ROBERT E. HOWARD'S
A MARVEL
SUPER
SPECIAL
MAGAZINE
THE
THE OFFICIAL
MARVEL COMICS
ADAPTATION
OF THE ADVENTURE FILM
OF THE CENTURY
*6f
*lfc_
DINODELAURENTIIS.™
.EDWARD R. PRESSMAN™,™
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER - JAMES EARL JOBES -
"CONAN THE BARBARIAN"
SANDAHL BERGMAN ■ BEN DAVIDSON ■ GERRY LOPEZ • MAKO • WILLIAM SMITH „ MAX VON SYDOW«.
JOHN MILIUS OLIVER STONE BASIL POLEDODRIS EDWARD' SUMMER a'CONSlANTINECONTE,, EDWARD R. PRESSMAN
BUZZ FEITSHANS - RAFFAELLA DE LAORENTIIS JOHN MILIUS »»™»™
STAN LEE PRESENTS
A MARVEL SUPER SPECIAL MAGAZINE
Adapted, penciled and inked by JOHN BUSCEMA
Scripted by MICHAEL FLEISHER
Colored by D. PEDLER and L. VARLEY Lettered by JOE ROSEN
MICHAEL Z. HOBSON Vice-President Publishing
JIM SHOOTER Editor-in-Chief * LOUISE JONES Editor
DANNY FINGEROTH Associate Editor * DANNY CRESPI Art/Production Coordinator
NORA MACLIN, BARRY SHAPIRO Design * MILTON SCHIFFMAN Vice-President Production
ELIOT R. BROWN, RICK PARKER, JOHN MORELLI, ROB CAROSELLA,
HARRY CANDELARIO, BOB CAMP, JOHN TARTAGLIONE, ANDY YANCHUS,
DEB PEDLER, PAUL BECTON, FRANKI SIENKIEWICZ, EVE FREBERGE Staff
GLENN LORD Technical Advisor
Soul and Inspiration ROBERT E. HOWARD Creator of Conan
Volume 1 No. 21
Summer 1982
TABLE OFCOMTEINITS
CONAN The Illustrated Story 5
FROM HYBORIA TO HOLLYWOOD The Making of Conan S3
OUT OF THE DEPTHS The Creation of Conan 54
MILIUS An interview with the screenwriter/director 54
THE MAN WHO WOULD BE CONAN An Interview with
Arnold Schwarzenegger 56
HE DESIGNED AN AGE An interview with Ron Cobb 60
FROM DARTH TO DOOM An interview with James Earl Jones 64
MARVEL SUPER SPECIAL 2* V(
M By MARVEL COMICS GROUP, Jamas E. G
neaayear.OFFICEOFPUBLIGATIOR:387P,
earing on pages S3 through «
r^
■Xnow, O Prince, that
between the years when
the oceans drank Atlantis
and the rise of the
sons of An/as,
there was an
age undreamed
of. Shining
kingdoms
spread across
the world. And
hither came I, Conan,
a thief, a reaver,
a slayer, to tread the
jeweled thrones of
the Earth beneath
my sandaled feet.
But now my eyes
are dim. Sit on the
ground with me, for
you are but the
leavings of my
age. Let me
tell you of the
days of high
adventure..."
" — ONLY to be torm to RIBBONS by
A RAZOR-FANGeO HORDE OF \
WAR-
t decided it was
BETTER TO SO MEEKLY
FOR NOW, ANP LIVE.
THAW TO VENT THE RASE
HOW.LWS WITHIN *E
AN0 016...
"and so i became
A SLAYER! A KILLER
'SOMETIMES I THOUGHT
OF HAVING MY GUTS
RlPPEP OUT AND LYING
THERE IN THE Pit,
GAZING UP AT THE MOON,
WITH THE CROWD SPlT-
TINS AT MSI
I DIDN'T CARS IF I DIED.' BUT
I PIDN'T P16.' I WON ALL MY
BATTLES/
I WAS FEP WELL NOW,
AND LIVING THE LIFE
OF AN ATHLETE-..
<
iJ-~-
ill
""* % (•"■
iV ^m^
Fi
1 ' KB
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r j
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r ■
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ii^j
tee
B* sss * ■
L- '■ &
1
I BEGAN TO REALIZE
MY SENSE OF WORTH/
THAT I WAS VALUABLE-
THAT I MATTERED,..;
STILL, WITHOUT A REAL WEAPON,
THERE WAS NO WAV I COULP HOPE
TO REPSL AH ONSLAUGHT BVTH6
ENTIRE PACK. I BACKED AWAY,
SEEKING SMELTER PMQHG THE
ROCKS. . .
'-- I GAVE HI*
A GREETING HE
WOULP NOT
SOON FORGETi
"while above /ae the wolves
snarled in frustration...
and waited;
IN THE PITCH DARKNESS OF
THE CAVE, I WITHDREW A
FLINT AND STEEL FROM MY
GIRDLE AND MADE A FIRE...
"ON THE WALLS WERE
BOLD CARVINGS AND
STRANGE SIGNS, THE
LEAVINGS OF SOME
LONG- FORGOTTEN RACE
"FOR ASTRIDE A HUGE
THRONE SAT THE SKELETAL
REMAINS Of A GIANT
WARRIOR,SHEATHED IN
COPPER ARMOR TARNISHED
WITH AGE..."
14
j
ft
f AND THE
/ FIRST USE
TO WHICH
I'LL PUT THE
THING WILL
BE TO FREE
. MYSELF FROM
\ THIS CURSED
//^^ CHAIN. [>
':■'
-
M • \
U
— r~
'm
'm.
V
■
ftr
WITH A SINGLE BLOW,
I WAS FREE AND
UNENCUMBERED. . .
'A SPHERE OF CRl/WSON FIRE
SHOT FROM THE FIREPLACE,
HOWLING AND CRACKLING...
PAWN WAS JUST BREAKING AS I PR6PAR6P TO DEPART.
FOOPf GIVE ME FOOD SO THAT I WILL. HAVE
STRENGTH WHEN THE WOLVES COME.' LET MS PIE
NOT IN HUNGER— BUT IN COMSAT/
''we RAH...eveRywneRg we ran. we crossed
THE GREAT STEPPE, RUNNING. HE TOLD ME HIS
TALE AND I TOLD HIM AAINE.
Hlr4DTH£M STRODE
S BEARING
UNDULATING SNAKES-
"and then a
womaw passed
of such haunt-
ing, spellbinding
beauty as to be
almost beyond
the capacity of
the invagination,
to concbve
OF IT...
" VACANT- EYED FLAGELI.AMT3, WHO LASHC0
ATTHGlROWN BOPIE5 WITH SNAKKKIN
WHIPS --CHANTIMG —
535/^(^^74
^* doom!
