RAY STEVENSON was born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, raised in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne and Northumberland, and now lives in Ibiza.
The 47-year-old attracted Hollywood's attention when he appeared in TV series Rome. His big-screen credits include two Marvel Comics adaptations - he played the vigilante title role in Punisher: Warzone and was the rotund Asgardian warrior Volstagg in Kenneth Branagh's Thor.
He's in the upcoming G.I. Joe sequel and will next be seen on screen in The Three Musketeers.
Ray's new film Kill The Irishman was released on DVD and Blu-ray on Monday (September 26) by Anchor Bay Entertainment. Thor was released on the same day in the same formats, and The Three Musketeers gets a UK cinema release on October 12.
Here, the actor talks about his projects, including whether he will be in Thor 2 following the recent news that Patty Jenkins is stepping into Kenneth Branagh's shoes to direct the thunder god's next adventure.
HOW HARD WAS IT MAKING NEW GANGSTER EPIC KILL THE IRISHMAN?
Ray Stevenson: It was a very tough shoot actually. We shot it in seven weeks. It really does come across like a 40 million dollar movie; a huge testament to (director) Jonathan Hensleigh and those involved. I was basically filming every single day; there wasn't a scene that I wasn't in.
WORKING WITH CO-STAR CHRISTOPHER WALKEN MUST HAVE BEEN FANTASTIC
Oh my God, he's incredible. And they're thoroughly prepared as well. Him and Val Kilmer and Vincent D'Onofrio... all the guys from New York. They were just great.
YOU PLAY REAL-LIFE CHARACTER DANNY GREENE. HOW FAMILIAR WERE YOU WITH HIM BEFORE YOU STARTED WORK?
I thought I wasn't at all when I was first approached, but Jonathan (Hensleigh) sent me the script. as I was reading it I thought, 'Hang on, I know this'. When I finished it I realised three or fours years ago I'd seen a programme on The History Channel about American mobsters and it was the story of Danny Greene.
THOR WAS ONE OF THE YEAR'S BIGGEST BLOCKBUSTERS. HOW DID YOU LAND THE PART OF HIS ALLY, VOLSTAGG, ONE OF THE WARRIORS THREE?
Kenneth Branagh just called me up and he says, 'Ray, I've got this job...', I said, 'I'll do it!' He said, 'No, let me explain. I've been watching your work love, I know you're a big strapping guy and everything, but there's this part and I think you could do it'. Then the role nearly killed me. We were filming in New Mexico and LA. I had to have a vest on with ice water pumped through pipes on this vest to cool your core temperature down. I mean there's this huge latex fat suit, then a big pashmina woolly scarf as a beard, then a nice woolly hat as his headpiece. Then they put armour on you and give you a six-bladed axe to wield (see picture below of Ray in the role).
WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE IN THOR 2?
I think they're in talks with the director now. I know they want to mash these worlds together in The Avengers. I don't know. If the sequel happens it may be that Thor will go off on a wild adventure on his own and lead The Warriors Three to Asgard. We'll see.
YOU'RE ALSO PLAYING PORTHOS IN THE THREE MUSKETEERS
Yes, I'm going to be in London on October 2 for the premiere. I haven't seen it yet but it was such a good shoot. (Director) Paul Anderson and (Producer) Jeremy Bolt were just tremendous, and as was the whole cast.
HOW DIFFICULT WAS IT FILMING WITH 3D CAMERAS?
The only difference with the 3D camera is that the camera 'sees around you', so your fencing has to be absolutely on point; on target, so the whole discipline had to be stepped up for that, which was great because it made you keep great focus on set, but what a story to tell!
ROME WAS A GREAT SAGA WHICH SEEMED TO HAVE MORE LIFE IN IT. WERE YOU GUTTED IT ONLY LASTED TWO SERIES?
Yes, there was a whole lot more, and even HBO admitted publicly they made an error, an error of judgment pulling that series. But they took the decision, they pulled it and then it went huge. I can't complain. It's got me my access to get representation in the States, and it's been regarded very, very fondly. Everybody would have loved to have continued with it, but the decision was out of our hands.
HOW WAS IT WORKING WITH BILLY BOB THORNTON ON HIS UPCOMING MOVIE, JAYNE MANSFIELD'S CAR?
He's an amazingly bright, clever man. He's something very special, and his script is just amazing. Robert Duvall plays his father; Kevin Bacon and Robert Patrick are his brothers; we had Tippi Hedren as our respective mum, John Hurt, myself. It's just amazing. It's all set in 1969 around the time there was this travelling show where they would be taking Jayne Mansfield's car around the States as some freak show.
YOU DIDN'T HAVE MUCH OF A GAP BETWEEN SHOOTING THAT AND GI JOE 2: RETALIATION, IN WHICH YOU PLAY FIREFLY?
We did the last scene in the movie, which we finished at 2am one Saturday morning, and at 12.30 that afternoon I took a flight down to New Orleans to start on GI Joe 2. Literally out of the frying pan into the fire. I get to beat up The Rock twice, or I try to, and I get to play this cool, gnarly pyrotechnic guy.
