Rhys-Davies fond of '80s films but critical of today's writers
" 'Shogun' was the career-maker, if you like," Rhys-Davies said by telephone from Los Angeles. "It was a great opportunity, a great break. The casting director said to me, 'If you do this as well as I think you will do it, you will never have to look for work again.'
"That's not exactly how it turned out; I could have been smarter in some of my choices. But actors don't necessarily know this. This business of having a career as a young actor is not something that is as obvious as it seems. Basically, the opportunities are pretty random, and unless you have a lot of knowledge of the business, it's hard to make the right career choices."
Sometimes, however, one opportunity leads to another. Steven Spielberg saw "Shogun" and thought Rhys-Davies would make a good Sallah. "I went and saw him," Rhys-Davies said, "and the script said that Sallah was this skinny, 5-foot-2 Egyptian character. And I said, 'So how do you expect to accomplish this — with surgery?' And he said, 'No, just do a cross between the character in 'Shogun' and (Shakespeare's character) Falstaff, preferably with an Egyptian accent."
Of the films, he says, "They're great romps; 'Raiders' was a great, great romp. When I read the script for the first time, I said, 'I've never seen anything like this before — it's either going to be the biggest disaster of all time or set a new fashion in filmmaking. But I want in."
Asked if he's received a call about the upcoming "Indiana Jones" film that Spielberg, George Lucas and Harrison Ford are mounting, Rhys-Davies said, "No, they haven't called me about that. I assume that if there is a desert sequence or an Egyptian-type sequence, they may call for me. They may leave me out, otherwise.
"I'm not holding my breath for it. Getting the right script is a real problem. I hear these things all the time, every two or three years they erupt. The problem is, No. 4 has to be as good as — or better than — the previous three, and that's not an easy thing to do.
"The additional problem is that the Spielberg who did 'Raiders' is a different man now. He's the Spielberg who did 'Schindler's List,' " and he looks at that period in history more soberly and darkly than he did before with youthful exuberance.
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