I got involved with the Dogma film, The King Is Alive, because of the script and the director, Kristian Levring.
And then there was Dogma itself - I liked that idea of stripping away the bullshit and really getting to grips with a story.
My character is part of a group of tourists who become stranded in the Namibian desert when their bus breaks down, with only tinned carrots to eat. To pass the time, they rehearse King Lear, which really lets all the dark run free. We shot it in the desert, but it was easy because everyone loved this job - the script was good, and it quickly became clear that the interpretation was as deep and as real as we could make it. That's thrilling.
I remember we had a long talk about what happens by week three of living just on carrots. How do you feel? Do you get headaches? Do you start to go mad? That made it all a lot more real for us, as did the fact that almost everyone stopped shaving and doing things to their hair on day two.
If they hadn't, the whole thing would have fallen apart. The place was inspiring, too. We were staying in a hotel on the sea and then we'd drive for 20 minutes and be in the middle of f***ing nowhere - the contrast was extraordinary.
At night, we'd have just a fire and a couple of kerosene lamps, and between scenes we'd lie there, in the desert, staring at the stars. In those conditions you just abandon yourself to the experience. And why not? If you're going to have an adventure and make a film like this, then go the whole hog.
What's the worst thing that can happen?
