Coriolanus (Ralph Fiennes), a hero of Rome, is a great soldier but despises the people. His extreme views ignite a mass riot and he is banished from Rome. Coriolanus allies with a sworn enemy (Gerard Butler) to take his revenge on the city. As director and star, Ralph Fiennes brings William Shakespeare’s visceral history play to the big screen for the first time. ‘Coriolanus’ is a drama for the ages, a commentary on the precarious draw of war and an auspicious directorial debut from one of the world’s great classical actor. Alongside Ralph Fiennes and Gerard Butler, the film stars Vanessa Redgrave, Brian Cox, Jessica Chastain and James Nesbitt. ‘Coriolanus’ is out now.

You’ve worked with Shakespeare’s material before in your career, how did you find this different approach?

Jessica Chastain: I went to Julliard and I studied Shakespeare for four years. But since I got out of school I didn’t have the opportunity to revisit any of the plays. When I heard Ralph Fiennes was going to direct this, to me it’s like taking a master-class, and that’s why I wanted to be involved. I knew that just by looking at the script all of my scenes were going to be with either Ralph Fiennes or Vanessa Redgrave, and when I saw the cast developing, it’s just everyone who’s the best of the best, people at the top of their craft – I knew I would learn a lot from it. Working with an actor who’s so sensitive, has such subtlety and passion in what they’re doing. Then being directed by that, it can’t help but inspire the best performance out of you.

Do have a particular memorable moment filming ‘Coriolanus’?

Jessica Chastain: I remember when I first arrived on set they had started filming. They were actually filming the fight scene where Ralph Fiennes is absolutely covered in blood, all you see is his eyes. And we had scheduled a lunch to talk about Virgilia and Coriolanus. I was just off the plane so I thought, “Ok, lets talk about this.” And then I show up, he’s completely in costume, completely covered in blood, and we’re eating, I’m not very talkative, and Ralph says to me, “Are you aright, you‘re very quiet, is everything ok?” And I replied, “Do you know what you look like right now!” (Laughs) I’m vegetarian as well (laughs).

How has it been handling all the demands of the last year? You’ve had Terrence Malick’s ‘The Tree Of Life,’ ‘The Help,’ ‘The Debt,’ ‘Texas Killing Fields,’ ‘Wilde Salome,’ ‘Take Shelter,’ and this, ‘Coriolanus.’

Jessica Chastain: This has been such a very strange year for me. It was a bit of a joke in my life, where it was called the ‘Chastain curse,’ where I made eleven films in four and a half years and for some reason they would be stalled, or companies would be sold. It was a bit of a comedy (laughs). And then to have just the flip side of it where they all now come out within six months of each other. It’s really feast or famine in this business, and this whole press aspect of the business has been baptism by fire for me. But I guess, the most wonderful thing is I love the films I’m involved in, I’m really passionate about them. I’ve always chosen projects where I’d be working with actors that were better than me, with teachers, with people who have something to say. I love to talk about these films, so for me that has been the most wonderful part of it. I love talking about acting. I’m just such a fan of actors and film-makers, and I try to choose roles where I get to talk to great actors about acting and learn. So for me the press aspect is great because I love talking about other people and their performances and their process and all of that.

Can you tell us a little bit about your character, Julia, and what it was like working with Ralph Fiennes?

Jessica Chastain: Sure. Julia is the wife of Coriolanus, mother of Martius, daughter in law of Volumnia. She has difficulty with her husband being away at war. She’s fearful, as many people are, that she may lose him, that he may die. She goes through quite a journey with Volumnia, the other woman in the house – played by Vanessa Redgrave. She finds strength through her.

I had been a huge fan of Ralph’s since the first time I’ve ever seen him in a film. I’ve also seen him on stage and he’s just so powerful, he’s all consumed by the part in a way. The idea of getting to work with him in this capacity was just phenomenal. He’s exactly what I hoped he would be, it was always so exciting to be in a scene with him. My main goal in acting is just to work with people that are inspiring and that I can learn from, this film was a master class for me (laughs), every moment.

Empire has released this new heated clip from Ralph Fiennes’ directional debut ‘Coriolanus.’ As director and star, Ralph Fiennes brings William Shakespeare’s visceral history play to the big screen for the first time. Coriolanus (Ralph Fiennes), a hero of Rome, is a great soldier but despises the people. His extreme views ignite a mass riot and he is banished from Rome. Coriolanus allies with a sworn enemy (Gerard Butler) to take his revenge on the city. Starring Fiennes, Butler, Vanessa Redgrave, Brian Cox, Jessica Chastain and James Nesbitt, the movie is scheduled for release January 20th. Check out my interview with Ralph Fiennes for ‘Coriolanus’ here.

