PoP (on)Over

Jake isn't traveling light for this trip over to the UK to promote PoP. But before we get into the mystery box, here's a highlight of a great telephone interview Jake did with 30Ninjas.com

Just as we've long known about Jake.

"I have never been so glad to be wrong because he was everything I expected: smart, articulate, and charming. Nonetheless, there was something that took me by surprise: how much he laughed at himself. For all his accomplishments and over-the-top talent, this is not a guy who takes himself too seriously."

Asked about what the challenges were to making PoP, Jake said, "I think the thing I thought was going to be most difficult was being able to incorporate a sense of humor into the action and being able to communicate character through the action — I’m not going to say it’s easy to do great action, but it is always hard to [convey] character interspersed within fun action. To keep something modern inside something that is kind of classic, which is what the film is — it’s this huge epic movie that is based within this fantasy sixth-century Persia which is based off a video game — to make it modern and then stay true to this swashbuckling Errol Flynn-esque movie. That to me was the most difficult thing, how do you keep it modern while at the same time keeping it old school?

When you’re dealing with a magical dagger that turns back time and you’re used to finding a naturalistic approach to acting or storytelling, it is always a confusing thing in your mind to say, “How do you believe that, how do you believe in this fantasy?” And to me there are a couple things that happen. Mike Newell, the director, came to me, and in talking about the story he said that in sixth century Persia there were mystics and people who believed that this sort of thing could happen, and if someone said that there was a dagger that could turn back time in sixth-century Persia, people would be like, “Oooo, there’s the dagger that turns back time!” So in a sense you have to put yourself in that mind-set. It’s almost like being on stage and acting the way I would if I were going to tell the story to a child. If you are Peter Falk in The Princess Bride, how do you tell the story? Or someone like Ben Kingsley?"

It is an interesting approach that Jake took to telling the story, an epic romantic adventure, like a bedtime story.

Check out the rest of the great interview where he talks about working with Mike Newell and Duncan, getting to improv in front of the camera, and what lesson he learned from Mike that he took with him over at 30ninjas.com

And now for the Top Ten List

The Top Ten's Jake and big black box.


10.New from Disney it's the PoP Home and Travel Gym.

9. Bruck called saying he didn't want to pay for his bags, told Jake he had to take his carry on for him.

8. Trying to reduce his carbon footprint Jake brings along his own composter when he travels.

7. According to In Touch has to return a set of antique dishes.

6. Promised Elmo he could come along, but no more room in first class.

5. Part of his newest magic act. Put a goose in a box and presto and a bigger Goose appears.

4. As part of his contract Jake has to man the Disney PoP up PoP merchandise kiosk after the 3, 5, and 7pm shows.

3. Thought the invitation for the premiere said BYOH (bring your own hookah)

2. Learning from Pasty Stone, Jake knew "You can never have too many hats, gloves, and shoes."
And Number 1....
Thinking it was finally all over. Jake found out he had to still sell Avon to pay for the trip.