Paul recently talked with Windy City Times and shared his views on nude scenes, ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ and Charlton Heston.
Windy City Times: How did you find out about Tides of War? What interested you about the script?
Adrian Paul: This was a different type of story, and I liked that. I first heard about it in Budapest; my manager called me and said, ‘There’s a script and they’re interested in you. They’re shooting in Hawaii in a few weeks. Let me know what you think.’
WCT: So it was shooting in Hawaii that [attracted] you. [Laughs]
AP: [Laughs] Yeah, it was shooting there. No, I really liked that material.
WCT: Did you have much military knowledge or training before filming?
AP: No, I didn’t. I did go on a nuclear sub and [conducted] some research. Being on the sub was an eye-opener; we shot on a set that was bigger that an actual submarine. There is usually only about 6’2′ [height] clearance, and bathrooms for 110 men are about 9 by 10 feet square.
There was a guy about 6’6′, and he walked around bent over the whole time. Why would you do a job where you’re constantly in pain because you’re constantly bent over?
WCT: I have to say that Matt Battaglia [who plays Chief of the Boat ‘Dizzy’ Malone] seemed to have the most thankless job in the movie, because he had to repeat everything your character said.
AP: [Laughs] We actually cut out a lot of stuff, but that’s what happens: The commander says something and it’s repeated over and over again.
WCT: What are your thoughts about Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell?
AP: That was one of the reasons I did the movie. It’s the same thing with immigrants; they’re [vital] to any country and do a service, but they’re [sometimes] not allowed to have political, sexual or religious beliefs—and I believe that’s wrong. Discharging people because of their sexual beliefs is an archaic system; that [policy] interested me because now there are commanders who have come out after being under scrutiny for many years. I think that things will change, eventually. In some other countries, [officers] just care about you doing the job correctly.
WCT: Getting back to the movie, Hal Sparks of TV’s Queer As Folk told Windy City Times that love scenes are like ‘simulating sex with a cousin on a dining room table at Thanksgiving.’ [Paul laughs.] How comfortable were you with your nude scene and with same-sex kissing?
AP: I’ll be honest because it was the first time I’d ever done that: It is much like he described, but it’s a role you play. We did that scene in a couple of hours, and then it was over. It was strange to do because I had never filmed a sequence like that.
WCT: And when you know you have a nude scene coming up, I imagine you work out more.
AP: Actually, I’m in better shape now than I was then. I work out using martial arts every day because I’ve gone back into studying. I rarely go to the gym; I do martial arts—it’s more spiritual for me. [When doing martial arts,] you do a lot of calisthenics, cardio and strength exercises that work different muscles. I like being in shape, so I don’t want to go, ‘Oh, God. I have to go to the gym for the next three weeks.’
Right now, I’m taking Shaolin kung fu, with Shaolin priests. This is rather drastic; we beat up trees and walk on our hands down steep steps—things like that.
WCT: How often do people recognize you from Highlander?
AP: It depends where I am. I just shot a movie in the South, and a lot of people recognized me; in California, not so much. It depends on where it aired and how long it was on. In France, Russia and eastern Europe, it’s very, very big.
WCT: In the ’80s, you were on [the Dynasty spin-off] the Colbys. You met people like Charlton Heston and Barbara Stanwyck.
AP: I met Barbara once or twice, and I met Charlton, Stephanie Beacham, Ricardo Montalban…there were a lot of people on that show. That was pretty much my entry into Hollywood, and I was very star-struck at the time. I still get star-struck on occasion; I’m relatively shy when it comes to things like that.
WCT: What do you have going on now?
AP: I’ve got a couple of movies coming up, including The Heavy, with Christopher Lee. There are also a lot of projects I’m working on right now, because I’m also writing and producing.
The here! movie Tides of War co-stars Matt Battaglia (Queer As Folk), Matthew St. Patrick (Six Feet Under) and Catherine Dent (The Shield). Check local listings for dates and times.