Steve Zahn Talks Christian Bale and Rescue Dawn

Recently I spoke with actor Steve Zahn about his experiences making the new film "Rescue Dawn" which stars Christian Bale. Though clearly exhausted from the numerous press junkets he has done in recent days to support the film, I want to thank him for providing the answers to my questions.

GVK: What attracted you to the part?

SZ: I saw the documentary years ago, and I was blown away by it. I also read the memoirs that Dieter wrote and being a fan of history, I was drawn to the part.

GVK: You role looked very demanding, how did you lose so much weight for the part?

SZ: Not eat. Actually, I tried to eat only natural foods like nuts, apples, no salts, as many diets were suggested, but I found natural foods the best. I did eat what I wanted to one day a week, but that was tough as if you eat Mexican food for dinner, you can be on the toilet most of the night sense your body has become accustomed to a natural diet.

GVK: What else did you do to prepare for the part, as I imagine playing a starved prisoner of war is not an easy thing to relate to?

SZ: There was really little info on the character in the documentary and the memoirs, I knew that when Dieter first met him, he was practically holding his intestines in his hands, but I became obsessed with the character, even after filming to know more about him. I have e-mailed vets and contacted people who might have known him to get a better idea of the man he was.

For the physical demands of the film, I did a lot of running, and mental prep and had to get addicted to pushing myself.

GVK: I had read that when filming in Thailand, you had to contend with snakes, thorns and other issues. What were some of the other difficulties you faced making the film?

SZ: Being bit up by all of the bugs, having to always look under bushes, and being barefoot for most of the film. As hard as that was, there was also the grueling heat which when chained up with a bunch of other guys, made it rough.

GVK: What was working with Director Werner Herzog like?