The people of Rome are hungry – they cannot afford to eat. Riots are widespread. Their vitriol turns on Caius Martius (later to be Coriolanus), Rome’s foremost general who despises the people.

Simultaneously, Rome is at war with the Volsces, a neighbouring state which is lead by Caius Martius’s sworn enemy, Tullus Aufidius. When Caius’s outstanding courage secures the Volscian city of Corioles for Rome and the Volscians are defeated, Caius is newly named Coriolanus in honor of his victory. The people’s anger subsides.

His mother Volumnia, who has instilled in him a strict martial code of honor, anticipates Coriolanus being elected ‘Consul’ – a ruling position in the Roman senate. In order to be voted Consul, Coriolanus must secure the people’s support. However, the great warrior is loath to engage in the necessary glad-handing and political canvassing that he sees as artificial and contradictory of his personal code.

Under pressure he relents but with the minimum of civility. The Tribunes, the elected representatives of the people, persuade the masses that they should renege on their votes and refuse Coriolanus the office of Consul. Coriolanus is enraged and his vocal aggression leads to a major riot after which he is banished from Rome.

Alone now, he takes himself to the city of Antium, the Volscian capital, home to his enemy, Tullus Aufidius. Coriolanus seeks out Aufidius and offers either his life or his services against his parent city. Confronted by his greatest enemy, Tullus must decide whether to accept Coriolanus as his warrior in arms and seize the opportunity to defeat an Empire, or to destroy his life-long rival and try to take Rome alone, while in its most vulnerable state…

The official Facebook page for The Weinstein Company has released these three banners for Ralph Fiennes directional debut ‘Coriolanus.’ As director and star, Ralph Fiennes brings William Shakespeare’s visceral history play to the big screen for the first time. Coriolanus (Ralph Fiennes), a hero of Rome, is a great soldier but despises the people. His extreme views ignite a mass riot and he is banished from Rome. Coriolanus allies with a sworn enemy (Gerard Butler) to take his revenge on the city. Starring Fiennes, Butler, Vanessa Redgrave, Brian Cox, Jessica Chastain and James Nesbitt, the movie is scheduled for release January 20th. Check out my interview with Ralph Fiennes for ‘Coriolanus’ here.

The people of Rome are hungry – they cannot afford to eat. Riots are widespread. Their vitriol turns on Caius Martius (later to be Coriolanus), Rome’s foremost general who despises the people.

Simultaneously, Rome is at war with the Volsces, a neighbouring state which is lead by Caius Martius’s sworn enemy, Tullus Aufidius. When Caius’s outstanding courage secures the Volscian city of Corioles for Rome and the Volscians are defeated, Caius is newly named Coriolanus in honor of his victory. The people’s anger subsides.

His mother Volumnia, who has instilled in him a strict martial code of honor, anticipates Coriolanus being elected ‘Consul’ – a ruling position in the Roman senate. In order to be voted Consul, Coriolanus must secure the people’s support. However, the great warrior is loath to engage in the necessary glad-handing and political canvassing that he sees as artificial and contradictory of his personal code.

Under pressure he relents but with the minimum of civility. The Tribunes, the elected representatives of the people, persuade the masses that they should renege on their votes and refuse Coriolanus the office of Consul. Coriolanus is enraged and his vocal aggression leads to a major riot after which he is banished from Rome.

Alone now, he takes himself to the city of Antium, the Volscian capital, home to his enemy, Tullus Aufidius. Coriolanus seeks out Aufidius and offers either his life or his services against his parent city. Confronted by his greatest enemy, Tullus must decide whether to accept Coriolanus as his warrior in arms and seize the opportunity to defeat an Empire, or to destroy his life-long rival and try to take Rome alone, while in its most vulnerable state…

Empire has released this new UK poster for Ralph Fiennes directional debut ‘Coriolanus.’ As director and star, Ralph Fiennes brings William Shakespeare’s visceral history play to the big screen for the first time. Coriolanus (Ralph Fiennes), a hero of Rome, is a great soldier but despises the people. His extreme views ignite a mass riot and he is banished from Rome. Coriolanus allies with a sworn enemy (Gerard Butler) to take his revenge on the city. Starring Fiennes, Gerard Butler, Vanessa Redgrave, Brian Cox, Jessica Chastain and James Nesbitt, the movie is scheduled for release December 2nd in the US and January 20th 2012 in the UK. Check out my interview with Ralph Fiennes for the film here.

