Update 2018: Watch for more Marko Exclusives! Keep reading Dan's Movie Report! Although the trailer for Alita: Battle Angel has been released, I am holding the new interview until closer to the December premiere date.
Also please check out Marko's exclusive interview for Defenders! https://dansmoviereport.blogspot.com/2017/08/actor-marko-zaror-chats-defenders-dans.html
Chat about how you prepared for the role of Rastignac and shed a bit of light not about the plot but about his back story
Savage Dog, what a great experience. It was to shot this past year and that Jesse trusted me with the role, because it was a very challenging role. I can say it was the most challenging role of my career for sure. I have known Jesse for 18 years since when I first moved to L.A. The first time I arrived to L.A. We met on the Universal Lot Jesse was directing a movie called 'Pit Fighter'. Recently I returned to L.A. And Jesse said Marko, I have a role for you for a new movie, then I read the script and I saw this crazy, crazy role. I was like wow it is the first time I was going to have a large amount of lines and big acting scenes on an English speaking movie, a very heavy character with a dark past. It was a great opportunity for me I just took it! I loved the story, It looks amazing. The movie is solid and beautifully shot, Jesse did a great job directing. He told me he was very happy with the movie. I look forward to the U.S. Release. I am sure you guys will be surprised as it is a totally different role or character for me. It is such a unique movie.
Chat about the action in Savage Dog.
The film has incredible action, of course you know Scott (Adkins) He is just a very talented martial artist and a very talented actor.
Working with Scott Adkins, is there a certain level of respect when you guys are together?
I met Scott in 'Undisputed 3' I know that movie was really popular, and the fight we did together was very well received. Scott is an incredible human being, he was so cool with me when we first met in undisputed 3, of course as a martial artist at the very beginning there was a bit of tension. Then we just started working hard and developing the best fight scene we could possibly do. Undisputed 3 was a unique experience Scott and I stayed in touch after the film, we chatted once in awhile. I am so happy to see how his career has taken off. When Jesse came to me with Savage Dog and wanted me to play a prominent role, I of course said yes. I always love to work with people who can inspire you, and you admire and are just all around good human beings. I think Scott is one of those people. Even though Scott and I worked together, the dynamic is Savage Dog is such a different movie, a totally different world we can do something unique. That is why I am so happy with this film as Savage Dog is so wild and different. I told Scott, next time we work this is the last time you beat me in a fight haha! If I am not your friend then I am gonna have to beat you up.
For me as an action lover and having supreme respect for JuJu Chan, I am curious of you thoughts on her, she has a real honor and respect for the legends of Martial Arts. I am super thrilled you had the opportunity to meet an work with her.
JuJu is a very nice girl, we spent more time outside the set then on set. We did not have many scenes together, we met on set and we were like hey lets get together with the team of the movie. I was able to get to know her more. She went with me and some friends to see 'Sultan' when 'Sultan' was premiering in L.A. That is how I got to know here she is really nice. She is very humble and at the same time she is so talented. She is a bad-assed martial artist. I haven't worked with her on set much. I am looking forward for that. I always told her if you need someone in China to do a movie with you than I would love to be that person, she seems like a good person to work with.
Same question with Cung Le, chat about working with him.
I spent more time on the set of Savage Dog with Cung Le he is very talented of course. Cung Le is a big inspiration. His transition from the UFC to acting becoming one of the best fighters doing movies. He is just so talented. He has amazing charisma and he is a nice person also. Very humble. He has an inspiring career and inspiring life. from being so successful in his fighting career, now to be successful in the movie industry. I really admire him, we get together and cook one day, along with JuJu. It was a fun time.
Chat more about Jesse and the relationships forged after Savage Dog wrapped up.
I am really honored to be in Savage Dog and am so happy he is doing great now with his new projects. What happened with Savage Dog, is Jesse put together not just talented actors but good human beings, people with good hearts. You can see that in the movie, it will come across on the screen. That is the magic of Savage Dog and the lasting friendships we forged. It will be an experience I will for sure never forget.
