'Poseidon' press conference

What the stars had to say about the forthcoming disaster flick.

May 31 2006

It's been a wet week here at The TOMB, with all manner of 'Poseidon' based shenanigans taking place.

Last week I caught a screening of the epic disaster film on a giant IMAX screen, which really is the only place to see such a splendid spectacle.

And yesterday I went to the press conference attended by director Wolfgang Petersen and stars Kurt Russell, Richard Dreyfuss, Josh Lucas, Emmy Rossum, Jacinda Barrett, Mia Maestro and Mike Vogel.

Rather than giving you a full transcript of events, here's a potted run down of what we learned at the Q&A:

Director Wolfgang Petersen enjoys his 'special reputation' for killing lots of people. Onscreen, obviously.

Richard Dreyfuss believes that the original 'Poseidon Adventure' was ripe for a remake, because it was a great idea rather than a great film.

Petersen agrees, claiming the original to be 'terribly overacted' and Gene Hackman's hairstyle 'impossible'.

A debate raged regarding which ear the Richard Dreyfuss character should wear his earring in. Judging from the picture above, the left lobe clearly won that particular battle.

Emmy Rossum says that filming 'Poseidon' was the hardest thing she has ever had to do physically, in spite of the fact that she spent her lunch breaks in an on-set Jacuzzi.

Dreyfuss claims that things were growing in the watery sets that have not yet been catalogued in science, and that it's the only time in his career that he's ever actually earned his pay.

And finally, if the entire cast were to be trapped inside a capsized ocean liner (which admittedly would be a bizarre twist of fate), they all agree that Petersen would be the leader, while Wolfgang reckons that the film's child star Jimmy Bennett would take charge.

'Poseidon' is released on Friday. To read Time Out's review click here.

• 
•