The people of Rome are hungry – they cannot afford to eat. Riots are widespread. Their vitriol turns on Caius Martius (later to be Coriolanus), Rome’s foremost general who despises the people.

Simultaneously, Rome is at war with the Volsces, a neighbouring state which is lead by Caius Martius’s sworn enemy, Tullus Aufidius. When Caius’s outstanding courage secures the Volscian city of Corioles for Rome and the Volscians are defeated, Caius is newly named Coriolanus in honor of his victory. The people’s anger subsides.

His mother Volumnia, who has instilled in him a strict martial code of honor, anticipates Coriolanus being elected ‘Consul’ – a ruling position in the Roman senate. In order to be voted Consul, Coriolanus must secure the people’s support. However, the great warrior is loath to engage in the necessary glad-handing and political canvassing that he sees as artificial and contradictory of his personal code.

Under pressure he relents but with the minimum of civility. The Tribunes, the elected representatives of the people, persuade the masses that they should renege on their votes and refuse Coriolanus the office of Consul. Coriolanus is enraged and his vocal aggression leads to a major riot after which he is banished from Rome.

Alone now, he takes himself to the city of Antium, the Volscian capital, home to his enemy, Tullus Aufidius. Coriolanus seeks out Aufidius and offers either his life or his services against his parent city. Confronted by his greatest enemy, Tullus must decide whether to accept Coriolanus as his warrior in arms and seize the opportunity to defeat an Empire, or to destroy his life-long rival and try to take Rome alone, while in its most vulnerable state…

This inspirational true story, ‘Machine Gun Preacher,’ is about Sam Childers, a former drug-dealing criminal who undergoes an astonishing transformation and finds an unexpected calling as the savior of hundreds of kidnapped and orphaned children. Gerard Butler (300) delivers a searing performance as Childers in Golden Globe-nominated director Marc Forster’s (Monster’s Ball,Finding Neverland) moving story of violence and redemption. Alongside Gerard Butler and Michelle Monaghan, the cast includes Kathy Baker, Michael Shannon, Madeline Carroll and Souleymane Sy Savane. ‘Machine Gun Preacher’ has been scheduled for release September 23rd in the US, and November 18th in the UK. Check out what Gerard Butler, director Marc Forster and Sam Childers had to say about the film below.

Can you talk about your first meeting with Sam and your impressions of him?

Gerard Butler: My first meeting with Sam was at 9pm on the 21st of September in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. A crew of us went up there with Marc Forster, we arrived in his house and he was surrounded by a lot of his family, Paige and Lynn and a couple of his preacher friends, and a couple of other people. He in his own domain and in his element and enjoying the space and the attention, and quite rightly so (laughs). His movie was about to be made and he had a Hollywood actor who had got off his arse and come to see him, in HIS den. He had a toothpick in his mouth and this little cocky smile like, ‘OK, whatcha got? Whatcha got for me?’ Actually, I sat down and he was like, ‘Here, take this,’ and he gives me a gun. I’m like, ‘OK, I know this is a bit of a test,’ so I start playing with the gun. Then I’m thinking maybe I should brandish it so I brandish it and they all go, ‘Whoa, Whoa!’ and they duck. ‘That’s a loaded gun?!’ I’m like we’re about to have our first fall-out. I’m like, ‘Why are you giving me a loaded gun in a small room full of 15 people?’ And there went the first test (laughs).

Immediately I saw a man with incredible charisma, and you could tell that he could be very dangerous as well. He’s a powerhouse of a man but with a great twinkle in his eye. That’s something I wanted to grab onto through all this was a real colourful character with humour through all of this.

What was it about Sam’s story that inspired you to make this movie?

Marc Forster: Sam is someone everybody can connect to, everyone on this planet can connect with Sam because he’s ultimately your ‘normal’ guy. If Sam Childers can do what he does, why can’t I do that? Ultimately while making this film I always felt almost guilty that I wasn’t doing enough, because you see how much he has done. Even when you look at the film, you can debate his methods, but ultimately a debate or a dialogue starts. So what I think is fantastic about this story is that it’s incredibly entertaining, but also it’s inspirational, educational, you have all these elements in one story – which is very seldom in Hollywood. They used to make a lot of those movies but now most movies are made purely for entertainment. ‘Machine Gun Preacher’ has all of those elements, the movie stays with you, it opens up a dialogue, you can discuss it. Sam put his life on the line over and over to save so many kids, so many.

