TotalFilm.com has an excerpt from their interview with Jean-Claude Van Damme about why he turned down a role in “The Expendables.” Here’s what he had to say:
“Stallone gave me a part in his next movie,” he told us. “But I ask him about the subject, about the story.”
“He said, ‘You’re gonna make lots of money.’ I don’t want to hear that, I want to hear what was my character. He was unable to tell what it’s going to be.”
“[Stallone said:] ‘You know, uh, well, the fighting will be good.’ [So I said:] ‘Sly, what is my character?’ So I didn’t do the movie.”
I can understand Van Damme wanting to know about his character, but since Sly is writing the piece and would adapt each character to the actor, perhaps Van Damme should have taken a leap of faith and signed on. The full interview with Jean-Claude Van Damme can be found in Total Film magazine.