Please check out my exclusive review on Dan's Movie Report @ http://dansmoviereport.blogspot.com/2017/07/savage-dog-movie-review-c-2017-dans.html
Please check out Marko's exclusive shout out to Dan's Movie Report @
On to Part One!!!
Greetings lovers of action worldwide,
today you are in for an amazing treat. An insight to a life of action
and honor from Marko Zaror. The first part of this multi-part
interview focuses on his early life and training. Over the course of
the next year or so, the remainder of this interview, perhaps the
longest and most detailed one I have every completed will be
unleashed on Dan's Movie Report. Watch for a special project specific
interview from Marko about Savage Dog coming later in 2017, and
finally the Alita: Battle Angel interview later in 2018! on Dan's
Movie Report as well. Enough of my babbling on, time to go inside the
mind of Marko and get his thoughts on the action on and off screen!
Chat about your upbringing in Chile and
how you became interested in acting.
When I was a kid I really loved martial
arts, all the way from the time I was 6 or 8 years old. What really
made me make the decision to dedicate my life to martial arts was
when I saw Enter the Dragon and Bruce Lee. That movie was really so
powerful for me, it really just changed my life. The film was a
strong inspirational moment. I saw Bruce Lee's energy, his charisma,
it was so powerful, it was from that moment I was sure I wanted to
'live' that to go that way. I remember I saw that movie when I was
eight on TV, and my life changed since that moment. I started
training, I started searching for more of his (Bruce Lee's) movies,
that is how I started becoming interested in martial arts.
The action movies in Chile back them
they did not exist. There is no real film industry, so my first idea
was to be an instructor of martial arts, or maybe compete in the
field. Perhaps go to the Olympics fighting for TKD, actually at that
time TKD was not even in they Olympics. I did not know what I was
going to do with my life, but I was 100% sure I wanted it to be
related to martial arts. Little by little, when I started growing up,
when I was 18, I got the opportunity to fly to Mexico City, and then
I saw a friend of mine, he was living there and was doing low budget
movies. That is how I realized this is real, I can maybe make movies
and do martial arts in my movies, that is how I started focusing into
learning and taking acting classes. Then I went to Telivisa, they
gave me a scholarship to study acting to be able to work on soap
operas in Mexico, and that is how it all started.
Wow, great insight to your embarking in
action, perhaps chat more about Bruce Lee, how he has continued to
inspire.
Bruce is like a hero, a father figure,
it was so strong you could not believe. I still carry posters of
Bruce Lee to every place I go. For example, when I move from one
house to another. I fist lived in Mexico, then I lived in L.A. , then
back to Chile. There has always been a poster of Bruce Lee in my
room, I am so thankful of his work and what he did, and how he
inspired people. He was and is a very strong influence on my life and
career and everything. I just can say thanks to him for what he did
for martial arts and for kids like me, back then to show me the way,
and inspire my life.
Chat about your early martial arts
training and some stand out moments.
Because I was a big fan of Bruce Lee, I
was always looking for Kung Fu to study. I looked for different
instructors. I started first with TKD when I was very little, but
then I always wanted to be like Bruce Lee, and learn a Chinese style,
I wanted to dress with the black pants, and the traditional things as
a kid. I wanted to be exactly as Bruce Lee. I was a bit crazy haha, I
did not want to grow up so tall, because I wanted to be like Bruce
Lee, I did not want to have curly hair. I went into craziness when I
was a kid it was so funny. Going back the the styles I started with
kung Fu then after some years I did different styles of Kung Fu, I
did the short Wing Chun style, then I did the long more Wushu style,
but I was not really happy with the instructors, thus I was always
searching and looking. When I grew up I started doing karate,
(clarify) from 18 on. I got invited to the national team of TKD, so I
started doing more of that. I recognized I always had this ability
and power with my legs. I focus a lot on kicking, and spins, they
told me you could do really good in TKD come and train with the
national team. I trained a couple of years with the national team, I
competed there a bit. After that I decided to go to Mexico, and
started to try out in movies and acting. I started training with
Robert (Clarify) he did point fighting, and karate. His style was
unique and very dynamic. We started to train, that is the first time
I saw these 720 spin kicks and crazy moves I have never experienced
before. I was very agile and good in my country but I have never seen
all these tricks going on. That was the first time I got attached
with the evolution of martial arts, and the 'non traditional' type of
techniques.