You’ve spent much of your life with the children of Sudan…

Sam Childers: It’s something when you can take a child who may not have a good life, maybe the schooling is not good, maybe the food they’re eating is not good. But they still have a smile on their face, they’ll still laugh and giggle. Children are the same all around the world, and I believe, sometimes, the more a child has, the more spoilt they can get – because in America there’s a lot of children who just aren’t thankful for what they’ve got. But I noticed in Sudan, you can take a bottle of Soda, you can give it to ten children and they’ll take little sips until everyone gets a sip, they would just keep passing it around, sharing. You don’t see that a lot in America.

There was people dying and I knew I could do something about it, James, Chapter IV: Verse 17 says, ‘If you know you should do something and not do it, you have sinned.’ And I knew, from the first time I went into Sudan, I knew for a fact I could save someone. I never realised it was going to go over a thousand children, way over a thousand, I don’t even count, counting is for me, but it’s not about me.

What research did you do and how did you process all of that?

Gerard Butler: There is a lot of source material you use when you’re playing a role like this. There was countless hours of TV interviews, and especially radio interviews with Sam. Then I broke down everything he did – Sam was a biker, so I watched a lot of biker documentaries and books on bikers. He was a preacher, so I watched a lot of hours of Youtube footage on religious fervour, fundamentalism and preaching. And then, more than anything, footage, documentaries and photographic material from Sudan. That’s what helped me more than anything to climb into this character of Samn.

If anything, Sam’s journey was this dark journey into hell in him trying to help these kids and a descent into madness. He was just ground downby what he witnessed and by the constant pressures of family, of finance and war, death and of abuse and hopelessness. There was a lot of great documentary footage and interviews with kids, but especially the photographic footage that I would use on a daily basis. I had this massive folder and I just took it around with me everywhere, and I would look at that. It was a shorthand that it could really take me to a very dark emotional place. Then you spend a long time thinking, just really working into those spaces where it’s hard to imagine being. Sam was a great help as well.

Marc, can you talk a little bit about Gerard’s performance as Sam?

Marc Forster: Gerard really inhabited Sam’s character, we went together to Pennsylvania and we met him, spent time with Sam, he really done his homework – he dived into this character. The more time he spent with Sam, the more he understood the complexity of Sam. He had such passion, you always want to work with someone who has immense passion, he really inspired me.

The name gets you intrigued right away…

Sam Childers: The name was created through villagers in Sudan, and also Uganda, when they would see that I slept on a grass mat – this was many many years ago, I had the Bible on one side and the machine gun on the other side. The next thing I know there was story done, whether it was to discredit me or whatever, they titled it ‘Machine Gun Preacher.’ When I read it I was all worked up because this was years ago that this story was done, I already knew I had the name ‘Machine Gun Preacher,’ so when the story was done I started crying, but then God said, ’You claim that name.’ So the name ’Machine Gun Preacher’ is my name, I thank God that he keeps climbing it up there – now there’s a movie ‘Machine Gun Preacher.’ You could have called it any other name, you could have put it on the side of a truck, another name, but it doesn’t get peoples attention, ‘Machine Gun Preacher,’ that gets everyone’s attention. Usually when people see that name, I have it tattooed on my arm, they say, ‘What’s this with the Machine Gun Preacher,’ so it opens up the doors to really share with people, not just my faith, but also children in Africa.

I started an orphanage in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of a war zone, one man. Now it’s one of the largest orphanages in South Sudan. It was started with a mosquito net hanging in a tree, so when you look at that, that’s one amazing thing. I wrote a book two years ago, but thirty years ago I couldn’t read or write, God has just done miracle after miracle in my life.

This inspirational true story, ‘Machine Gun Preacher,’ is about Sam Childers, a former drug-dealing criminal who undergoes an astonishing transformation and finds an unexpected calling as the savior of hundreds of kidnapped and orphaned children. Gerard Butler (300) delivers a searing performance as Childers in Golden Globe-nominated director Marc Forster’s (Monster’s Ball,Finding Neverland) moving story of violence and redemption. Alongside Gerard Butler and Michelle Monaghan, the cast includes Kathy Baker, Michael Shannon, Madeline Carroll and Souleymane Sy Savane. ‘Machine Gun Preacher’ has been scheduled for release September 23rd in the US, and November 18th in the UK. Check out what Gerard Butler and Michelle Monaghan had to say about the film below.

