Their daily struggle is chronicled in the Emmy-nominatedNational Geographicwildlife documentary series,Savage Kingdom, narrated by Charles Dance.
Savage Kingdomairs Fridays on NatGeo.
Zoo Quest and stuff like that.
Yes, you’re right.
Yes, black and white television, you’re absolutely right.
And a very young David Attenborough.
Yes, a fascination with wildlife documentaries.
They weren’t nearly as spectacular in those days as they are now.
It was black and white, and they were very gentle affairs, if I remember rightly.
Now, wildlife documentaries, especially ones like Savage Kingdom, the production values are cinematic.
It’s the sheer breadth of what you see on the screen.
It’s phenomenal, now.
I think they should be compulsive viewing for everybody, especially kids like I was in the 50s.
Savage Kingdom, in particular, has a very strong dramatic flair to it.
It really characterizes these… Well, these characters!
It does, yes.
I think it’s that element that makes them unique, actually.
They didn’t shy away from the fact that it’s the survival of the fittest.
The Savage Kingdom series is unique and incredibly impressive.
They’re an extraordinary breed, wildlife cameramen.
They’re like real life crocodile dundees, do you know what I mean?
There’s this wild west, savage frontier vibe to this world of animal prey and predators.
It’s like a circle of life and death, but untouched by the ego and barbarism of man.
Game of Thrones is about the species that preys upon itself, of course.
We are the only species that does that.
These animals are killing for food.
Nobody comes along with a tin of cat food and puts it down for them at 5:00 every afternoon.
They’ve got to go out and get it.
Same with the dogs and the hyenas and the leopards.
You’ve been nominated for two Emmys for this show.
Is this going to be your year, or do you not care about that sort of thing?
I mean, I don’t think one should be complacent about any kind of prize.
It’s very nice to know…
But there are a lot of good documentaries being made, and a lot of good people narrating them.
It would be nice if I picked something up.
If not, it’s nice to be noticed anyway.
Tell me a little bit about being in the booth.
How do you capture the tension of a given moment?
When do you tacitly observe, and when do you get to imbue it with some epic gravitas?
I try not to imbue it with too epic a gravitas!
That would be going over-the-top, which I don’t want to do, obviously.
I see the footage before I go into the sound studio.
Then I’m working with Harry Marshall, who is the director, and we work together.
But by the time I start, I know, more-or-less, what the storyline is.
And, as you said right at the beginning of this conversation, these films are dramatized.
The animals become characters.
There is a very definite storyline.
And the films are divided into acts.
Do you understand what I mean by that?
You’re not sensationalizing.
We’re such huge fans of yours at Screen Rant.
I, personally, was terribly traumatized by your death in Alien 3.
(Laughs) That kind of came as a bit of a shock, didn’t it?
I would hope so.
I mean, there was more on the page than what ended up on the screen.
But you’re dealing with a franchise.
A lot of people are very protective of a franchise and feel they know the way it should go.
It was Fincher’s first film.
I was really impressed, then, and that was 30 or so years ago.
And I just finished shooting with Fincher again.
I thought, then, he was a very clever guy.
I think he’s a genius, actually.
And the film I’ve just done with him, I think, is going to be sensational.
Oh, you’re in the Citizen Kane one, Mank?
I don’t know what to expect, to be honest.
Could you give us a tease?
It’s a wonderful evocation of Hollywood in the 1930s.
I can’t wait to see that one.
Maybe I’ll get to talk to you again for it!
Well, I certainly hope so!
Okay, last question.
You’re always on the cutting edge.
You’re not limited by medium.
I just like working, Zak!
(Laughs) You know?
And I’m very lucky.
Actors living in London are lucky.
Whereas, if you’re in L.A., you’re a film actor.
But here, we kind of jump around and do lots of different things.
That’s the way I like it.
Variety is the spice of life, Zak.
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