The Robertson Treatment – Wesley Snipes Is Back In 'Blade ll

(Mar. 26, 2002) "I shed blood this time. In the first one, we didn't shed blood," laughs Wesley Snipes, dressed in a cream colored suit and brown shades to discuss his latest film, "Blade II." "I got stabbed through the hand, I tore cartilage in my knee, got cut in the nose, one cat got his jaw dislocated, it was rough."

The veteran actor of over three dozen films is used to getting physically banged up for his craft. A seasoned student of various martial arts disciplines, Snipes likes to get his hands into the creation and choreography of his fight sequences. "I've kinda been doing that for all of the movies I've been in since "Demolition Man," he says. "I try to put in things that are devastating, yet applicable in a real live situation. Things that are also in sync with the emotional state of the character, rather than just doing a whole bunch of stuff just for the sake of doing it. I try to bring in those elements that make sense."

Snipes put similar care and effort behind the scenes of "Blade II," the sequel to the 1998 film starring Snipes as a half man/half vampire out to avenge the death of his mother. Jam-packed with dazzling special effects and even tighter battle sequences, the sequel finds Blade joining former enemies to take on a super vampire set on destroying both vampires and humans.

The Orlando, Florida native spent five months in Prague shooting the sequel last year, yet managed to put four more films in the can. "I did one film where I did 96 pages in three days," beams Snipes about the upcoming political drama, "Liberty Stands Still" from director Kari Skogland. Snipes next completed work on "Undisputed," a prison drama in which he stars as a boxer opposite Ving Rhames. "That took a month and a half, and at the same time I've been working on developing the Amen Ra Films production television company."

Amen Ra Films is Snipes' own production banner that produced "Blade II," his 2000 HBO film, "Disappearing Acts," and an upcoming Nickelodeon project due out next year. "We also have a suspense film that's going to be released next year, plus a kind of street bike, meets warriors, meets hackers kind of action film called "Riders Rough," which is going into production in May. So I've been woodshedding, trying to build a company, trying to make sure all of the branches of it grow."

Snipes is also the founder of the Royal Guard of Amen Ra, a security and VIP protection service that seen a sudden boom in business since the terrorist attacks on September 11. "I'm associated with a lot of excellent martial artists, ex-military, ex-government individuals who know how to provide the protective services to clients like myself," says Snipes of his Florida-based company. "Some of these rappers out here have guys that are big and physically imposing, but wouldn't know the first thing to do in a real crisis situation--how to protect the client, reduce civil liability against the client, which is part of their job as well, how to call in reinforcements or assistance in a serious situation to protect the client or the client's family or children. This is what we know. I'm just fortunate enough to be in a business where I have a lot of friends who need this kind of service."

Wesley says it's important to plant his feet into other fertile business opportunities outside of the entertainment business. "I've been doing other things in the background to build institutions, and get some substance. Hopefully those institutions will be there regardless of whether Wesley's acting or not."

Snipes is already excited about shooting "Blade III," a film he hopes will wrap up the franchise. Sort of. "I think it'll be a great idea to have Blade visit other superhero films, like I go and visit the X-Men, or me and Spider Man might hook up for a minute. You never know, why not? People would go to see the movie I think." - Cherie Saunders

A versatile actor, Snipes consistently churns out memorable performances in films ranging from the drama of "Down in the Delta" and "The Fan" opposite Robert DeNiro, to the comedy of "White Men Can't Jump" and "To Wong Foo." But it's the action films that allow Snipes to comfortably swirl his natural athleticism, profound love of martial arts, and nostalgia for his high-school days as a dancer at New York's School of the Performing Arts. "Shooting those fight sequences on "Blade II" was almost as if I was revisiting the experiences of being in musical theater as an early dancer," he says. "When we were doing the choreography, we're doing it in front of the whole crew. They're there looking at the whole thing, and either you're on or your off. When I see the end results, I say wow, that was pretty good. I'm inspired and it motivates me, and when it comes to "Blade III," it's gonna be even worse, he grins. "Just ridiculous."

- Proving that it's never to late to follow your dreams is actress Patricia Belcher, who after working for many years as a mental health administrator for the Los Angeles Unified School District, decided to follow her heart and embark on a career in acting. With co-starring roles in films like "The Wood," "Message in a Bottle," and "Jeepers Creepers," the actress also has a recurring role on the UPN sitcom "One on One

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Gil L. Robertson IV / Principal / The Robertson Treatment / Po Box 136 / Beverly Hills, CA. 90213 / 323-292-4010

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