I’ve heard that you were preparing for this role for a long time, what did that entail?

Gerard Butler: I had been preparing for almost eight months before the movie started, because we developed the script. I worked with Jason Keller and Marc Forster, we’d have these mammoth….nine or ten script sessions, where we just locked the doors, closed the curtains and just got stuck in to make this happen. I find it for me, my best performances are ones that I worked in the development as well, because by the time you’re filming you’ve spent so much time in the characters head. I spent a lot of time with Sam, travelled around his area, I was given so much source material from Sam, documentaries he did, interviews – I had them playing all the time….

Michelle Monaghan: Didn’t you carry his Bible around?

Gerard Butler: Yeah, he gave me his bible. There was a million things (laughs). I watched documentaries on fundamentalism, on preaching, on bikers, everything – all the different things that made Sam who he is. The biker faction, the preacher faction, the gang member, the political situations in Sudan, the kids themselves…..a bunch of things!

What it is like playing a real life person?

Michelle Monaghan: It’s tricky, you really want to honour them, but more importantly find out what makes them tick as people, to really understand their dynamic. I spent time with Sam and Lynn one weekend, for me it wasn’t a case of trying to mimic a performance or to be exactly like her, it was more that I wanted to understand emotionally who she was, then try to convey that in the most honest and true way. It’s definitely more to interpret than to mimic, the essence and complexity of Lynn.

There’s so much to this man and story…

Gerard Butler: There’s so much, and so much more (laughs). Sam Childers, he’s a married man, he has a family. But he’s in and out of jail, he can’t get his life together, he’s addicted to drugs, he’s in a biker gang, he’s a robber. He finally finds a calling, he goes through this kind of beautiful redemption and becomes a man of faith. He has that push to do more so he finds himself in Africa, where he sees some pretty untold horrors – it changes his whole life. He becomes a preacher, he builds an orphanage in Sudan, and actually a church back in Pennsylvania, at the same time trying to keep his family going, whilst also running this orphanage, which sucks him into the war, he starts fighting against the militia.

I’ve never been in a movie, or even I think witnessed a movie that has so much packed into it. In terms of emotion and just life experiences. It takes place in two continents, it takes place in two completely different cultures. We were almost shooting two different movies. When I first read the script I was like, ‘Are you kidding? This is so much, this is too much, this couldn’t have all happened?’ Then you speak to him and you realise this and much much more.

There are some truly heartbreaking scenes in this film, especially when you are holding that little boy, where do you go for a scene like that?

Gerard Butler: After that scene my makeup artist came up to me and grabbed me, he was crying, and hugged me – because he was there with me, he was my boy and he could see where I was going. I think I did that shot about fifteen times, screaming and crying, going to a place where……I don’t even know where I was going. I just sit, I listen to music for hours before, going to the most darkest and most horrific places I can imagine, then compound it and compound it and compound it. I get into it physically and emotionally – then bang, into that take, of holding this little boy, you try to be there in the moment, you let go of it all, it just came. That was a tough day, it took a lot to shake off, that was definitely one of the most intense moments of filming.

Coriolanus (Ralph Fiennes), a hero of Rome, is a great soldier but despises the people. His extreme views ignite a mass riot and he is banished from Rome. Coriolanus allies with a sworn enemy (Gerard Butler) to take his revenge on the city. As director and star, Ralph Fiennes brings William Shakespeare’s visceral history play to the big screen for the first time. ‘Coriolanus’ is a drama for the ages, a commentary on the precarious draw of war and an auspicious directorial debut from one of the world’s great classical actor. Alongside Ralph Fiennes and Gerard Butler the film stars Vanessa Redgrave, Brian Cox, Jessica Chastain and James Nesbitt. ‘Coriolanus’ is scheduled for cinemas December 2nd in the US, and January 20th in the UK. Check out what Jessica Chastain, undoubtedly the breakthrough actor of 2011, had to say about the film below.

You’ve worked with Shakespeare’s material before in your career, how did you find this different approach?

Jessica Chastain: I went to Julliard and I studied Shakespeare for four years. But since I got out of school I didn’t have the opportunity to revisit any of the plays. When I heard Ralph Fiennes was going to direct this, to me it’s like taking a master-class, and that’s why I wanted to be involved. I knew that just by looking at the script all of my scenes were going to be with either Ralph Fiennes or Vanessa Redgrave, and when I saw the cast developing, it’s just everyone who’s the best of the best, people at the top of their craft – I knew I would learn a lot from it. Working with an actor who’s so sensitive, has such subtlety and passion in what they’re doing. Then being directed by that, it can’t help but inspire the best performance out of you.

