Forget Borat! Hollywood comes to Kazakhstan
Published 13 April, 2008, 11:12
It may have been stigmatised by Borat, but another Hollywood star is happy to make Kazakhstan his temporary home. Armand Assante, who starred in “Judge Dredd” with Sylvester Stallone and “Striptease” with Demi Moore, is now planning to shoot a new Russian-Kazakh film
He says he’s had a most positive experience with Russians and would like to find a Russian director for the film. Previously he’s starred in Andrey Konchalovsky's Odyssey, and he told Russia Today that he enjoys leaving Hollywood behind.
Armand Assante: Konchalovsky's certainly so far one of the most gifted directors I've ever worked with and actually we're entertaining the idea of seeking possibly a Russian director on this film. Certainly my experiences when I have worked with directors from Eastern Europe and Russia have been very positive.
Russia Today: You've played lots of gangsters and villains. Do you choose playing these kind of tough guys on purpose?
A.A.: I try to do a lot of homework. I try to do stories that intrigue me.
RT: You're involved in many films which are in production now and are to be released in 2008 and 2009, but still if you have some free time how do you prefer to relax and enjoy your spare time?
A.A.: I live on a ranch and I raise German shepherds, I’ve got 17 at the moment. I rode horses for many years, I still have all of them. I also have about 40 bulls. I had a lot of different adventures in my life, you know.
RT: You work in Hollywood, but you were born and live in New York. What part of America do you prefer?
A.A.: Somehow I always put my life before my work, so where I live is more important for me than where I work. I was very lucky in my life, I worked with many professionals but certainly my relations with them were mostly work-oriented. There is a great misconception – because of the media – that people don’t work at Hollywood, that they go to big parties. I’ve never been to a big party.
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