Van Damme, right, as a fictional counterpart of himself in "Jean-Claude Van Johnson." Amazon Prime Video
Van Damme chose to work on Van Johnson because it was an opportunity to show off different sides of his personality. "It's kind of a complicated show, but it makes sense at the end," he says. Comedy, he says, comes easy to him as long as he can get the timing right. He didn't worry about the more personal aspects of the script because he has known creator Dave Callaham for years ("I've known him since he was in China with his mother; she's into martial arts") and never felt uncomfortable with the show's jokes, such as people mistaking him for both Nicolas Cage and Val Kilmer.
His only reservation was working on something that wasn't a motion picture. "I was scared because TV is different," he says. "TV is a lot of dialogue and it's a different type of business. It's three months, 8 to 10 or 11 o'clock at night every day."
The star eventually fell into the groove, even though he lives a generally more relaxed life off camera. Usually, a day in the life of Van Damme starts at around 10 in the morning: "I get my little coffee, then I kiss all my dogs. I have lots of dogs, like eight dogs, so I play with them for 10 to 20 minutes. I say hello to my wife before the dogs, of course, but if I don't see her in the house, I say hello to the dogs first." He rides a hover-board around his home ("It's a big house," he says) before he settles down to look at YouTube and read articles. "Then I go to the gym, ride my car – it's a convertible car," says the actor. "And I come home slowly at night with my dog – I bring my dog to the gym.
"I'm a simple guy," he continues. "I don't got to Vegas. I don't go to Monaco. ... When I make a movie, I'm completely focused. It's like a different life. I'm like a soldier."
Discipline, which for him comes from martial arts ("My real love," he says, "it's the art of perfection"), is his guiding light. And he gives a lot of credit to the amount of time he spends training. A few years ago, Van Damme enjoyed 15 minutes of viral fame when a Volvo ad, which showed him calmly doing a very wide split with his feet resting on two moving 10-wheel trucks, became a hit. His ability to stretch his legs is a major part of Jean-Claude Van Johnson, in fact; still, he demurs when the subject comes up in an interview. "Everyone is asking me if it's gotten harder to do the splits," he says. "I can, but it's going to get tough later. You have to keep stretching. That's the secret. Just don't stretch too much. Only do it three times a week; if not, you can inflame your tendons."
His M.O. is to move his body up and down "like an octopus moving in the water, trying to get away from a plexi box" but he won't do it without a spotter. On a similar note, he likes to train other people, and there's a scene in Jean-Claude Van Johnson where he trains Foster. The actor says she surprised him. "Not only did she have flexibility but she had power," he says. "She kicked me in the face accidentally. But believe me, behind that foot was pure horse power."
Van Damme also credits training with helping him handle depression in real life. After he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in in the late Nineties, he took the time to study himself. "I train differently, I eat differently, I'm trying to talk less fast because I have lots of passion for the project," he says. "I'm better than yesterday."
It's a side of himself that he allowed to show in Jean-Claude Van Johnson. In one scene, he faces what appears to be a clone of himself and asks the alternate Van Damme to tell him something only he would know. "You tried to fill your emptiness with fame, and it didn't work," the Other Van Damme says. "You have a big hole in your heart because you don't think that you will ever be loved." The real-life star says that line struck him on a gut level. "It was good dialogue," he says. "Dave must know me, because it was internal. It was close to home."
Kick out the jams: Van Damme, right, in 1988's 'Bloodsport.' Everett Collection
The show also afforded Van Damme an opportunity to reflect on his legacy. With some of the plot focusing on an actor relishing past glories – there's even a Blockbuster Video cameo in one episode – he says he was able to appreciate what he did in the past. "I like Bloodsport, Timecop and Lionheart," he says. "I've done some good classic films with lots of heart and sincerity. I like to mention that, because in the VHS era – with Stallone and Arnold – and in some countries you had to go by bicycle or bus through the snow to return tapes. It was almost like an event. Papa or mama would slide the tape in, nobody talks, you cut the phone. And it was able for families to enjoy being together. The VHS disappeared, so now you can watch 2,000 fresh new Van Dammes and you will forget them. But in that period, I had the chance to have two cycles of audience. Now Amazon is a new audience for me."
Now he's feeling optimistic about the future, but he's also managing his expectations. "For a while, I was kind of forgotten there," Van Damme says. "'OK, Jean-Claude, what's he doing? Sudden Death, March of Death, Dead Dead Dead and Double Dead, and what was the last one? Dead on Dead.'" He cracks up (the only real title there is Sudden Death). "So we go from Dead Dead Dead to this type of project, it's also good for my career.
"I have been through so many situations in my life, where I say, 'OK, I am back up,'" he continues, sounding serious this time. "I'm back up again, but we'll see if this it. There could be an earthquake tomorrow. But you never know. It's a great way to come back."
). srsly tho, I have new respect for his self deprecating sense of humor, especially since JCVD.
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