Mt^'"i
T * ' llif
:JiKlliS
2L^\ *lk ■
g gOOM/J
^■^-xin' -v^^^ ill
e JB
gogw/jijji $50S
* vSF
DO YOU NOT FEAR \
THULSA DOOM,
CIMMERIAN? THEY J
WORSHIP STRANGE /
GOVS IN THERE.' Ja
(they are not
v my gods.' j
ffl
I ' '■=•
mZ I 1
■ . \"VM
W\
' A i
h
im W*
\u» lU ,\
DO YOU KNOW \ ( NO.' 1 i
WHAT HORRORS J N^ ,_->' i
LIE BEYOND JH / '
GOOD.' \ ■<
THEN
YOU GO 1
F\RSTJ_/
/\/
F/'
V ,(
hUL ^» /
r#
ife
/
/■""y
J5[ x
/'
11 WE CUWBED
BOLDLY
UPWARD
INTO THE
NIGHT...
'ABOVE US WE COULD HEAR THE VOICE OF YARO,
THE HIGH PRIEST. WHOM VALERIA HAD TOLD US
WAS SGCOMD IN POWER HERE ONLY TO THULSA
DOOM HIMSELF. AMD BEHIND YARO WE COULD HEAR
THE DEEP, RHYTHMIC CHANT OF SET'S ACOLYTES,..
'SUBOTAI AMD I,
MEANWHILE, HAD
EMERiSED ON THE
LEVEL 6ELOW. LOOK-
ING UPWARD, I
COULD SEE A YOUNG ■
GIRL PERCHED AT ■
THE VERY BRINK OF
THE YAWNING ABYSS.
HER GAZE WAS
FIXED, HYPNOTIC-- fe
^TJJJ
"THE MUSCLES CORDED IN MY ARMS LIKE CABLES
AS I REACHED OUT. . .FURTHER- . AYE, AND
FURTHER...
["... UNTIL FINALLY.- - |
^^-.j^J '* mSZ^~^
fe^St
_ mr^^.
W^-'
f j^g 1 ^
ir &^
\d
V%g
^JtSSfc&r
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2 *sN^
THE BAUBLE'S \
OURS,SU0OTAI' ,
MOW COME j
^ ON, MAN-- ^
1
,^7
■41
t : ^ii.3
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if
1^
i^_
ii Jv 1
Vpr v
",-»
/'THERE ON THE ALTAR.' ITS
TH6 SYMBOL THEY BORE ON ,
THEIR STANDARDS WHEN THEY/
A. DESTROYEP MY VILLAGE.' J
few v°
^^^X \
■ "-viMl^
\-\ ^
A. Ajfe-
m ^^■^b % r^
'- ^^^FASTER,BOTH^^H-'
^^r op you.' climb ^^|
■ SOT TO REACH 31
^B THE TOWER ROOF ^H
^H BEFORE YARO'S ^H
^^^ HOWLING HORPES J ^H
^ ^^^^UO I^^J^^.^.
W WE'LL. NEVER 6E ABLE TO CLIMB DOWN IN ^^H
■ TIME, GIRL.' THOSE PAMHED REPTILE /JU
j^ WORSHIPPERS ARE RIGHT BEHIND US I _^^
l^iry
/thgmN. f AS
W FORGET H^H
•^climbing!/ JW
^s»B'
Krir^^x ■■
\9Blif^BPW' f
rJ3
Ira?. 'v*=^i
lESSsSml ^£? A POOL
"^ ISSK^r GL( STEMS
^—SME^^ BELOW US.'
fiS* J " ilfet\ WE'LL HAVE
"THE MOON shone rich AND
FULL ON OUR BODIES AS WE
CLEAVED THE WATER LIKE
KNIVES...
1 WE SURFACED, ALL OF US, EXULTING
IN THE DARING OF OUR EVENING'S
EXPLOIT...
"AYE, W6 EXULTED. / AND WHAT WIL.L YOU BUY,
AMD AFTERWARD, SUBOTAI , WITH YOUR
WE CELEBRATED... A_ SHARE OP OUR NEW
NAY, HYRKANIAN/ FOR WHY SHOULD 1
A WAN BUY THAT WHICH HE J
ALREADY HAS ■? ^^S
" ( *dlLs
1 If.
>£
SUMMONED \
.4% ^J
' AT YOUR.
COMMAND,
L «IR6J
mSll*\^
vmj&L
^%f
<=- — =^.»MU —
aye .'they
are rubies!
TAKE ALL
you cm
carry:
TAKE ENOUGH OF
THEM TO BECOME
KINGS YOURSELVES. 1
f ONLY SWEAR TO ME THAT )
i YOU WILL BRING MY
DAUGHTER BACK/
"THE SUN HAD BARELY
RISEN OYER THE CRAGGY
ZAMORIAN BUTTES AS
I SPURRED MY MOUNT
EASTWARD TOWARD THE
MOUNTAIN OF POWER —
'BEHIND ME. IN
5HAPIZAR.I HAD
LEFT VALERIA, AYE.
AND ALSO SUBOTAI..
'FOR HOW COULD
I ASK THEM TO
SHARE MY VENGE-
FUL QUEST WHEN
THEY COULD
SCARCELY EVEN
FATHOM MY NEED
TO PURSUE IT?
''THEY TOLD ME THE
WAY TO TH6 MOUNTAIN
OF POWER. THEY URGED
ME TO THROW AWAY
MY SWORP ANP MY
ARMOR, AND TO JOIN
THEM...
"...UNTIL I
ARRIVED AT A
PLACE WHERE
A SERIES OF
GREAT "
ROSE "
:eat mqunps :, , \,
ll AMD RINGED ROUNP THEM WERE
STAKES ON WHICH WERE IMPALED
THE PUTREFIED BODIES OF MEN
LEFT THERE TO PIE BY THULSft
DOOM"-
"9EYOHP THE LAST
MOUND STOOD A
HUT, WITH AN AGI
WIZARP HUNCHED
IN ITS DOORWAY.
WHERE
cam I
SEE THE
«AST8ff*>
as each neared the entrance, he
SHqweo the Shard a bronze me-
dallion VERY LIKE THE ONE WHICH I
HAD STOLEN FROM 5ET'S TOWER IN
"MY Rtise
APPEARED
TO HAVE
SUCCEEDED-.
"BUT, ALAS, IN MY AGE
AS IN ANY OTHER,
THINGS ARE NOT ALWAYS
AS THEY SEEM.'
