Jack Black is not an action hero but that works for Tropic Thunder. He plays a comedian trying to make a serious movie. Of course, Black is not trying to be serious. He's spoofing the great war movies.
Jack Black on Tropic Thunder
"The first one I remember seeing was Apocalypse Now and that was great it was very stoney and I remember that Robert Duvall was hilarious in it with his napalm in the morning speech," said Black. "That is probably the best one and there is Platoon, awesome."
Platoon became the basis for Black's performance as his comedy character trying to be a real soldier. "I stole one of the guy’s in Platoon’s voice. You know the guy who talked like that [in a hoarse voice]? He talked like that he had a hoarse voice and somehow that meant he was in 'Nam. I used that for my character within the movie, Tropic Thunder. I only say one line in that character before sh*t starts to blow up around us. A fun fact for ya'. I have a feeling he wasn’t doing a character voice. I think that really was his voice, 'Hey were you doing my voice in that movie?' That’s what’s going to happen."
Tropic Thunder
Despite those influences, Black was not specifically ripping on scenes from great war movies. "We weren’t making an Airplane type spoof of war movies. It was more of a send up of the movie industry, behind the scenes of a movie. I didn’t really concern myself with capturing actual moments from old war movies, it is just the flavor."
It was a tough shoot, even in the jungles of Hawaii. "It was hot and muddy. It was not easy conditions, but that was the trade off because when we weren’t filming we were in this gorgeous location. A couple people got bit by centipedes, which I heard isn’t pleasant. It is like getting shot by a gun apparently. You have to go to the hospital. I didn’t get bit. I got a bad sunburn on the first day and I tried to blame it on other people, but that of course was my fault. I’m no rocket scientist."
Tropic Thunder
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