Do have a particular memorable moment filming ‘Coriolanus’?

Jessica Chastain: I remember when I first arrived on set they had started filming. They were actually filming the fight scene where Ralph Fiennes is absolutely covered in blood, all you see is his eyes. And we had scheduled a lunch to talk about Virgilia and Coriolanus. I was just off the plane so I thought, ‘Ok, lets talk about this.’ And then I show up, he’s completely in costume, completely covered in blood, and we’re eating, I’m not very talkative, and Ralph says to me, ‘Are you aright, you‘re very quiet, is everything ok?’ And I replied, ’Do you know what you look like right now!’ (Laughs) I’m vegetarian as well (laughs).

How is it handling all the demands of 2011? You’ve had Terrence Malick’s ‘The Tree Of Life,’ ‘The Help,’ ‘The Debt,’ then you‘ve got ‘Texas Killing Fields,’ ‘Wilde Salome,’ ‘Take Shelter,’ and this, ‘Coriolanus.’

Jessica Chastain: This has been such a very strange year for me. It was a bit of a joke in my life, where it was called the ‘Chastain curse,’ where I made eleven films in four and a half years and for some reason they would be stalled, or companies would be sold, it was a bit of a comedy. And then to have just the flip side of it where they all now come out within six months of each other, it’s really feast or famine in this business, and this whole press aspect of the business has been baptism by fire for me. But I guess, the most wonderful thing is I love the films I’m involved in, I’m really passionate about them. I’ve always chosen projects where I’d be working with actors that were better than me, with teachers, with people who have something to say. I love to talk about these films, so for me that has been the most wonderful part of it. I love talking about acting. I’m just such a fan of actors and film-makers, and I try to choose roles where I get to talk to great actors about acting and learn. So for me the press aspect is great because I love talking about other people and their performances and their process and all of that.

I also have to prep a movie that I start October 4th, ‘Mama.’ So I’m starting to get a little nervous (laughs). I’ve never worked before where I’ve been on a press situation and then, like, a week later started shooting a film. So I’m trying to start prep for that film now and trying to juggle all the things.

This inspirational true story, ‘Machine Gun Preacher’ is about Sam Childers, a former drug-dealing criminal who undergoes an astonishing transformation and finds an unexpected calling as the savior of hundreds of kidnapped and orphaned children. Gerard Butler (300) delivers a searing performance as Childers in Golden Globe-nominated director Marc Forster’s (Monster’s Ball,Finding Neverland) moving story of violence and redemption. Alongside Gerard Butler, the cast includes Michelle Monaghan, Kathy Baker, Michael Shannon, Madeline Carroll and Souleymane Sy Savane. ‘Machine Gun Preacher’ has been scheduled for release September 23rd in the US, and November 18th in the UK. Check out what Gerard Butler had to say about the film below.

There’s so much packed into this gripping story.

Gerard Butler: I’ve never been in a movie, or even I think witnessed a movie that has so much packed into it. In terms of emotion and just life experiences. It takes place in two continents, it takes place in two completely different cultures. We were almost shooting two different movies. There’s that whole duality of Sam Childers as well – as well as Sam in Africa and Sam in America, there’s the younger Sam, the out of control Sam who had no God but himself, and his pain and his pleasure. Then there’s the Sam who railed everything in, and found this higher purpose, first in God and then in this mission. But then now knowing Sam, you realise that is only one bit of him. When I first read the script I was like, ‘Are you kidding? This is so much, this is too much, this couldn’t have all happened?’ Then you speak to him and you realise this and much much more.

How was it getting to know Sam Childers?

Gerard Butler: I spent quite a lot of time with Sam, we went to visit with him and stayed with him in Pennsylvania . We went around with him, watched him preach in his church. I probably have about forty hours of conversation, where I would just always have Sam on in the background – as much to listen to how he talked, how he expressed himself, and also to hear his stories, he’s such an incredible guy. It was big boots to fill, it was a joy to do but it was hard work.

The debut screening at TIFF went great.

