Black Eyed Peas' Taboo Talks 'Street Fighter'
Posted Feb 27th 2009 3:28PM by Wilson Morales
Filed under: It's All Reel, Entertainment
Coming out this week is the film inspired by the video game. It features Taboo (Jaime Gomez) as the assassin Vega. The Black Eyed Peas member is no stranger to the film world, having done smaller roles in films such as 2005's 'Dirty' with Cuba Gooding, Jr. and 2007's 'Cosmic Radio' with Michael Madsen. This is by far his biggest role to date.
In the film, female fighter Chun-Li (Kristin Kreuk) embarks on a quest for justice and encounters Vega in one amazing fight scene.
Also starring in the film are Michael Clarke Duncan, Neal McDonough, Chris Klein, Moon Bloodgood, Edmund Chen, Cheng Pei Pei, Josie Ho and Robin Shou.
Taboo recently spoke to Black Voices about his role in the film and his upcoming album.
How did the role come about for you?
Taboo: I actually auditioned for it. My agent had informed me that there was an opportunity for me to be in the film. Like other actors, we audition for roles and try not to think about it. It's up to the casting people. I find that you can give a great performance, but it may not be what they are looking for. It's visual and imagery as well that come into play. So, I didn't think about it, and then six or seven months later, I get a call letting me know that I would be going to Thailand to play the role of Vega.
How much did you know about the video game?
Taboo: Growing up as a kid, I always loved anything that dealt with martial arts, whether it was video games like Street fighter, Tekken or Mortal Kombat or black belt theater like ninja and Bruce Lee films. Everything that encompasses martial arts, I was a part of it. I took Tae Kwon Do when I was 12 years old. For those who don't know, I've always thrown some martial arts form in the videos or on stage when we performed.
What inspired you to go out for this?
Taboo: We have a lot of Latinos in the martial arts world, but we are not represented on the big screen. We have artists, musicians and actors who have been talked about, but no martial arts guys. I want to change that.
What's your favorite martial arts film?
Taboo: My favorite martial arts film is 'The Master of the Flying Guillotine.'
How was wearing the costume?
Taboo: It was amazing. They molded my face before I went to Thailand, and it was pretty amazing to have 17 different masks to choose from. I also had this Spanish sword, and every time I put the mask on with it, I became Vega.
How long did you train for the fight scenes?
Taboo: I trained for two months before we shot the scene with my trainer. When we started to shoot the scene, the stunt coordinator walked me through every step. He was a bit patient with me because this is my first major action film. He took his time, and I appreciated that because he's a master at his profession. He's worked on 'The Matrix' with Keanu Reeves, 'Romeo Must Die' and countless Jet Li films. Just to learn from him was a thrilling experience.
Although you don't have scenes with everyone, how was working with the cast on this film?
Taboo: Hands down, a great cast. Most of my scenes were with Kristin Kreuk, but being at the press junket, I was able to meet Chris Klein and Michael Clarke Duncan, who had came to one of my concerts before we shot the film just to meet me. The cast was great, and I'm looking forward to doing more films.
This is a big year for you and another band mate, Will.i.am, who's appearing in the 'Wolverine' film this summer.
Taboo: For me, I've always been in the martial arts world, so it was an easy transition, and I always knew this was something I wanted to do. With Will.i.am's situation, he landed a big role with the X-Men film, and I'm so proud of him. He also did a voice-over in the 'Madagascar' sequel. I actually encouraged him and the rest of the band to get into acting. I went to acting school for three years. I didn't come out with a solo record, because I knew this film was coming out, and also if the Peas could come out with another record, and I could piggyback on that, in terms of financing my solo projects, then I could do more films and work on the soundtrack.
What's next for you?
Taboo: I have the new Black Eyed Peas album coming out on June 9, and it's titled 'The E.N.D.' It's an acronym for 'The Energy Never Dies,' but it doesn't signify the end of the group.
What's different from the last album?
Taboo: There's the personal experiences that we had individually, such as Fergie going out and succeeding with 'The Duchess' record, and Will.i.am doing the 'Yes I Can' campaign, me doing the film and Apl.de.ap doing his thing in the Philippines. We're putting what we did away into the next record. Also, there's more for the club bangers with dance music. It's more of the 'Let's Get It Started' atmosphere. Also, me and my wife are expecting a child on July 25. I am a full-time parent now, and once the album comes, I'll be back into Peas mode.
Why should anyone go see 'Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li'?
Taboo: You have to go see the film because Kristin Kreuk is a rising superstar. Although most people know her from 'Smallville,' in this film, she takes no prisoners. This film is also nothing in comparison to the first film with Jean-Claude Van Damme. No disrespect to that film, but that movie was cheesy and cornball, so people were tainted with the 'Street Fighter' name. Raul Julia was an amazing actor and, hands down, he was brilliant, but in this film, Vega is much more menacing and not comical. The martial arts sequences are incredible, and I look forward to the second one.