1998

ET Online - Spotlight - Interviews - Godzilla

Matthew Broderick

By ET Online

Well Matthew, this project must have been amazing to work on in a lot of different ways, but I want to talk first about the hype surrounding this film. I mean, what is it like having everybody talking about your film?
Well, it has been sort of remarkable. People on the street - strangers saying "I can't wait for 'Godzilla," or they say, "The new one is not going to be any better then the old one" (because they say they love the old one). But you can sort of feel the city gearing up for something. I did it a year ago, so it's funny to have all this happening. I feel almost-I'm sort of anticipating the film myself, like one of the audience in a way.

So, have you seen a final cut of the film yet?
No, I saw a nearly final cut about 6 weeks ago, but I'm going to see it with everyone else at Madison Square Garden on Monday.

Were you looking to do a big special effects film for your next project?
Well, I wasn't looking. Dean Devlin, and Roland Emmerich, the producer and director just called out of the blue. I never met them or anything and they called my agent. So my agent called me and said "So the guys who did 'Independence Day' are doing 'Godzilla' and they want you to star in it. Go have dinner with them two nights from now." And I did. They were nice, and I loved 'Independence Day' and I love 'Godzilla' so it was pretty easy to make my decision.

I know you've said you had some experience acting in a special effects laden film but how challenging was it acting to a twenty-story monster-with nothing to guide you?
Well, you get used to it. It is much easier when there are other people in the shot with you. When you are alone and the whole crew is watching you-you know, you have to look up and scream in terror-that's kind of embarrassing.

Did you have Roland (the director) there to pantomime the monster-to try to give you an idea what the monster was doing at that moment?
(smiling) Roland would usually be behind a monitor somewhere. But he would definitely come out and tell you what you were going to be seeing. How close the tail was to knocking your head off or whatever. So you could know how to react to everything. He is a wonderful director and we always felt we knew what we were doing pretty much.

And you've got your own action figure coming out for this film I hear. That's a first for you isn't it?
(laughing) Yeah.

-- Would you say it is pretty lifelike?
It looks pretty much - I think it looks like me. Except he's kind of grinning a little bit, and I wonder what situations that children will be able to put him in. He is sort of happy, and the monster is like destroying everything. But it looks like me except it has very big hands so that I can pick up different tools. That one is called "Grappling Nick," so he can hold his grappling equipment to climb. It's kinda fun.

(laughing) Great. I will have to look for that one!