Both films explore a moral or spiritual bankruptcy. In different ways. Both are by great writer/Screenwriters: Cronenberg and Borroughs. And Michael Tolkin.
  • 6. What was the reason for you not appearing in Robocop 3 and being replaced by Robert Burke?
      I was not replaced. I chose to do Naked Lunch instead, which was a dream come true, as the book had been like a Bible to me since I was in college.
  • 7. You directed and co-wrote the teleplay for a TV one-off, "Partners". Have you any plans to continue in this side of the film business?
      I co-wrote this with Eby Roe Smith ("Falling Through") and directed this short film which received an Oscar nomination. I have since directed "Elmore Leonard's Gold Coast" for Showtime/Paramount, two episodes of Homicide, a pre-pilot for CBS "Michael Hayes" and will direct another Showtime film this year.

    • Peter Weller

  • 1. For those who haven't seen Robocop
      Robocop is a futuristic action movie. I wouldn't say its science fiction, I would say it's an action film. But underneath this action film there's an amazing satirical comment on western society that's even more cogent now that the world is facing so many problems with possible nuclear terrorism, conflicts with third world countries, and technical globalisation.

      They all play into Robocop as the film's an allegory of crucifixion and resurrection. There's a story of salvation and there's also a medieval tone. There's a tone of the middle ages, like a knight, and these are all brought together by essentially not only the script but Paul Verhoeven's incomparable direction and my acting.

  • 2. On the film's genre.
      It would be put into the genre of the action movie. It would have to be put in the genre of the action movie. Its futuristic but its not science fiction. You know its not fantasy. It has a very heavy social reality to it that's active, so it's an action movie. It has a very black humour in it.

    • Peter Weller
  • 3. On the spoof adverts in the film.
      The satire in advertisements is the satire of western greed. It's a good thing because all mankind is essentially greedy but greed has to be tempered with satire. That's why democracy is fun. That's why dictatorships don't work anymore, because they don't get to play in a commercial market that allows for (a) competition and (b) satire.
  • 4. Talking about the suit.
      The suit was supposed to be lighter and easier that it actually was and initially took 8 hours to put on. Also, due to the logistics of pre-production, the suit arrived a little bit late and we had to work out the movement again as our original plans were not copasetic to the weight and cut of the suit. We made this work, we made that work and then we redesigned the movement to fit the weight of the suit, and actually the weight of the suit gave the character a much more profound dynamic, a heavier metier which created more pathos and a lugubrious kind of animal quality. This really worked as opposed to what we originally designed which was very sort of liquid and fluid and probably wouldn't have been nearer as pathetic.

    • Peter Weller
  • 5. On the DVD release.
      On the DVD you will see interviews with Paul. You will see how the movie was made. You will see extra scenes that were cut out, ridiculously cut out I might say, because of the censors. Once it is understood that it is not gratuitously violent that it's, you know, part of the story and the crucifixion angle. The restored scenes definitely make the film more powerful.
  • 6. On Murphy's death.
      It's a parable. It's equated to the crucifixion. I mean I have my hand blown off first which is the nail going into the wood. And my arm is blown off as its extended and then the final wound of the spear of Longinus is the bullet going through my head. It is meant to be gothic and disturbingly northern European horror like crucifixion actually was. That's how one endows the resurrection that happens later with power, because you've seen something horrendous happen to a common man, an innocent man, and then you see him revived.

    • Robocop DVD Trilogy

    The DVD Trilogy Boxset.

    This interview was printed with kind permission by MGM's PR company. 2002.

    [Up to the top of this page]

    DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.

    PC games reviewed by the editor are on:

  • Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
  • Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
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  • Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
  • Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP