Steven Seagal, known for his many action films such as Trap on the High Seas, Mined Land or Alcatraz Mission, Steven Seagal has fictitiously eliminated many threats in his many feature films, killing an entire army of terrorists or assassins on the big screen in the name of justice. .
However, as actor Stephen Tobolowsky said at Cut’s microphone A few years ago, the superstar’s career changed dramatically. Indeed, in 1996, on the set of the thriller “White Shadow”, Steven Seagal came and told the director that he had made the most confusing decision: not to kill a single enemy on screen.
“On the first day, director John Gray came to my trailer : We have a problem. (…) Steven Seagal had a sort of spiritual crisis, a spiritual awakening. He decided he didn’t want to kill anyone in his films anymore.” says Stephen Tobolowsky, who played the villain in The White Shadow.
The actor says that on set he had to play a serial killer who threatened to kill a priest in a church and that Steven Seagal’s character had to disappear in time. Before shooting the scene when he first met Seagal, Tobolowsky had to convince the latter to follow the script.
“I think it would probably be better if I didn’t kill you.”Seagal told him, all the time According to Cat’s interview. “I think it’s wrong to bring this violence into the world. We’re creating an increasingly sick society by bringing these things into the world.”
Stephen Tobolowsky then responded by citing the psychology of his character:
“I understand, but this particular case may be an exception. When I look at my life as a serial killer, I feel trapped in this broken soul that I live in. It would help me a lot in my reincarnation if you could kill yourself so that I can leave this body and move on to a better life. , in a better body. (…) You would do everyone a great favor, take away evil from the world and give me a new chance in life, in a new body, in the near future.”
Convinced by this performance, Steven Seagal agreed to play his role and kill Tobolowsky’s character on stage, as explained by the latter. However, two months after filming the series, the actor received the most remarkable phone call from the director.
Problem ? While filming other scenes, Seagal included lines of dialogue in which he congratulated himself for not killing “the guy in the church”. So Tobolowsky had to go back to record a post-dubbed line that implied his character was still alive after being shot by Seagal. A line that was ultimately not used in the final cut of the film.
As everyone knows, this decision of Steven Seagal turned out to be very temporary, and the actor therefore continued to kill his enemies on the screen long after the filming of “White Shadow”.
(Re)discover a special episode of “Escale à Nanarland” dedicated to Steven Seagal…
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