Pj
r~H
11
11 § *<
^*m
i^-'-cf
<^r*^[^
>
(jjfeJh
^y
llli
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mi
"MEANWHILE, IN THE HEART OF ;
THE AMPHITHEATER, THE EYES
OF THE FAITHFUL WERE fi
RIVETED ON ONE N
HYPNOTICALLY CAPTIVATING
FIGURE OF "•
t /
THE DAY OF
J "—rrnasA „ U
DOOM 15 SOON
AT HAND,
^children; A
—^j\e
THE DAY WHEN*©i
I WILL CO^MANP ^i
YOU TO STRIKE >
POWN THE PARENTS
AND LEAPERS WHO
HAVE LIEP TO YOU
AND LED YOU ASTRAY/,
jfl
IF ONLY CROW HAD-. .GRANTED WeV^
A MINUTE LONGER... I WOULD f**»
X^HAVE KILLED YOU TOO.... 1 ^/
»4
«^5|
SUCH
HATRED'
"^P
R
YOU KILLED MY ^^^H
FATHER AND MOTHER,' V
YOU TOOK MY FATHER'S ■
.. -SWORD...' JP
1 LOOK WHAT IT
: YOU! THE STRENGTH OF YOUR
BOPY--THE WILL IM YOUR EYES
THE PESlRE IN YOUR HEART.'
I GAVE YOU THIS. ..AND
5UCH A WASTE '
<L
"oh the deso-
late, weathered
Plain beyond
the fountain
of power, they
nailed me to
the tree of
woe . . .
"the tree was stark and black, like a
charred sone-'ltg twisted spires
clutching up like skeletons into the
burning, orange sky,.,
=5^^^"- - _J^____^'"^^
-^^^
_~j^r.
= *-_ —-*-
"TWAS TOE FORM OF
ft MM,ltUMMM6 HWST-
LEssL-yKKossmc
X*ST R6D LAHOSCWPE,
HARSH TERSNN OR
IDE BKMJtG W«T
ofwesw...
i
r=^
M I KNEW OP ON? ONE
■DEEO OP MM* M THE
WOfePTMKT COULD
"THE wizard METHODICALLY PAINTED figures
OF AN ANCIENT UNKNOWN LANGUAGE ON M' '
FACE AS VALERIA ANPSUSOTAI WATCHED.-.
"AND THEUALL AT ONCE,HE
THREW UP HIS HANDS AMD
SCREAMED--
" 'TWAS MK5WTPAU. BY THE TWE WE
RBACM6D THE SREATRlVER-RU-ED
SOKC-e TMATGA<HEP THE €ART>4 LIKE
A RcwSSEO SCAR B6H1ND THE MOUHTAItJ
OF POWER--
-to the mouth op a great c
ghtep b> the glow of a mot
PiRe Burning v
we SAW THE ARCHFIENP THUlSA VOOfA TRANSFORM HWSSlP INTO THE VERY IMAGE OF --
KI5S ME...CONAN..,; \>*J9
LET ME BREATHE i^^^fe*.
MY LAST BREATH.. . <^^^B»
INTO YOUR MOUTH... ■!• -**^£^^|
i»
If 1 -
»
|"ATQPTH6 GREW MOUNP NEAR TH6 WIZARD'S HUT Wg LAY VALERIATO H6R FINAL REST OH A PYRE OF ORlEP WOOD..
^VR?OM TH6
M MEH liWPALEP ABOUT
1 the mounps; They
V WON'T NEED THeWI
''THE BLOW CLANGED SAVAGELY
AGAINST MY HELMET AMP SENT
«e reeling g«ounpware>,..
"THE HORSEMAN WHO FOLLOWED
SO HARP UPON MY HEELS,
HOWEVER-- "
— now th&t My eyes ARE
I ONCE MORE CLEAR OF
I that Witch's speLuru.
V. carve you into'
"50 NOW REXOR WAS PEAD-- j
M
^~ \
ftjfr'
A
"--ANPONLY
THE MOST
HATSP OP
1
My MORTAL
1
ENEMIES YET
1 /*rv\
1 !'
REMAINEP
to woe MY
'•,!<-
VEHSEAUCE"
-4>-L>7
-■
— l*i-^
f£^^ mT/^HI
^^^%L1) V
■j^ ra^iT?"'
(WO, MY LORD.'/VO/
\ \ . /" Please free me.' pon't leave me here, )
£g \\& \h|\ vmy loro/ pont leave m6, my father/^/
WW
^^
XPEAR NOXV _^Kt?^^^>^
my beloved.' ~r=»- ^KiuV«r
YOUR MASTER 1 ^B@8H V.
WOULD NEVER , <;;C ^C-^4r' IBk^T
ABANDON IOUTO / _-^*SHB M~^^*T
THE CLUTCHES / .-"' J^gtlMm IW ■ A&
of these / "^-^i^miSUJmff- ■■ m. A <Si
Vinpipels.'/ MPfc^y
■vl r^K^H
H t~^ft/rMSr* i
; M^jj
lit ' * ./ ; «ln' ,/rmJt
mk
l.;«fl^T 'W
B«
MM^^Jlw^rW^P^
^^#
j£'~I YOU. . .VOL) WOULD \
'*5^KILL YOUR OWM... <|
■
* i^Er jA^I
'bL
.^^^f!
FROM
HYBORIA
to
HOLLY-
WOOD
articles and
interviews by
DAVID
ANTHONY
KRAFT
In an age
undreamed of, when
shining kingdoms lay
spread across the world
like blue mantles
beneath the stars,
hither came —
CONAN
■ _ onan! The name instantly con-
^^^r jures images — dark images,
powerful images, images of a world that
feels, perhaps uncomfortably, like our
own dim past and yet is truly like nothing
we have ever experienced before. It is a
world of terror and triumph, of cruelty
and survival, of magic and cunning — a
world of the powerful and the more
powerful!
It is not always simple to isolate a
single cause for one character's phe-
nomenal popularity. Many forces come
into play, and some of those may be
deeply hidden. Conan is a lone warrior, a
barbarian living by sword and wit, yet he
is by no means that simple. There is a
genuine depth and complexity in the
character and his world that speaks in
some way to almost anyone who en-
counters him.
To those who enjoy high fantasy in
whatever form (books, comics, television
or film), Conan has become a modem
mythology that informs us about our-
selves, including our darker nature. It is,
perhaps, this element that has made
Conan the barbarian, the thief, reaver,
slayer, warrior, and future King a true
immortal!
While it is true that Conan is essen-
tially synonomous with the term "heroic
fantasy," his presentation, the creation
of his world, has exclusively been the do-
main of the printed page. He has been
immortalized in the writings of his crea-
tor, fantasy writer Robert E. Howard, first
in magazines during the nineteen
thirties, then in book collections from the
nineteen sixties forward. Many of those
book volumes were adorned by paint-
ings executed by Frank Frazetta.
Frazetta, one of the most distinguished
fantasy illustrators alive today, most viv-
idly visualized Howard's world. Frazetta
in many ways determined how future il-
lustrators would look at the Cimmerian
and his world.
