» Blood lust
JJ Feild talks about starring in the long-awaited live version of Manga classic Blood: The Last Vampire
What’s the film about?
It’s from the Manga animé of the same title, an award-winning famous cartoon, and Manga decided to make the first live action feature, set in Tokyo in the 70s.
What was it like doing something so different from anything you’ve done before?
It was wonderful. Bill Kong who produced the film, made Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and House of Flying Daggers so when you get a call from Bill Kong saying, will you do my next beautifully shot action film, you can never say no because it‘s a wonderful opportunity.
What is your character Luke like?
I play a member of a secret society who’s hunting down these last vampires. He’s pretty horrible and pretty harsh. I’m sort of the villain of the piece.
Is it a political film?
In the original you have the backdrop of Vietnam. There are elements of that. Although it’s in Tokyo it’s set on a military base with a whole backdrop of US occupation. Manga always use symbology to represent their political beliefs, so in that it’s the same, but it’s also great fun and non stop. If you’re trying to find a political element to the film you have to press pause because it’s such a fast running action film you have to catch up as it is.
Did you know the original?
Well, I’d heard about the Blood series because graphic novels and animé are so trendy within the film world so although I didn’t know it I knew people who did. I asked them, have you heard of this film? And they were like, Oh my God, yes.
What is the benefit of remaking Manga?
Now that we have the technology to put incredible imaginations into real life, we get to lift it off the page and make it more human. The great thing about animation and comic books is anything is possible. Traditionally we weren‘t able to do that with film, but now with modern technology and special effects we can do that and it gets to see a wider market.
Why are vampire films so popular?
The amazing thing about vampires is they can represent anything you want. They‘re a kind of beautiful darker side of humanity. I saw just recently Let the Right One In, it was extraordinary and through the vampires it talked about humanity and segregation and judgement. They seem so wrong vampires, but they can be really sexy. Interview with The Vampire and films like that; there‘s an incredible sexual element to vampirism, if there‘s such a word.
Is Blood influenced by those films and shows like Buffy?
I think that’s a theme that’s going into Japanese animé. That’s the thing about Crouching Tiger, which has phenomenal female leads who can carry an action film. That’s an Asian theme which we didn’t have, and it’s wonderful to see. And they’re frightening. Jeon Ji-hyun trained for over a year and suddenly there’s a very beautiful girl who can chop your head off with a sword.
Do you have any big ambitions left?
In my mind I want to do something different every time. And one day I’d like to make films, to write and direct films, I guess that would be the ultimate goal.
Blood The Last Vampire is showing from Friday 26 June