Wow, must have been an life changing
experience, please chat how you adapted.
I started to take more of an athlete
approach, such as training with weights, to develop the jumping and
speed ability further. It is with this background I started
developing my own way of training. I learned these skills, now I need
to practice all of these skills to jump higher, faster, kick higher
and do all of these crazy tricks.
Thank you for that detailed look inside
your upbringing, want to wrap up the first part of this interview by
sharing a story from the set of Machete Kills, and how it changed
your outlook on film.
Machete Kills was awesome, it was a
very big and important moment in my career and my life. Before
Machete Kills I did my movies in Chile, I was at a point (in my
career) where I was deciding to go into fighting, and stop doing
movies and discontinue acting. The movies I did in Chile did very
good in the film festival side, but the business side just did not
work. The companies producing the films were not doing the right
things in terms of distribution, we were not with the right people.
Because of this the initial investment was never returned, so I got
really disappointed about the industry, I was thinking, this does not
work. I cannot keep doing movies and finding investors cause I did
not believe in the business, that you could recover your money on a
movie.
I was training hoping to compete
globally, perhaps in the UFC, I did not think I would make it to the
UFC but, I gave it a shot. I started training in MMA and wrestling, I
turned and switched my training specifically for fighting. Machete
Kills was so important because I was about to travel to Peru and
start training hardcore for fighting to get ready for a fight.
Suddenly I received a call from the amazing Robert Rodriguez inviting
me to Machete Kills. Robert Rodriquez is to me in film the same
inspiration as Bruce Lee in martial arts. When I started doing my
movies in Chile I always looked up to Robert. He was the one who
basically told everyone in the world you can make your own movie with
a little camera, you can just do it. He is the best example for that,
he is a very big inspiration, thus, receiving a call from him was
magical, crazy. I knew that the call meant I had to follow the acting
path and forget about my past plans. I did not even think about it
one second, ok that was good that you had a plan, but life is showing
you the way now. I traveled and met with him, he told me I want to
use you in my movie and I have a little role for you.
Wow that is amazing, a new life focus,
perhaps expound on that. How was Machete Kills, the experience in
general?
It was an incredible experience, it was
the first time being involved in such a big production, and working
with such amazingly talented people. I was just so happy as an
experience on the set it was crazy, because Robert has this unique
way to shoot. He is very dynamic and he knows what he wants. We were
shooting so fast, in one moment we were shooting in two sets at the
same time fight scenes. In one set we were shooting the fight with
Danny Trejo, and in the other set we were shooting the final action
scene, big action sequence. We shot one scene, and Robert would yell
cut and we would be running to the other set, whole the crew reset on
the first set. Again Robert would be ready with Action and it was non
stop. We would reset and cut and run back and forth, we did that for
like 5 hours, it was crazy, it was demanding, yet a dynamic way of
shooting an action film. It was an incredible experience. I am so
happy to be a part of that movie it is always going to be a nice
moment to remember for me.
Thanks so much Marko for this detailed
insight into your early life, and for sharing your stories on Machete
Kills with Robert Rodriguez. Keep reading Dan's
Movie Report for additional parts of this extensive interview.
For more information on Marko please
connect to him on his official social media outlets:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markozaror/?hl=en
Twitter: https://twitter.com/markozaror
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