Finally, in 1 970, Conan blazed his way
into the world of comics (and, we mod-
estly add, took it overwhelmingly by
storm)! Many fine illustrators and writers
honed these images of the world Robert
E. Howard created, always striving to re-
main true to Howard's original concepts.
For those who became involved, it was
always a labor of love. And, slowly, the
legend grew.
But, always on the printed page!
This latest great stride in the career of
the wandering Cimmerian was, if not in-
evitable, certainly predictable. Conan
has made the heady leap from printed
page to giant screen. If you have not yet
seen the movie, the super special you
now hold in your hands should have
more than whetted your appetite. Need-
less to say, everyone involved has
knocked themselves out to capture the
scope and the granduer of the big
screen production. If you have seen the
movie, you know that there's an added
thrill in seeing Conan and his world
brought to life by nothing less than the
sheer wizardry of Hollywood artistry and
technology.
That should come as a surprise to no
one, considering the impressive roster of
actors, athletes, production people and
technicians. You are probabry familiar
with most of them — people like Arnold
Schwarzenegger, John Milius, Dino Oe-
Laurentiis,Ron Cobb, James Earl Jones
and others. If you aren't, you soon will
be, as we take you on a special behind-
the-scenes visit with some of the folks
who helped bring the film into being.
OUT OF THE DEPTHS
The Creation of Conan
" The Barbarian
s
s*»
§-*«*
mm
s=
SB
n*
m
SSI
HE
SUSP
MIUUS
^iFohn MiNus is widely
acknowledged as one of Hollywood's fin-
est storytellers, whose films are charac-
terized by a spirit of rugged individualism
which harks back to men like John Ford.
He has previously written and directed
Dillinger and The Wind and the Lion
and written scripts for such blockbusters
as Dirty Harry, Jerimiah Johnson, Big
Wednesday, Magnum Force and Apoc-
alypse Now. In all of his efforts arises the
theme of man's instinctive and frequently
violent reaction to circumstances that
defy compromise.
All of this would seem to prepare
Miiius to be the man to be the driving
force behind a project such as Conan.
In many ways, that is just what Miiius'
role has been. It was Miiius who fought
for casting which included athletic skill
among the criteria (without sacrificing
acting ability) rattier than just searching
out bankable box-office superstars. It
was Miiius who brought in Ron Cobb as
Production Designer because he be-
lieved in Cobb's artistic vision. It was
Miiius who did considerable historical re-
search, in order to create a fantasy set-
ting that might have been, before com-
posing his final version of the screen-
play — adapted from an original draft by
Oliver (Midnight Express) Stone.
John Miiius is a strong-willed perfec-
tionist. Much of the credit for the Conan
project belongs to him. And, yet, John
would be the first to say that Conan
was a group effort. As with a good
repertory company, it was this group
chemistry that made Conan possible —
including Miiius 1 ability to channel that
chemistry!
DAK: How did you get involved with the
Conan movie?
MILIUS: I first heard of the Conan
project when I was working on a movie of
my own. The more I learned about
Conan, the more I liked it, until I eventu-
ally dropped the work on my own film to
direct Conan.
DAK: What was the reason for chang-
ing scripts?
MILIUS: Oliver Stone's script was
based on the Robert E. Howard story,
"Rogues in the House." I felt the film
should more be a story of how Conan
came to be.
DAK: Could you elaborate?
MILIUS: Well, over the years, I felt that
a lot of the different interpretations of
Howard's work, and the different inter-
pretations of the sword-and-sorcery
genre had, in a way, diluted Conan. I felt
that he should revert back to being a
myth — return to the concept of being a
pure, undiluted legend, a primal example
of mythology. I wanted to achieve the
aura of such heroes as Beowulf,
Siegried, etc.
DAK: Did you find yourself in any way
influenced by the super-hero genre films
that were either already released, or in
the works?
MILIUS: No, not at all.
DAK: Do you think that the popularity of
these other films will help Conan?
MILIUS: Well, we'll never know that un-
til the movie comes out.
DAK: Why was Spain chosen as the
location for Conan?
MILIUS: When I went to the other
countries — Yugoslavia, Germany and
others — and examined the cost of
operating there, and the efficiency of
operating there, compared to what I had
learned in Spain, well, Spain came out
the best. Also, I had made The Wind and
the Lion there, so I knew the locations
and I knew the people and how they
worked. In tact, the people who liked The
Wind and the Lion should love Conan.
DAK: What was your working relation-
ship with Arnold like?
MILIUS: Arnold had never had a work-
ing relationship with a director in a fea-
ture film before. It became a real plea-
sure and honor to work with him.
He is absolutely disciplined and totally
dedicated to the nth degree — so superb
in everything he does. He works harder
than anyone I've ever seen. He really
puts himself into his work.
It's a crude way of putting it, but, in
some ways, my relationship with Arnold
and the other actors in Conan was, as
Arnold put it, like, "I was the dog trainer
and they were the dogs." I think that hap-
pened because Conan is a crude
— primal— movie. Everything was re-
duced to its most basic level.
DAK: What were some of the special ef-
fects used in this film?
MILIUS: One scene that had a lot of
special effects work was when Conan is
brought back to health. You have his girl-
friend Valeria, and God all together in the
scene. That had a lot of special visual
effects.
Then, in the Temple of Set, there is the
giant snake and the special effects with
that.
This movie has a very surreal, dream-
like quality, much like Apocalypse Now.
DAK: If the Conan movie is well re-
ceived, is there a possibility of a sequel?
MILIUS: Yes, in fact, work is already
being done on it. •
■ertiaps the most
monumental problem that might have
arisen in doing a film version of Conan
could have been casting the title role.
This was a job greatly simplified by the
existence of an actor who might have
been made-to-order for the role.
His name is Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Most people know Arnold as a famous
international athlete and body builder.
But, like Conan himself, Arnold is by no
means that simple!
Arnold was bom in Graz, Austria in
1 947. His father was a former military
officer turned police chief and Arnold
spent most of those formative years in
the small Austrian village called Thai. At
the age of fifteen he discovered body-
building. At the time, he told his father: "I
The man who would be Conan...
ARNOLD SCWARZENEGGER
want to be the best-built man in the world
—and then I want to go to America and
be in the movies. I want to be an actor."
Arnold pursued training and body-
building with the fervor of someone who
has a clear goal in mind. He describes it
thusly: "I set a goal. I visualize it very
clearly and create the drive, the hunger,
for turning it into reality. There's a kind of
joy in that kind of ambition, in having a
vision in front of you. With that kind of
joy, discipline isn't difficult, or negative,
or grim. You love doing what you have to
do."
He spent a few years in the Austrian
army, where he was able to maintain his
bodybuilding {and even won his first
award). Then, at 21 , Arnold garnered his
first Mr. Universe title and realized his
dream to come to the United States.
