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Welcome to 'Parke’s Place'
There is a brother in King Kong and he's not the ape!
Born
in Kingston, Jamaica on January 2, 1968, but raised in Brooklyn, Evan Dexter
Parke was a senior majoring in economics at Cornell University when he decided
to take his first course in theater. Bitten by the acting bug, Evan
subsequently enrolled at the prestigious Yale School of Drama where he earned
a Master’s degree before landing a recurring role on a couple of daytime
soap operas in New York City, All My Children and As the World Turns.
Next, he headed to Hollywood
where he graduated to prime-time TV, making appearances on such shows as
Alias, One-on-One and Charmed. He made his big screen debut in 1999 in The
Cider House Rules, following that up with stellar work in The Replacements,
Planet of the Apes, and, more recently, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
Here, with Bean Soup Times
correspondent Kam Williams, he discusses his latest role as First Mate Hayes
aboard the S.S. Venture, the Singapore-bound steamship which encounters King
Kong on Skull Island.
Why
was I not surprised that, once again, the brother is the first to die in a
horror flick?
[Chuckles] Why were you not surprised?
Yeah,
it’s like a running joke to knock of the black guy first.
Actually, I wasn’t the first to die. I was one of the first. And I died for
a good cause.
Still,
why was I not surprised at your early demise?
Why were you not surprised?
Yeah.
You were not surprised, because you were not surprised. [Laughs]
What
interested you in the role?
There was a method to my madness, when I found out about it. When I got
the sheets for King Kong, I found out Peter Jackson was directing it, and I
got excited. I get amped when it’s like one of the best people. I just go in
there with everything. And the fact that it was a period piece excited me.
What
did you like about the script?
There was no script, but it was King Kong with Peter Jackson of Lord of the
Rings. And I love period pieces, because I did The Cider House Rules.
How
did you land the role?
When I got the call to meet them at the Beverly Hills Hotel, I came in
there clean, in a suit, because in my mind, I wanted to present a certain
image. I came in to the audition prepared, of course. And I also had a reel,
and the first thing on my reel was a period thing I’d done. I really wanted
the opportunity to work with the best, and when it happened I was very
grateful. But that was kind of my process.
How
did you feel about the depiction of the menacing aborigines in this movie?
If you’re asking me about their ethnicity, the intention was for them to
be obscure. So, they weren’t real people. They were just a creation of some
indigenous people who were inbred and had not seen anyone else. There’s no
one on the planet anyone should be able to connect them to. They were a very
obscure, imagined, created, fictional group. And they were meant to be
menacing.
Were
you worried that some people might find them offensive?
We did have that discussion, and that was taken into consideration,
because this was based on the 1933 version. That’s why it was all done in
such a way that this obscure tribe was created. The movie wasn’t targeting
any people.
What
was Peter Jackson like?
Working with Peter on the set was great, but you have to understand the
environment that was created for each one of us while we were there. Not just
the actors, but even the crew. We had a great team. When you’re talking
about leadership, everything flows from the top down. In the organization of
this film, everything went well. You found every race and creed, and people
were a priority. That supportive environment he created was the catalyst for
us to create and give the audience what you experience when you sit down and
see King Kong. So, working with him was more than just the acting and the
images.
Why
do you think he decided to remake King Kong?
It was Peter’s childhood dream to make this movie, so he was very
invested in it.
Did
you always stick to the script or were you encouraged to improvise?
Some days, you’d walk in and Peter would give you something new to help
you nail what you were looking for. It was like, “Oh, okay, that works.”
How
was it working in front of a blue screen?
I liked how that opened up so much room for play. I found myself going
back to my acting school notes from Acting 101, “given circumstances,”
“imaging,” and stuff like that. It was a lot of fun because that’s where
you really get tested and challenged in your craft, when you don’t have
anything there, and you have to create it, and it has to impact you.
What
did you think of Naomi Watts’ performance?
She’s a trooper, because that role is physical. She’s not a big woman.
I have the utmost respect for her because she gives it her all, and you see
it.
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THE
KITCHEN