Still walking tall:
A tribute to actor Bo Svenson.

So what has the world's greatest ass-kicking sheriff himself have to say about all this? Actually, not much. He's a man of few words, just like his characters so often on screen. And he doesn't need to prove anything, I guess. He doesn't have the time to. He's just a likable professional who loves to travel around the world in search for the next movie. The following short interview, or rather exchange of sentences to be honest, was done in september 1999, with Svenson stationed at his current address in Los Angeles (he also has a home in Canada), where he spends his time in the garden waiting for the next movie script.

- What are you up to at the moment?
- I am seeking to produce four films. I am polishing the final drafts of three novels, and I coach acting here in Los Angeles.

- How was it working on such a huge production as Speed 2?
- Great. At the same time I was in Loisianna starring in a Japanese film that was having severe directing problems. The trips to the Speed 2 sets in Florida and the Caribbean were great vacations.

- Was it possible for you, having a smaller part, to see beforehand that the boat was going to sink?
- Yes. I turned the film down several times because I thought the script was not what it should be.

- Is A Spirit Rebellious your first time directing?
- No. I have been brought in by producers to direct several films that were in trouble (three times for one particular producer, and always under a pseudonym), and I have also directed many commercials as well as Kung Fu-The Legend Continues for Warner Brothers.

- Will you direct more in the future?
- Absolutely.

- What was your first acting role?
- Sten-Åke Cederhök's youth-revue Topparna, which we toured Sweden with in 1955.

- You've made since then over 60 movies, if I'm correct, and I don't know how many hours of television. How come you went to America and into the movies in the first place?
- I knew as a young man that I was not likely to realize my potential as a human being while living in my mother's shadow in Sweden. She was a well-known orchestra leader in Gothenburg. Further, as a child, I saw a lot of movies with my mother, and I was early in life stuck with "the dream of America".

- Your turn as the monster in Frankenstein (1973) still gets good reviews. Why did you choose to do that?
- It was a great role.

- In contrast to that, you also played baseball player Jack Twyman in Big Mo the same year.
- It was an opportunity to work with the great director Danny Mann.

- How did you get the part of Buford in the 1975 Walking Tall sequel?
- The producers who did not want Joe Don Baker back again conducted a talent search in the U.S and I was chosen.

There was also a Walking Tall TV-series some years later. How did that go?
- Very well. I became the second highest paid performer on American television and that led to other, more emotionally rewarding oppurtunities.

- You've made a lot of movies in Italy. What are your memories of working there?
- I like the Italians, but most of the material was rather simplistic.

- Did you know that Enzo Castellari's Inglorious Bastards is one of Quentin Tarantino's favorite movies of all time? He has mentioned the movie on several occasions.
- I didn't know that. I wouldn't mind hearing from Quentin.

- You also did Double Target for Bruno Mattei (aka Vincent Dawn). Some people say he shouldn't even be aloud to direct traffic...
- Those who say that are absolutely right.

- What about Andrea Bianchi's Mania/Kill and Enjoy with Chuck Connors?
- Garbage, and one of the reasons I stopped doing European films.

- Do you have any contact with Fred Williamson these days?
- Not really.

- Are there any roles you've regret that you turned down?
- Yes. Many.

- Lastly, which, if push comes to shove, is your favorite among all the films you've done?
- If you mean my favorite performances I would have to go with Frankenstein, The Great Waldo Pepper, North Dallas Forty, Savage Land and Solitude Point. I am sure I am forgetting some...

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Footnote: In july 2002 Quentin Tarantino did call Svenson up, offering him a role in his new film Kill Bill. The film is scheduled for a 2003 premiere.

© The Inzomniac's Movie Madness Review.