Here, he attended UCLA (studying psy-
chology!) and the University of Wiscon-
sin (where he emerged with degrees in
Business Administration and Internation-
al Economics) even while continuing to
pile title on title for his athletic accom-
plishments. So much for the weight-lifter-
as-meathead sterotype!
In 1975, Arnold made his film debut in
Bob Rafelson's Stay Hungry with Sally
Field and Jeff Bridges, a film which won
no small amount of critical acclaim. For
his role, he received the Golden Globe
Award for "Best Newcomer."
Arnold Schwarzenegger found acting
an enormous but fulfilling challenge.
Physical competition is a solitary pursuit,
one in which great discipline is required
to keep emotions in check, to build a wall
against anything from within or without
that might negatively affect performance.
Acting is quite the opposite. The need to
be sensitive to others and to interact is
paramount. An actor often must be open
and keep defenses down. Still, as with
everything he sets out to do, Arnold
found he adapted and learned quickiy—
and that the results were exceedingly
gratifying.
Arnold went on to do Pumping Iron
(1977), The Villain (1979— with Kirk
Douglas and Ann-Margaret) and The
Jayne Mansfield Story (1980, for
CBS-TV).
-h:^
Conan marks Arnold's most important
role to date and the achievment of yet
another goal — acting in an adventure
film, the perfect form tor combining his
two great loves, acting and athletics. It is
a combination he handles witffthe same
flair with which he has handled all other
challenges, and which will continue to
gather him titles, awards and kudos from
admiring audiences!
DAK: How did you first become in-
volved with the movie?
ARNOLD: I met a gentleman by the
name of Ed Pressman, who had pur-
chased the movie rights to Conan. He
approached me in a restaurant and
asked me if I was interested in playing
Conan. Of course, I said yes. My involve-
ment turned out to be part of a step-by-
step process that took about three years,
getting all the different aspects to the film
settled. Ed Pressman eventually got
John Milius to be the director. This was a
very good choice, because John has had
a lot of experience with adventure films.
DAK: What interested you most about
the Conan character?
ARNOLD: Well, first of all, I was at-
tracted to the whole project because it
was an adventure film — a bigger-than-
life type of adventure film. And this is
something that I've always wanted to do.
I had read the books and comic-books
about Conan, so I was familiar with the
character, and I very much wanted to
play the part — it was more than what I
expected to receive as an actor. The
more I got involved with the film, the
more I came to love the character,
DAK: Was there a lot of physical chal-
lenge for you in the movie?
ARNOLD: I always wanted to be in a
John Milius film. John likes his films to be
very physical, and likes for his actors to
be very committed to their roles.
John was always in there pushing for
more and more action. I had to learn ail
kinds of fighting techniques — I had to
learn sword fighting, how to throw axes,
ride the horses the way John wanted me
to, lift large, heavy objects, so it was very
challenging for me to team how to do all
the different things John wanted me to
learn, especially since there were a lot of
things that I had never done before.
The reason why I think everything
went well for me in the movie is because
I had to do all this physical training. John
was an excellent motivator. Whenever
you were in pain, or frustrated during a
scene, he would say something like,
"pain is only temporary; film is per-
manent." And, I believe that is true— not
only in film, but in life. You can't achieve
anything good without first experiencing
some sort of pain.
DAK: James Earl Jones mentioned that
he received a lot of inspiration for his part
from the sets created by production de-
signer Ron Cobb. Did you find yourself
similarly affected?
ARNOLD: One of the many things that
you do think about, when you're doing a
film is the set designing. Everything,
from the buildings down to the weapons
Rob Cobb designed, was so realistic
that you felt as if you were right there. It
was so wonderful, the way all this stuff
was built. The villages, the interiors
— everything he did was so realistic that
there was no way that you could not be
affected by what you saw. And, if you did
not know that they were just stage sets,
you'd think that they actually were the
real things.
This is one of the key elements that
can really go far to help make the spec-
tator—the viewer — feel as it he really is
right there. So that, for the time that he's
watching the film, the viewer can actually
believe that he is back in that time, rather
than seeing that the film is obviously shot
in front of a set. ft was one of John's key
issues to make things so believable — to
make everything appear the way it ought
to be, from the design of the clothes to
the weapons and buildings to every part
of people's lives. Everything had to be
done right. Clothing that was supposed
to have been used a lot, or worn by
poorer people, had to be torn and dirty-
looking and grimy, I think that Ron Cobb
has done the perfect job. He made you,
as an actor, feel as if you were right
there. You didn't have to work that hard
to get into your character. Automatically,
you felt that you were back in that time
and that you were the person you were
supposed to play.
DAK: Could you elaborate on the work-
ing arrangement you had with John
Milius?
ARNOLD: Basically, I felt that John
knew exactly what he wanted in Conan,
and also what he wanted out of me. He
had such an exact vision — a finished
product in his mind — that it seemed best
not to interfere. Like, a lot of actors say,
"Well, the way / interpret this scene . . .
the way / see it . . .or the way / have read
it . . ." You know, some actors try to think
too much. Then, what you have is a
vision of the director's conflicting with
that of the actor's. When that happens,
you can have serious problems. I think
that the vision of the film belongs to the
director. That is why he is called the
director — he is the one who directs you
in the scene. You talk about the scene
and the character ahead of time, but
then, when you do the scene, you run
the risk of ruining things if you do not
follow the director's instructions. So, in
talking with John, I realized that because
he had such a vision of the scene, that I
could totally give myself over to him, let
him direct me through the scene, and let
him have the responsibility of making the
shot work or not work, I felt my job was to
kind of a joke on the set.
DAK: Did you find a real challenge in
making the many fight scenes believable
for the audience?
ARNOLD: Again, because we had such
good trainers, and further coaching from
Terry Leonard, the stunt coordinator, and
John Milius, it was very easy to do, in
one sense, because John had such a
clear and easily visualized sense of how
the fights should be done. He was very
much into doing realistic fight scenes,
you know. That means that you really do
take a metal sword and you really do
slam it down on a metal shield, and if that
do exactly what Johrr said. And I did that.
I developed a '"Dog Theory" during the
rehearsals for Conan. John called us into
the office every day, and us actors would
work with him, going through every
scene in the script, and we did just ex-
actly what he said. He'd say, "Now, do it
over again, I want to hear that dialogue
again." And we'd do it twenty times. And,
"do that over again, " 'lie down on the
floor, get up," and so on. The effect was
very similar to that in dog training
classes, and we all felt as if we actors
were in the position of the dogs and John
was the trainer. It wound up becoming
shield is not at the right place at the right
time, the sword really will hit you over the
head! So, doing it John's way, with real
weapons, you do have facial expres-
sions that show your real emotion. In a
way, you don't have to act — you're really
fighting!
DAK: Since Conan is such a physical
movie, did you feel that you were in any
danger of getting seriously hurt during
these fights?
