"I WANNA SHOOT A MOVIE IN BAKU"

Many know him as a martial artist and even watch action films that star him. At first glan-ce, the Hollywood star looks candid and gentle but he may display stiffness, too. We are speaking about Steven Seagal who visited Baku a few days ago. We know him by the name of Nico in his films. In addition to acting, he is also a musician and he gave a concert at Heydar Aliyev Centre.  

Steven Seagal gave two briefings to journalists in Baku but he had no time for an exclusive interview. Yet R+ caught him after his last concert and asked for just a 10-minute interview. Despite tiredness, Steven Seagal spent more than half an hour answering our questions. 

Q: We are happy to see you in Baku once again. We would like to know what you think about the concert. Are you pleased with the audience? 

- The concert went off very well. It was exciting to play for the Azeri audience. I don't know though how much the audience is pleased with me. But I did my job. I do not perform 80 minutes every time. I don't wanna tire anyone. This time I played two compositions with the group Natiq. By the way, thanks to them, I came to like the nagara. Natiq gets such uncommon sounds out of the nagara that you feel amazed. I saw it back during our rehearsals that working together would be easy because he is a professional. I also want to underscore the beauty of the concert hall. Heydar Aliyev Centre amazed me. It is a real gem of architecture. 

- We hear that you have a large collection of guitars.   

- Yes, it's true. I've collected some 200 guitars. I bought some in countries I visited and got others as gifts. Some were custom-made. Getting music out of them puts my mind at rest. The world of music is quite rich. But not everybody will spare time for music. Quite often, you come to see the value of music when you are all alone. Blues became famous after such performers as Robert Johnson. Legends such as Hubert Sumlin, Adam Collins and Howlin' Wolf have already passed away. Yet I was lucky to grow up amid them and play blues at the same time. That concert in Baku featured an anthology of blues. I am one of those who want to prolong the life of blues.   

- What is more complex: to be a policeman or play music? 

- (He laughs) Being a sheriff implies much responsibility. I remember those years. Now I choose music. After all, human life consists of several parts and each has its peculiarities. 

- At the same time you practice martial arts, in particular, aikido. 

- Aikido is not at all a simple sport. It simultaneously puts your body in order, makes your brain work and enables you to defend yourself. One must be inwardly prepared for aikido and one may be so both at 10 and at 15. You must be able to control yourself from the inside. 

- You met local aikido masters in Baku. What are your impressions? 

- People are fond of sports in Azerbaijan and there is much interest in aikido. It was exciting to meet young people doing aikido. They suggested that I share my experience and I gladly consented. I'm going to come to Baku once more next year.  

- Did aikido techniques help you in you work as a policeman?  

- Sometimes they did but sometimes on the contrary. After all, you cannot use every movement against your opponent. Aikido helped me think differently. 

- Let us turn to your films. In recent past, Steven Seagal became known as Nico.

- I got an offer to star in a movie as a hero named Nico. Only one movie was planned but it was such a success that we decided to continue. We made all the fight scenes in the movies as natural as possible. People want real life. This is why we wanted to minimize the use of computer graphics. This is why the movies are well loved.  

- Do you perform all fight scenes in the movies yourself? 

- There is no stunt man looking like me in appearance. It is difficult to find a man who would perform all the tricks and movements the way I'd like. This is why I have no stunt double. By the way, the first time I was invited to the cinema as a fight scene choreographer. I did it and acted in one episode. Only then did I get invitations to play star roles.  

- Who is more famous: Nico or Steven Seagal?  

- Fame is the fruit of work. One must invest a lot of effort to accomplish something. The happy people are those who love their job. In one movie, Nico wanted to perform one movement but got a serious injury and had to spend some time on medical treatment. The filming was postponed because of me. After coming back I did that movement without a single error. I was very happy when I did what I had planned. 

- Do you think of making a film about Azerbaijan?

- We spoke about this during my first visit; we are discussing the matter now. I would like very much to shoot a movie to show the beauties of Baku. I am ready to implement this idea even in a short. Azerbaijan has amazed me and I love Baku.  

- May such a movie feature Azeri actors?

- Why not? Still it's hard for me to say something certain as the issue has not been settled yet. When the idea has been approved, we can speak about the movie.  

- What amazes you about Baku? 

- Well, I don't know, I like the architectural buildings, the National Mari-time Park. The city has both old and modern buildings. The people are very amiable. I felt special attitude and attention everywhere. 

- Perhaps you tasted Azerbaijani cuisine? 

- The dishes are very tasty and peculiar. I've seen no such dishes in other countries. I could say that Azerbaijani cuisine consists of dishes that have passed the test of time.  

- Thank you for your very interesting interview.  

- You asked interesting questions. I can say frankly that I haven't yet been asked such diverse questions in Baku. I wish success to your team.