Belloq from Indiana Jones Interview

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It's been 27 years since the first Indiana Jones film hit cinemas. Yes, you are that old. Ever wonder what the original cast members are up to these days? Well, Harrison Ford has been cracking his whip and knocking back cod liver oil to reprise his role for the new movie, of course. John Rhys-Davies starred in the Lord of the Rings films, Karen Allen makes jumpers for a living and Denholm Elliott is dead.

But what of Paul Freeman, who played evil Frenchman Dr Rene Belloq? Well, he's sitting in central London hotels, doing interviews to promote LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures. Not much has been revealed so far and Freeman is honest about the fact he wouldn't know a Sixaxis from a sack of snakes, so don't expect what follows to tell you an awful lot about the game. But if you're a fan of Indiana Jones in general, read on for some nice stories about a cobra killing a python and lying on the floor with Steven Spielberg.

Eurogamer: Have you had a chance to take a look at the LEGO Indiana Jones game? What do you think of it?

Paul Freeman: I have had a look, yes. It looks like fun to me. I don't play games so it was all new, but yes. And the LEGO thing will introduce a whole new audience to Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Eurogamer: Does it look like the sort of game you might be able to get into?

Paul Freeman: Me? No. I will never play a game in my life.

Eurogamer: Even though you're in this one?

Paul Freeman: But I'm not, am I? It's this little fat plastic cube... It doesn't look the least bit like me. How could it, a little yellow plastic cube? It wears a white hat at some point. It is better than Marian's, though. They haven't made her the most beautiful LEGO figure in the world, have they? Her hair looks a bit like a tea cosy. It's strange.

Eurogamer: Did you have to audition for the part of Belloq?

Paul Freeman: No. Steven [Spielberg] had seen a drama-documentary I did immediately before called Death of a Princess. My agent said, "Go to LA and meet Steven." They were in George Lucas's offices at the time, a little single-story brick building opposite Universal Studios. Steven and George were lying on the floor. They had one of those first little cassette recorders with separate speakers and a little wire between them. They said, "Come and listen to this," and I got down on the floor and we listened to the quality of the sound. It was the first time any of us had heard those. Think how it's changed now with iPods and headphones and things, but we were all blown away. Then they said, "Here's the script, go away, read it and see what you think." I read it and loved it. It was the monkey with the date that really got me.

Eurogamer: How did you find filming the famous snake scene?

Paul Freeman: Well, I wasn't down there. Apart from the cobra they weren't poisonous. I was up above on a belt, looking at Harrison, who did lose it a bit. He was asking me to help him by shouting extra loud to help him concentrate.

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