ARNOLD: I think that the potential for
danger is what helps make this film really
work. The fact that you are facing a very
real danger shows in your face. For in-
1* 9
•
BMBSMBBiiiiM
stance, if you were in a no-risk situation,
as far as your self is concerned, I think
that you would really have to act to be
scared — to act as if you really were in
trouble. This way, having that danger al-
ready there, you don't have to act — you
are in trouble!
DAK: Which scenes did you like work-
ing on the most?
ARNOLD: Basically, I liked scenes
where sets were built — like, the
Mountain of Power, the Torture
Chamber, the Temple of Set, those kind
of things.
DAK: Could you explain the work in-
volved in the fight scene you had with the
giant snake in the Temple of Set?
ARNOLD: Well, the scene took three
days to shoot, and everything had to be
done step by step. You had to start out
with the snake curled around this Jewel
— the Eye of the Serpent. Then, there
was my stealing the jewel, and the fight
between me and the snake. And, in the
fight itself, I was picked up and thrown
around a lot. But it was really important
to stage the fight, because there was a
lot of set-up work for each part of the
fight. You also had to constantly go back
to check your continuity before you could
begin any part of the fight, too. It was a
miserable experience for me, personally,
but the whole scene was very well done.
The snake was very well designed. And
the set, a sort of snake pit, with all kinds of
dead bodies lying around, was very
realistic.
DAK: Are you looking forward to doing
a sequel?
ARNOLD: Of course, that all depends
on how well the audience receives the
first Conan movie, and all the legal work
that would have to be taken care of be-
fore a sequel could be shot. But, yes, I
would like to do it again very much! 9
p
■ "m on Cobb's art career did
I not seriously begin until
after he was discharged from the Army.
Despite little formal training, Ron felt that
it was high time to do something with the
skill and talent that he had developed
over the years, and immediately after he
was discharged, he made his big push
into the art field. His first exhibitions were
displayed at a Los Angeles area theatre
called "The Encore," where his work at-
tracted the attention of such notables as
Ray Bradbury. From these exhibitions,
Ron was commissioned to do a number
of record album jackets and also re-
ceived a number of personal paint-
ing commissions from director John
Mili us — who would, almost sixteen
years later, tap him for the production
designer's job on the epic Conan
movie.
In 1 965, Ron began a five year car-
tooning stint with the famous under-
ground newspaper, "The Free Press."
Always interested in traveling and living
in different countries, and seeing the
underground phenomenon beginning to
fade, Ron moved to Australia in 1 971 ,
where he lived for a year, travelling ex-
tensively through the area. He returned
to Los Angeles and was almost immedi-
ately contacted by Dan O'Bannon to
work on the movie Dark Star — for which,
amongst other things, he designed the
exterior of the space-ship used in the
movie. This film proved to be a big step
for Ron, Dan and a man named John
Carpenter, for all wound up going on to
much greater endeavors. Dan to work
with Steven Spielberg and to do work on
the Star Wars film, and John Carpenter
to become a director, known for his un-
forgettable horror film, Halloween. Ron
himseJf soon became involved in the
Alien movie, and, as everyone knows,
his work on that famous film received en-
thusiastic acclaim. Then, Conan called,
and he was elevated to the position of
production designer. But, if you think that
Ron has reached the pinnacle of his suc-
cess and ambition, guess again. For as
you will see, as far as Ron's concerned,
it's only just begun!
DAK: How did you become involved
with the Conan movie?
COBB: Shortly after I had finished my
work on Alien, I was introduced to Ed
Pressman who was, at the time, putting
together the Conan movie. He saw some
samples of my work, liked them, and
asked me to do a number of production
paintings for Conan. I was familiar with
the Conan character, from the Robert E.
Howard stories, the comic-books all the
way through the Frazetta paintings, but I
was not what you would call a real fan. I
liked what Ed told me and showed me,
and agreed to do some work for him. But
I told him that my time would be limited
because I had already obligated myself
to John Milius. John was developing a
mountain man film at the time, and since
he had contacted me before Ed, I felt
that I would have to begin work on
John's film when he called. Ed said that
was fine with him, as his own project was
still very much in the formative stages. I
wound up putting in about a month's
worth of design work on Conan, before I
got the call from John to start in on his
mountain man movie.
While in the middle of his own film,
John heard more and more about the
Conan movie and became increasingly
interested in directing it. Eventually, Ed
Pressman did approach John with the
offer. Suddenly, all work on the mountain
man movie stopped and we were off do-
ing Conanl Not only that, but John did
something that was really extraordinary
— he fought to have me made produc-
tion designer of the whole film! This was
really unusual, and John did have to fight
to get this done, because I had almost
virtually no experience in that position!
The most I had ever done in that area
before was some work on Alien, but in no
way did that really qualify me for the job.
However, John won out and I was given
this highly responsible position. To say
the least, it was a tremendous opportun-
ity for me. And, I am very, very grateful to
John for giving me the chance and for
trusting me and my ability to do the job.
DAK: Given the fact that this was your
first time out as a production designer,
how much latitude were you given?
COBB: Of course, I don't have other
films I could compare it to, but, judging
from comments made by other produc-
tion designers and art directors, I wound
up having enormous latitude and free-
dom — restricted only by the budget and
oddities of location sites. John pretty
much left the whole look of the picture up
to me. In comparison, Ridley Scott, the
director on Alien, worked very closely
with his designers and art directors be-
cause he is a more visual director. Being
left out on my own, especially tor my first
time out.was a little bit frightening, but as
it turned out, John loved everything I
created.
DAK: What challenges faced you in the
creation of Howard's Hyborean Age for
the movie?
COBB: Johnandl.rightfromthestart,
wanted to give the film an almost histori-
cal look — very believable within this ob-
viously fantasy film. At the same time, we
wanted to incorporate that dynamic spirit
that is so evident in Howard's stories and
Frazetta's paintings. So, from the begin-
ning, the vision of the sets was a mixture
of our own vision, and bits and pieces of
the different genres that had proceeded
us — balanced, of course, by the practi-
cal limitations of movie making.
I was very much intrigued by the pros-
pect of designing whole new (or old, as it
were) cultures— from costumes, archi-
tecture, life-styles down to even the
smallest details.
Where I was really able to cut loose
was with the Cult of Set — the religious
sect that Conan fight's against in this film.
John borrowed the King Kull villain, sor-
cerer Thulsa Doom, and used him as the
high priest of Set. Around him, and the
snake symbols. I wanted to give an ex-
otic, sort of Aztec, look — combined with
the feel that one gets from visiting the
garish, ornate temples found in south-
east Asia. When I was living in Australia,
I travelled a lot through Asia and was
very much struck by the exotic, gaudy
quality of the Hindu temples — the
painted plaster, the garish colors — the
almost psychedlic imagery. So a lot of
what I saw and experienced during those
trips was adapted into this movie.
so strong that it could actually lift Arnold
Schwarzennegger off the ground!