Gerard Butler: I think that was one of those career defining moments for me. The screening went fantastic, I’m very proud of the movie, I think it’s a very powerful, remarkable piece of work. Last year was kind of a time for me that I stopped and said, ’Ok, really, what do I want to do right now? And I took on a couple of challenges, challenge myself, with more edgy and grittier roles, with this and also with ‘Coriolanus.’ I read that script, with Ralph Fiennes directing and playing Coriolanus, I thought, ‘This is so delicious, it’s terrifying, it’s exciting, I want to go and do that.’ Then with ‘Machine Gun Preacher,’ it rips your heart out, the screening went down a storm. It’s a good place to be.

How did director Marc Forster help bring this character alive?

Gerard Butler: He’s a phenomenal director, very efficient, and he didn’t ever have to prove that to me, because he knew I knew it. So he doesn’t have to be scared of my ideas, he knows my ideas are never about me, they’re about the movie. I cared about making this a great movie, because I don’t care about me looking good in a scene, if the scene is going to suffer what’s the point in that? I read the story and went, ’What a great story! What a great role.’ I don’t think anyone is as adept as Marc to jump into any genre and just give everything a different feel, he’s great.

Coriolanus (Ralph Fiennes), a hero of Rome, is a great soldier but despises the people. His extreme views ignite a mass riot and he is banished from Rome. Coriolanus allies with a sworn enemy (Gerard Butler) to take his revenge on the city. As director and star, Ralph Fiennes brings William Shakespeare’s visceral history play to the big screen for the first time. Coriolanus is a drama for the ages, a commentary on the precarious draw of war and an auspicious directorial debut from one of the world’s great classical actor. Alongside Ralph Fiennes and Gerard Butler the film stars Vanessa Redgrave, Brian Cox, Jessica Chastain and James Nesbitt. Coriolanus is scheduled for cinemas December 2nd in the US, and January 20th in the UK.

You’ve worked on a great number of Shakespeare productions, what was it about Coriolanus that made you want to adapt this story to film?

Ralph Fiennes: I played it on stage about ten years ago, it made a very deep impression on me. To me it’s a play that, unquestionably, always has resonance with the times we are in – in particular now, with so much uncertainty in the world, social upheaval, political upheaval, war, combat, the constant tension between the nature of leadership and the voice of the people. For me it seemed to combine a continually resonate thriller with a Greek tragedy at the centre of it.

How did you develop the screenplay and the idea to update Coriolanus?

Ralph Fiennes: The screenplay is a result of a great collaboration I had with the screenwriter John Logan, who wrote films like ‘Gladiator’ and ‘Aviator.’ I pitched this idea of an updated version of Coriolanus to him, he responded very enthusiastically and wrote this electric screenplay. It’s his extraordinary visceral descriptive writing style on the page, which was really the first big step forward for the film to come a reality. It was so clear, so dynamic, such a page turner.

How did you find the process of directing?

Ralph Fiennes: I think for some actors directing can become a natural progression. You do a number of films, and I found I became increasingly curious, and more than curious about choices directors were making – the camera, the locations, the costumes. Working with Anthony Minghella, who’s particularly collaborative, I felt very included in that process. I think possibly since that time I felt this curiosity become more like a strong urge. I think for many actors, you’re at the mercy of so many decisions, there comes a point when you want to be the person making the decisions (laughs).

With the likes of Vanessa Redgrave, Brian Cox, Jessica Chastain and Gerard Butler, you’ve put together an incredible cast for this film. How was that casting process?

Ralph Fiennes: The first piece was Vanessa Redgrave, who plays the mother of Coriolanus, Volumnia. I knew I wanted her from day one, she’s of course one of the great actresses, ever. She’s always moved me profoundly as a spirit, as an acting spirit. I felt like she has great conviction, not only in her work, but also in her principles and beliefs. I felt that it would be amazing to have someone who carries conviction like that so profoundly play Volumnia, who’s convictions are quite challenging for us to share, they’re essentially authoritarian and arguably…I suppose military elitist in nature, but she feels them profoundly, you have to get inside the skin of that woman and Vanessa did it.

I’ve been a fan of Brian Cox for a very long time. I needed an actor of great stature to convey a political infighter, someone who has real charisma and masculine weight as a politician. I’ve seen Brian’s work over the years and he was the ideal choice for me.

I met Jessica Chastain, I was introduced to Jessica by someone who was at one point interested in financing the film, that didn’t happen but I met her, having only seen her in a snippet of her Salome. Virgilia is a hard part because she doesn’t have a lot to say, but she is the wife of Coriolanus, and she is present in fact by her silence, Coriolanus calls her, ‘My gracious silence.’ I think she is possibly the only character who carries love in the play, and I knew we needed someone with an effortless, emotional translucence – and that’s what this wonderful actress carries, this is why clearly Terrence Malick cast her in ‘The Tree of Life.’ I had the privilege of seeing her play Desdemona on stage, I think Desdemona’s one of those parts where you have to have this quality, it cannot be acted. She had it, and until then I had never seen it, so I’d seen the best Desdemona ever in her.

