Video:Inglourious Basterds-Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Christoph Waltz

Transcript:Inglourious Basterds-Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Christoph Waltz

Rebecca Murray from About.com Hollywood Movies at the 16th Annual BAFTA/LA Awards Season Tea Party held Saturday, January 16, 2010 at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA.

Eli Roth - Inglourious Basterds

It's nice to see you again.

Eli Roth: "It's nice to see you."

After like years it seems like since the last time we talked.

Eli Roth: "Yeah, it's been a while."

You've been busy.

Eli Roth: "I have been busy."

In front of the camera. What's up with that?

Eli Roth: "I'm trying to get behind the camera but Quentin [Tarantino] keeps pulling me in front of it, so I'm not going to let him down."

Yeah, like you could really turn down a role in Inglourious Basterds.

Eli Roth: "And then last night we won Best Ensemble and I was so not used to winning anything like that, I didn't get up at first. And you can see the footage on the tape, Quentin's like, 'Go! Go!!! Get your award.' I'm like, 'Okay.' I was so surprised. It was like, 'I don't do this stuff. Doesn't the director...?' But I'm just so happy for Quentin. As Quentin says, 'An award for an actor is like an award for the director.'"

So how easy was it to play this guy who beats the crap out of people and then kills them?

Eli Roth: "I grew up in Boston and I'm Jewish and I had fantasies about killing Nazis since as long as I can remember, so that part was easy. But I wanted to do a great job, I wanted to make it real. I knew people were going to be watching me extra closely and I didn't want it to feel like stunt casting or gimmicky. I wanted to create a character and create a role, and show that I really could act. And so I gave it everything I had. So it was exhausting and fun, and it was wonderful. It was a great thrill. It will change how I direct."

Change how you handle actors or scenes?

Eli Roth: "Both, both."

When are you directing next?

Eli Roth: "I'm finishing a script now and I'm going to get back into it this spring."

What's this one going to be?

Eli Roth: "It's a science fiction film called Endangered Species. I'm working on a script right now."

Tiny budget, big budget?

Eli Roth: "It's going to have a real budget."

Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds

[As Christoph Waltz' is running by...]

Did you know the minute that you read the script that it was going to be this awesome?

Christoph Waltz: "No, how could I? How could I?"

But it's Quentin's words...

Christoph Waltz: "Well, when you read the script you try to figure out what it says on the page and not what it might trigger on the career basis."

How did you know you could do it?

Christoph Waltz: "I didn't."

Diane Kruger - Inglourious Basterds

This is such an interesting character. How much fun was she to play and how tough was she to play?

Diane Kruger: "She was so fun. She was actually really tough because there's an energy to her that I don't think I necessarily have naturally. And I've never really been allowed to play a part that has to bring that to set every day. You know, she's the drive in every scene that she's in and she sort of commands the boys around, right? For example, that tavern scene was shot over two weeks so even if you're not in a scene or on camera, you still have to bring that energy to set every day. So that was really tough for me. It was truly exhausting. Doing an accent, just doing it, and hair and makeup, it was difficult."

How did Quentin help you?

Diane Kruger: "He was like, 'Get over yourself. Do it! Smoke another cigarette! Do it!,' yeah."

Also of Interest:

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Diane Kruger Films and Photos

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