DAK: Did you work out a very detailed
storyboard for the movie?
COBB: I was not in a position to actually
do this, because the bulk of my time on
the movie — two-and-a-half years — was
spent in the actual implementation of the
scenes for the story, itself. So, what hap-
pened was, we called in fantasy artist Bill
Stout to do some storyboard work. And,
when I was overseas, looking at sites in
Yugoslavia and Spain, John was in Los
Angeles working with another artist on
storyboarding some particularly difficult
special effects. But there really was no
overall storyboard for the film.
DAK: Once you had the sites selected,
and the designs drawn up, then you had
to go out and get the sets constructed?
COBB: Yes. I was very involved in the
It was also very interesting to design a
religion from beginning to end, going into
all the details, like the lesser deities, the
religious beliefs from life and death on
down, the symbols like the Eye of Set,
etc. I even designed the written lan-
guage, a sort of hieroglyphic, and did the
assassination dagger.
The giant Snake of Set was construct-
ed by Peter Forsey, an Englishman, from
a series of detailed renderings I did.
Peter's a marvelous sculptor, who did
some work on Alien. He did an excellent
job of making the snake realistic. The
most demanding work on the snake was
done by the special effects man, Nick
Allder, who did the construction of the in-
credibly complicated hydraulic mecha-
nism inside the snake. The beauty of this
snake is that it could be operated without
any external wires. And the snake was
production and construction of the sets. I
had two art directors under me who im-
plemented a lot of my ideas, but I found
myself overseeing a lot of the actual
construction myself. I also was traveling
all over Spain, from one set location to
the other, making all manner of aesthetic
decisions about color, angles, and any of
the thousands of little problems that al-
ways crop up.
When we were in the actual shooting
of a set, I would be very involved in the
initial phases of the scene. I would make
sure that all of the various elements were
in the scene, everything was properly set
up, and that it was all done to John's
liking. Once the shooting really got un-
derway, I would usually leave the set and
go off somewhere else, like another set
under construction, or the location of the
next set to be used, etc.
In the course of alt of this, John also
gave me the opportunity to do some of
the second unit work. This was where I
would go out with a camera crew and
take some scenes of Conari riding
through the mountains, the making of the
sword, and some of the atmospheric
shots of traveling. Occasionally, we
would use doubles of the principal act-
ors. And, occasionally, we would dis-
cover that we had missed something on
a set, and I'd be assigned to go back and
reshoot the scene. That wound up being
very good experience tor me. Terry
Leonard was the official second unit
director, and he did most of the work,
which was very, very good. I just filled in
when necessary.
DAK: Did you have to make any special
consideration, in the construction of your
sets, for Arnold's great strength?
COBB: Well, in one scene Arnold was
supposed to lift this simulated stone pot
and huge wrought-iron'cradle. In this
case, the iron was real. Though we
made the pot out of fiberglass, the whole
thing wound up being incredibly heavy —
in fact, he almost could not lift it! It was
something to watch him strain, his huge
muscles bulging, to lift and carry this
whole thing the distance required for the
scene.
In another case, we had a huge hori-
zontal wheel — with great big spokes on
it — -that Arnold pushed. This was where
Arnold supposedly got his great strength.
The wheel was supposed to be a mas-
sive grindstone for grain. We built this
gigantic set out of simulated logs and
timber, wrapped around a steel frame
that was imbedded in a concrete base.
The amazing thing about this apparatus
was that, as massive and ponderous as
it looked, it was really very easy to turn.
So, when Arnold would get out there and
start pushing, the spokes would start
whizzing around at an incredibly fast
speed. He could actually push it with one
hand! So, to give the illusion of great re-
sistance, members of the art department
would be positioned at other spokes, off
camera, and be pushing in the opposite
direction.
DAK: Has your work as a production
designer for Conan whetted your appe-
tite to do more?
COBB: There is certainly an ongoing
fascination and desire to design for film. I
sort of knew it would lead to this, and I
wouldn't rule out the desire for me to
work on a Conan sequel. My Conan
movie experience proved that I very
much enjoy my work. I like to specialize
in fantasy and science-fiction because,
with them, I don't have the restriction of
recreating something that's already exis-
ted, like you would in a period piece — a
western, for instance. And I am fas-
cinated with the problem of taking an
obvious fantasy setting and creating a
sense of realism in the set.
I'm also thinking of writing screen-
plays—this is something I've always had
in the back of my mind — and possibly
even directing, at a future date. When,
and if, that ever happens, I still want to
continue with the production designing.
And it is a definite possibility that I will be
directing a movie, because I have had
offers, though it would be very premature
to discuss them in any detail right now.
The opportunity does exist, so it more de-
pends on me to get up enough nerve to
actually go out and do it.
DAK: Has work on this movie in-
fluenced your artistic style in any way?
COBB: Welljhopethatitbroadryim-
proves my ability. In the case of Conan, it
gave me an opportunity to think long and
hard about the ancient world and all the
details that go into all levels of life. Now, I
have a very good idea of what consti-
tutes a technology that is sort of compar-
able to the Middle Ages of our history. It
was especially interesting, for instance,
to work through your mind how one uses
water, how you light a room, where
wagons go. etc. It eventually became so
involved for me that, for a while, I felt that
I was actually living in this ancient world I
was creating.
Another source of inspirarion were the
craftsmen that worked under me. The
Spanish crews had a long history of
working on films including such movies
as Lawrence of Arabia, Sergio Leone's
spaghetti westerns, and Milius' own The
Wind and the Lion. They were very
familiar with the demands of movie con-
struction and applied an old world crafts-
manship to their labor that, in some
ways, was far superior to anything I had
ever seen done elsewhere. For instance,
in doing the interior of the Cult of Set's
chamber, they finished and polished the
plaster in such a way that, even looking
closely at the columns, unless you knew
they were plaster, you'd swear they were
marble. I was just in awe of the quality of
these craftsmen and their work.
DAK: So you think you've done justice,
overall, to the Conan mythos with this
film?
COBB: Yes. I should mention that John
is bringing his own vision to the legend.
His screenplay is excellent and really
captures the spirit of Conan. What most
people don't realize is that some things
that work in text or comics don't come
off, or can't be done as effectively, in the
movies, and vice versa. Each medium
has its own strengths and weaknesses
and it is the knowledge of these that can
turn a story into an event worth exper-
iencing.
In the case of this movie, I think that
the audience will find it to be more of an
adventure story than a sorcerous one.
John wound up being relatively light on
the magic and concentrated more on the
battles and psychological aspects of the
story. But that was an important part of
the barbarian world, and John wanted
that complete barbarian experience to
be there. •
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darth to doom.
