Inside Land of the Dead-The Casting-Simon Baker

From:Movies Online
Date:Jun,16,2005

Simon Baker was always at the top of the list to play Riley, commander of Dead Reckoning and the hero of the story. Canton and Goldmann were familiar with Baker’s work from Red Planet, a film on which they had all previously collaborated. “They thought very highly of him. He was just sensational, a great actor, perfect for the role but he’s also a wonderful guy. He’s great to have on the set. He keeps everybody up and light, and he has a terrific sense of humor,” comments Grunwald.

A native of Australia, Baker was mostly unfamiliar with Romero’s work, but after a crash course in the filmmaker’s oeuvre, quickly became enthused about the prospect of appearing in a George Romero film. “George’s films could be classified in the horror genre, but really, he’s a genre unto himself. I had an early experience with Dawn of the Dead, which I saw when I was 17, and I couldn’t get over it—I remember it vividly. But I hadn’t really revisited his films until my manager sent me the script for Land of the Dead. After I met with George, which was a great experience, I went home and watched all of his movies. Then, well, I was hooked. I had to do it.”