FINALLY, AS AN IBIZA RESIDENT, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE LIFE THERE?
I've got a very young family and Ibiza is... it's like having a harbour. There's a lot of people who don't make their living on the island who live on the island. We don't have seasons per se; we're not seasonal workers. Sometimes we're on the island, sometimes we're off, but it's never dull. It's good to have somewhere to 'refit the boat, scrape the barnacles off', then you're off again.
Ray Stevenson: It was a very tough shoot actually. We shot it in seven weeks. It really does come across like a 40 million dollar movie; a huge testament to (director) Jonathan Hensleigh and those involved. I was basically filming every single day; there wasn't a scene that I wasn't in.
WORKING WITH CO-STAR CHRISTOPHER WALKEN MUST HAVE BEEN FANTASTIC
Oh my God, he's incredible. And they're thoroughly prepared as well. Him and Val Kilmer and Vincent D'Onofrio... all the guys from New York. They were just great.
YOU PLAY REAL-LIFE CHARACTER DANNY GREENE. HOW FAMILIAR WERE YOU WITH HIM BEFORE YOU STARTED WORK?
I thought I wasn't at all when I was first approached, but Jonathan (Hensleigh) sent me the script. as I was reading it I thought, 'Hang on, I know this'. When I finished it I realised three or fours years ago I'd seen a programme on The History Channel about American mobsters and it was the story of Danny Greene.
THOR WAS ONE OF THE YEAR'S BIGGEST BLOCKBUSTERS. HOW DID YOU LAND THE PART OF HIS ALLY, VOLSTAGG, ONE OF THE WARRIORS THREE?
Kenneth Branagh just called me up and he says, 'Ray, I've got this job...', I said, 'I'll do it!' He said, 'No, let me explain. I've been watching your work love, I know you're a big strapping guy and everything, but there's this part and I think you could do it'. Then the role nearly killed me. We were filming in New Mexico and LA. I had to have a vest on with ice water pumped through pipes on this vest to cool your core temperature down. I mean there's this huge latex fat suit, then a big pashmina woolly scarf as a beard, then a nice woolly hat as his headpiece. Then they put armour on you and give you a six-bladed axe to wield (see picture below of Ray in the role).
WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE IN THOR 2?
I think they're in talks with the director now. I know they want to mash these worlds together in The Avengers. I don't know. If the sequel happens it may be that Thor will go off on a wild adventure on his own and lead The Warriors Three to Asgard. We'll see.
YOU'RE ALSO PLAYING PORTHOS IN THE THREE MUSKETEERS
Yes, I'm going to be in London on October 2 for the premiere. I haven't seen it yet but it was such a good shoot. (Director) Paul Anderson and (Producer) Jeremy Bolt were just tremendous, and as was the whole cast.
HOW DIFFICULT WAS IT FILMING WITH 3D CAMERAS?
The only difference with the 3D camera is that the camera 'sees around you', so your fencing has to be absolutely on point; on target, so the whole discipline had to be stepped up for that, which was great because it made you keep great focus on set, but what a story to tell!
ROME WAS A GREAT SAGA WHICH SEEMED TO HAVE MORE LIFE IN IT. WERE YOU GUTTED IT ONLY LASTED TWO SERIES?
Yes, there was a whole lot more, and even HBO admitted publicly they made an error, an error of judgment pulling that series. But they took the decision, they pulled it and then it went huge. I can't complain. It's got me my access to get representation in the States, and it's been regarded very, very fondly. Everybody would have loved to have continued with it, but the decision was out of our hands.
HOW WAS IT WORKING WITH BILLY BOB THORNTON ON HIS UPCOMING MOVIE, JAYNE MANSFIELD'S CAR?
He's an amazingly bright, clever man. He's something very special, and his script is just amazing. Robert Duvall plays his father; Kevin Bacon and Robert Patrick are his brothers; we had Tippi Hedren as our respective mum, John Hurt, myself. It's just amazing. It's all set in 1969 around the time there was this travelling show where they would be taking Jayne Mansfield's car around the States as some freak show.
YOU DIDN'T HAVE MUCH OF A GAP BETWEEN SHOOTING THAT AND GI JOE 2: RETALIATION, IN WHICH YOU PLAY FIREFLY?
We did the last scene in the movie, which we finished at 2am one Saturday morning, and at 12.30 that afternoon I took a flight down to New Orleans to start on GI Joe 2. Literally out of the frying pan into the fire. I get to beat up The Rock twice, or I try to, and I get to play this cool, gnarly pyrotechnic guy.
FINALLY, AS AN IBIZA RESIDENT, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE LIFE THERE?
I've got a very young family and Ibiza is... it's like having a harbour. There's a lot of people who don't make their living on the island who live on the island. We don't have seasons per se; we're not seasonal workers. Sometimes we're on the island, sometimes we're off, but it's never dull. It's good to have somewhere to 'refit the boat, scrape the barnacles off', then you're off again.
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