Then Gerard Butler, this man is a warrior (laughs), I needed a warrior. Gerard came and was determined to kick my ass, with knives and guns. I don’t think I’ve ever told him but he has a wonderful scene in this film where he sees a family, a murdered family in a car. The effect of this is an emotional high-spot for Gerard’s character, it is very disturbing, he has a sort of reactive rage to the sight of this murdered family. On the day that we shot that, we could all feel the electricity around the cast and the crew, this extraordinary emotional flame that was happening. I remember our line producer, Kevin, when we were wrapped, we were shooting until the light had gone, I remember when we finished he said, ‘That’s Shakespeare baby!’ (Laughs).

How do you find Shakespeare on the big-screen compared to the stage?

Ralph Fiennes: The first difference I think is that on stage you have a space that you have to be heard, sometimes it’s quite big and you’ve got to convey some kind of complex text, idea, speech to maybe eight hundred or nine hundred people. So that’s one set of skills, which is very vocal. On film, the camera can be in close, you can be intimate. Also I think the test of Shakespeare on film is that too much words, or too much language can sometimes not work on film. One of the things I felt would help the audiences ear to engage would be a simplicity of delivery, the more conversational it could be – except when there are arguably extreme moments, when people are enraged or emotional or upset. Conversational, that’s what you aim for funny enough in the theatre, but sometimes you extend things because the physical demands are different. But intimacy and simplicity for film, for Shakespeare is the guideline I think.

What was the idea to include things like camera phones? I felt it really helped contemporised it a step further.

Ralph Fiennes: It was really because I wanted it set now, I guess it will probably inevitably date, but I didn’t want it to be futuristic, I wanted it to be now, and now was the time of the Green Revolution in Tehran, all the images were coming through on cell phones, constantly all the time. People photographing and recording video clips. It just seemed that it was part of the world we are in, any politician walking down the street would get videoed and recorded now.

Relativity Media have let out the hatch these six new clips from Marc Forster‘s (Finding Neverland, Monster’s Ball) upcoming drama ‘Machine Gun Preacher.’ The film is based on the true story of Sam Childers (played by Gerard Butler), a former drug-dealing criminal who finds faith leading him on a path to East Africa. Shocked by the mayhem in Sudan, Childers becomes a crusader for hundreds of refugee children. Inspired to create a safe haven for the multitudes fleeing enslavement by the brutal Lord’s Resistance Army, he restores peace to their lives and eventually his own. Alongside Gerard Butler and Michael Shannon, the cast includes Michelle Monaghan, Kathy Baker, Madeline Carroll and Souleymane Sy Savane. The film has been slated for release September 23rd in the US, and November 18th in the UK. Look out for interviews with the cast this week.

In this inspirational true story, Machine Gun Preacher is about Sam Childers, a former drug-dealing criminal who undergoes an astonishing transformation and finds an unexpected calling as the savior of hundreds of kidnapped and orphaned children. Gerard Butler (300) delivers a searing performance as Childers, the impassioned founder of the Angels of East Africa rescue organization in Golden Globe-nominated director Marc Forster’s (Monster’s Ball, Finding Neverland) moving story of violence and redemption.

When ex-biker-gang member Sam Childers (Butler) makes the life-changing decision to go to East Africa to help repair homes destroyed by civil war, he is outraged by the unspeakable horrors faced by the region’s vulnerable populace, especially the children. Ignoring the warnings of more experienced aide workers, Sam breaks ground for an orphanage where it’s most needed—in the middle of territory controlled by the brutal Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a renegade militia that forces youngsters to become soldiers before they even reach their teens.

But for Sam, it is not enough to shelter the LRA’s intended victims. Determined to save as many as possible, he leads armed missions deep into enemy territory to retrieve kidnapped children, restoring peace to their lives—and eventually his own. The explosive, real-life tale of a man who has rescued over a thousand orphans from starvation, disease and enslavement, Machine Gun Preacher also stars Michelle Monaghan (Due Date), Kathy Baker (Cold Mountain), Madeline Carroll (Mr. Popper’s Penguins), Academy Award® nominated Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road) and Souleyman Sy Savane (“Damages”).