Behind the Screens

Salma Hayek as Madame Truska in "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant."

A "nice guy" turned blood sucking action star, multi-talented John C. Reilly delivers strong punches in the wicked fantasy adventure Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant. Based on Darren Shan's book series, Cirque tells the story of Darren (Chris Massoglia), a goodie-two-shoes teen who becomes immersed in the world of freaks and vampires after he saves his friend's life by surrendering himself to Larten Crepsley (Reilly), a 220 year old vampire. Despite being warned by Madame Truska (Salma Hayek) of the dangers that lie ahead, Darren is naively unaware that he's destined to lead the war between the vampires and the vicious vampaneze.

Read on as John C. Reilly, Salma Hayek and Chris Massoglia discuss the making of Cirque Du Freak.

Q: John, were you familiar with these books, prior to being cast in this role?
Reilly: I was not familiar with the books before I was offered the movie…This whole vampire tidal wave that's happened lately wasn't quite cresting at the time we made the movie. The first Twilight movie hadn't come out.
My favorite vampire movie is Shadow of a Vampire. I thought that was really great. And, we were lucky enough to have Willem Dafoe in the movie. I became aware of the books through the script, and then eventually read all of them. I was always the one on the set going, "You know, but the books say . . ." I came to really enjoy them.

Q: Chris, it seems like playing a young, handsome vampire is the fastest way to becoming a star. Do you feel pressure to become the next teen sensation?
Massoglia: I don't really think I feel pressured to become a teen sensation because that's not really my goal in life. It's not really about being star, being popular or having lots of girls. It's really about continuing to be able to act and have fun, and do what I like to do. For me, it's just about learning and being there, understanding and developing my acting abilities.

Q: Salma, your character in the film can see the future. Do you have any powers of prophecy?
Hayek: Do you know a woman that doesn't have that power, a little bit? But, I don't have them any more than the average.

Q: Was it weird for you to see yourself with a beard?
Hayek: I'm not totally used to seeing myself with a beard.
Reilly: You look good with a beard, though.
Hayek: John made me feel really good about it. He'd say, "Oh, my God, you look so hot with a beard," and I'd be like, "Really?"

Q: What challenges did you encounter with shooting this movie, or was it all just fun?
Reilly: It was a real special time to get to work in New Orleans. Some parts of the city were coming back, and other parts were shockingly still neglected and seemingly forgotten, so that was hard to see. Once you get outside of the French Quarter, it was hard to see how hard people were still struggling. That theater that we shot in hadn't really been touched since the storm, so it was filthy and you felt like it was dangerous just to be in there. But, ironically, that was exactly why we picked it. It was so atmospheric and had so much decay going on. It was a challenge to work in that place, but overall, New Orleans was a pretty delightful place to be.

Q: With the way that actors and celebrities are treated now, with the paparazzi and everything, do you feel like you are part of the Cirque du Freak?
Reilly: Only when cornered by people that make me feel that way. I stay away from a lot of that stuff, and I think you can create your own reality, to a certain extent. Yeah, it can be a real freak show, sometimes, but I have it easy, compared to some people, so I'm not complaining.
Hayek: I don't think that we are the freaks. What's freaky is the guy behind the camera who is desperate and so excited because he's seeing you walk into a supermarket. I think that's freaky.

Q: John, you've done so many different types of roles that there's not really a typical John C. Reilly role. But, a sexy vampire that gets to romance Salma Hayek is very different for you, isn't it?
Reilly: It's a personal high. [Laughs.]

Q: What was your reaction when they offered you this role? Were you surprised?
Reilly: Well, I was thrilled. I had been doing a lot of comedies in a row, and I was getting known only for that, especially among younger audiences. I thought, "Wow, I've done almost 50 movies, and these kids only know me from these two movies, and they think that's all that I do." So, I thought maybe it was time to do something different.
I had always wanted to do a fantasy movie. This kind of movie is the kind of movie I like to see. I'm a big fan of the Harry Potter movies and The Lord of the Rings films. I like a good fantasy adventure, so I was thrilled when it came along. And then, to have such a detailed, textured character [was great]. This guy has been alive so long and seen so much…and I got to be a mentor character, which has been an important relationship in my life…So, I'm thrilled to just keep surprising them. Of course, in two years, it will be, "John, why are you always playing vampires and kissing Salma Hayek?"

Q: Chris, you're just getting started here with your first film. Were you able to learn some tips from John or Salma?
Massoglia: Yeah, definitely. One of the best things for me was to work with all these guys. I asked John a lot of questions throughout filming, like "What was it like for you? How would you deal with certain situations?" The biggest thing for me was just being able to observe how he worked with the crew members and different cast members that would come and go.

Q: Salma, do you currently have any projects that you are looking to produce with your company?
Hayek: Yes, I have some plans. We are developing some movies and some television shows with my company. I was actually just talking to John about a project where he might be playing a Mexican soap star and Diego Luna will be his manager. We've been talking about that project since we were shooting this film. And, I think I'm going to have to write a part for Chris because I am convinced that he's going to be a huge star because he's very, very talented, and I think I can get him very cheap right now.

Q: Do you want to direct at all?
Hayek: I do want to direct, but not for awhile because I have a baby now.

Q: This movie ends in a way that is very open for a sequel. Have they already talked to you about doing more films? Are you signed on for more?
Reilly: We've been filming now for about three months. We're almost done. It's a big gamble on Universal's part. No. If the movie does well, I'd assume there will be another one.
Hayek: We did sign a contract. We don't know if it's going to happen or not, but they made sure that we cannot just escape easily, if it does well. I think it's going to do really well, and I think it's going to surprise many people.

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