JAMES EARL JONES
Ironically, James Earl Jones is per-
haps most famoys not for what he
has done on stage and screen, but for
what he has dohe in the sound studio.
As almost everyone knows, his is the
menacing sepulchral voice of Darth
Vader in Star Wars and The Empire
Strikes Back.
Jones has appeared, before camera,
in many films — his first role was that of a
navigator in a B-52 bomber in Dr.
Strangelove. But Jones' acting career
has not been limited to just movies. He
has had a long and illustrious career
both on and off Broadway. At press time
he is thrilling New York audiences with
his stunning performance of Othello.
An excellent character actor, he now
finds himself offered more anti-hero and
villainous roles, not only because of the
quality of his voice, but also because he
is older. The heroes, it seems, are pre-
dominantly the younger actors, while the
villains are the older. If that truly be-
comes the case with James Earl Jones,
by the time he reaches age sixty, he will
become filmland's ultimate personifica-
tion of evil!
DAK: What attracted you to the part of
Thulsa Doom?
JEJ: I had read John Gardner's Gren-
del, and had, from that moment, had a
very strong desire to play that role. How-
ever, I was very disappointed to learn
that it was to be produced as an ani-
mated feature. So, when I was pre-
sented the Conan script, and read the
part of Thulsa Doom, and saw that it was
going to be a live-action movie, I gladly
accepted the part.
DAK: How did you and director John
Milius approach the character of Thulsa
Doom?
JEJ: One of the things that John sug-
gested that I do was read ail I could
about the Cult of Assassins — from the
very first mention of them, up to present
day. I did this, and I also read about
Thulsa Doom, who was actually a char-
acter in the King Kull sagas of Robert E.
Howard, because I do a lot of research
for any character I portray. But, John's
particular emphasis on the assassins
was very, very helpful and gave me an
added insight into the character he
wanted me to play.
One thing that John did, which was
actually suggested by Arnold Schwarz-
enegger, was very, very interesting to me
as an actor, because I had never seen
this done before. When we were on loca-
tion, one of the first things that Arnold
said to John was, something like, "Treat
me like a dog you are training. You want
me to look up, tell me to look up, you
want me to look down and scowl, tell me
to look down and scowl," and so on. The
reason for this was that Arnold had not
had much experience as an actor and as
a result, literally turned himself over to
the director, saying, "Use me as you
will," I was very fascinated by this, be-
cause it was the first time I had ever en-
countered such a thing, and I went up to
John and said, "Look, why don't you try
that with me, also?" It was a very reveal-
ing experience, and one that helped me
out quite a bit. It places a lot of an actor's
faith in the director, but if the opportunity
should present itself, I do plan on doing
this same thing again.
John is very, very good. He knows
how to stage the action he wants, and
how to get the actors to deliver it the way
he wants without offending anyone. He
was very demanding, but he treated us
all as individuals.
DAK: How did you prepare yourself for
getting into character?
JEJ: That was perhaps the simplest
part of all, because of the incredible sets
constructed by Ron Cobb. He went into
such extensive detail, and had such in-
credible vision, that the moment you
walked onto the set, you felt as if you
really were back in that time period! You
could almost literally feel the primal
power, like in the Temple of Set, emanat-
ing from the props. So, it was very easy
to assume the role of Thulsa Doom.
DAK: How long were you involved in
the location filming of Conan?
JEJ: Well, my participation occurred in
two stages, because I was, at the time,
working on a Broadway play. The people
■on Conan were very understanding, and
worked out their shooting schedule
around my performing schedule, so
everything wound up working out very
well. I was first in Spain for two weeks,
then I returned to New York and the play,
and then, after a few weeks had passed,
I returned again to Spain, where I spent
my longest period on location.
DAK: But your work on Conan did not
end once the location shooting was fin-
ished?
JEJ: Oh, no. Once the location work
was done, we had to do the looping —
going into the sound studios and redoing
the dialogue when outside noise beyond
our control interfered with a shot. A com-
mon problem we had was jet plane
noise.
It is too bad, too, tor in one scene, I
don't think that we will be able to match
what was done on location. I was deliver-
ing a long speech at the narrow end of
this amphitheatre-like location. The
speech will actually be much shorter in
the final version, I'm sure. But the effect
that I achieved, from the spot where I
was standing, I do not think that it will be
properly duplicated in the sound studio.
DAK: Did you have an opportunity to
see the dailies, to see how you did under
John's direction?
JEJ: No, I did not.
DAK: Did you socialize much with the
other actors?
JEJ: A little, but everyone was very,
very busy, so there really wasn't much of
an opportunity to socialize. We were all
memorizing lines, or practicing with our
trainers, because this was a very physi-
cal film, and a lot of us did need training
for our parts. I'm not a very athletic man,
myself, so the role of Thulsa Doom was
somewhat of a challenge for me be-
cause some of the things he did, like ride
a horse, for instance, I had never done
myself. So, I learned how to ride. And, as
you might expect, I had the usual embar-
rassing moment when I wanted to go for-
ward, and the horse wanted to go back-
ward, with the result that I fell off the
horse.
One thing that I did get involved in was
working out in the gymnasium that had
been set up for Arnold and the other
bodybuilders in the film. Arnold had in-
vited me to join him and I eventually got
involved in the routine of working out on
the exercise machines. The only bad
thing about working out on the machines
occurred after I was through on location
and returned to the United States. I had
ordered my own exercise machine, and
it was three weeks before it was set up
for use. The result of that was that my
muscles got flabby. But, that is no longer
the case, now.
DAK: It appears, then, that you and
Arnold got along very well. Had you met
before Conan7
JEJ: I was working on the Ted Kennedy
presidential campaign, and had phoned
the campaign headquarters in California,
and found out that the person on the
other end of the line was Arnold! So,
though we did not actually meet until the
movie, Conan, we had already gotten to
know each other through our political
work.
DAK: What was a day's schedule like in
Spain?
JEJ: We would be up before dawn,
when we would get into makeup and
costumes. We would begin shooting at
the different locations in Spain as soon
as light permitted, and work all through
the day, six days a week — with lunch, of
course, served at the set.
DAK: Since this was a physical movie,
did you do many of your own stunts?
JEJ: No. I am not really that physical an
actor, as I said, so almost all of my stunts
were done by a stuntman, an excellent
man, I should add, who did an outstand-
ing job for me. His name is Brubaker,
and he is really one of the finest stunt-
men I've seen in the business.
DAK: What was the most satisfying
scene for you in the whole picture?
JEJ: There was no one scene, it was
more like in a set — the Temple of Set.
And, again, that goes back to Ron
Cobb's excellent work. I think that his
work will be one of the reasons that the
film will succeed, because he was able
to achieve such incredible mood and
realism with his sets. •
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