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Bruce Payne on his Role as Damodar: "I think its innately in one's spirit that if you have a tapestry or a canvas and you are invited to be a part of the painting, obviously the more back story there is and the more imagination involved the more attractive it is," says Payne. "Whether or not it's something I have particularly pulled in for myself or whether it just happened to be timing, I really think what was meant to be was meant to be. I can think of some incredible actors who equally could have done incredible jobs with this role. I'm just fortunate it happened to be offered to me first and that was that."
BRUCE PAYNE BEHIND THE DND SET
Dungeons and Dragons Press Release - The Bruce Bits
For Bruce Payne, who plays Profion's cruel lieutenant and head of the Empires forces Damodar, the opportunity to do all his own swordfights, with a sword that weight a ton, was one of the high points of the game. "I have a great passion for it," he says. "I've done a lot of sword fighting beginning in drama school. It's a very eloquent domain for showing the largesse of a character without the accent being on the aggression. You're actually writing with your sword, and everybody has a different style."
With a little dressing they fit right into the world they were trying to create in Prague. Bruce Payne, who is a student of CELTIC LORE, thinks there may be a reason for that. "Historically," he points out, "a lot of Celtic and Gaelic tribes started here." "Western Bohemia," the name of the Czech province where Prague is located, is derived from the name of the Celtic tribe that first settled in the region.
For the scenes like the final combat between Savina's forces and Profion's, when the sky above Izmer is filled with countless winged dragons battling for the soul of the Empire, actors and director alike had to make a special effort in imagination. "Fantastic!" says Bruce Payne. "Courtney Solomon has great passion for these things and is happy to share it with you. He'll spend time showing you storyboards, or computer visualizations, so you have a whole vision of this world inside you when you step before the cameras. You feel very much included."
Bruce was at the LA Sci-fi Con on November 12th, 2000 Click here to see the photo's of Bruce and read about the con!
Bruce as Damodar in Dungeons and Dragons
Damodar is one of the few non-mages in the empire to rise to a position of great influence. As the commander of the Crimson Guard, Izmer's standing elite defense force, he ruthlessly upholds the law and the empire's social order. Those who would break the law or dare to challenge the mages' rule fear Damodar's justice. Some may question how a crude warrior with no discernible magical talent has risen to such heights of power, but no one can question his loyalty to the mages or his fanatical dedication to his duties. Many think he enjoys such things as prisoner interrogation a bit too much· but a man in such a stressful position as he holds should be allowed a few small indulgences from time to time.
Bruce challenges Jeremy Irons (Profion) for control over the Dragon CLICK HERE FOR DAMODAR WALLPAPER
Showbiz.com
enjoys a great cup of coffee while having
a wonderful chat with Bruce.
Here's the Bruce Payne Interview that you have been waiting for Click here to buy issue #279 of Dragon Magazine or go to your local bookstore Dungeons and Dragons Real Video Interview
Click Here to go to the DAMODAR GAMING SPECS READ WHAT CINAFANTASTIQUE MENTIONS ABOUT BRUCE AND DND
Click Here to view the different variants to the DND trailers The Art of Battle Bruce Payne got quite a workout as Damodar. He and Justin's characters had several savage battles between them in the film. Any real player can tell you that thieves don't match up well against fighters of equal or higher level, which meant Justin spent a lot of time getting beat up on by Bruce. Bruce is a very skilled stage-fighter and swordsman and Justin trained for a month ahead of the rest of the cast to get him up to speed. The fight choreography was done by Graeme Crowther. You can see by the still frames, that in this fight Damodar hasn't even bothered to use his sword yet! This fight scene was filmed in the ruins of Rabi Castle outside of Prague. It's the oldest standing castle in all of Europe. That nasty Cuisinart gauntlet that Bruce Payne is wearing was the most difficult thing George Gibbs had to build for this film. It actually worked, and the blades could pop out and retract at will and were strong enough to punch through less sturdy materials without breaking.
Dungeons and Dragons Stills from the France Promo The French love Bruce as Damodar as he is in almost every shot! There is a large poster, in Paris, of Damodar along a side of a building.
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