JAKE
(shaking both of their hands) Javier, Christina, so very nice to meet you Ms. Essenelle.
CHRISTINA
Pleasures all mine.
JAKE
And Javier-
JAVIER
We are practically friends!
JAKE
(laughs) Exactly. Okay so Christina I was reading up on your blog and according to one of your more recent posts, the original cast included Matt Damon, correct?
CHRISTINA
Yes sir. He had a personal issue and we knew that going into filming and that's why we always had Javier. The role was basically double cast.
JAKE
Which brings me to my next question, how much different is it to be working with essentially the same part but a different actor?
CHRISTINA
You know it's interesting you put it that way, "same part different actor". My experience with working with Matt was wonderful, he was very creepy indeed and very intimidating, but working with Javier...I don't know, he just makes the part so much more real. If that makes sense.
JAVIER
She flatters me.
JAKE
(laughs) Well, that's very notorious for Christopher Nolan films. The reality is always there.
JAVIER
You know I've heard that about Chris and I almost didn't believe it, because, uh, I, uh, dunno I am not the most physically fit man and-
CHRISTINA
Oh please!
JAKE
Javier, you can't honestly think that about yourself.
JAVIER
Oh do not argue with me. I am fit but not fit like, uh, Matthew Damon is fit. I cannot, you know, run through buildings and punch holes in walls and what not.
CHRISTINA
Normal Matt Damon behavior.
JAVIER
(laughs) But it is! At least in the script I have to do a lot of physical things and we train-we train so hard. We do, uh, (to CHRISTINA) what is it called?
CHRISTINA
Improv contact.
JAVIER
Improvisational fighting. Where we keep the lines in the script but the moves are made up on the spot.
JAKE
Oh wow, now that is very real!
JAVIER
Yes! And it is quite difficult to fight with this one, she's trained like an, uh, assassin.
CHRISTINA
(laughs) Yup, you got me.
JAKE
Well, I'm glad you brought that up Javier because Christina you are quite the fighter. We have a clip from a training session that you were in. (the clip starts and it's CHRISTINA working with ENRIQUE her physical trainer, giving punches and doing handsprings and kicks. As CHRISTINA is watching the video she gets embarrassed and starts to blush. The video ends.)
JAVIER
See! This is who I battle with.
JAKE
Christina, you can't be sarcastic about being a terrific fighter and gymnast, what made you so compelled to want to do your own stunts?
CHRISTINA
Well as you know this is my first movie-
JAKE
And a big one at that!
CHRISTINA
(smiling) Thank you. And I wanted to make sure I stayed true to my fans and to who I am and - okay let's be real; I wanted to look like a bad-ass.
JAKE
(laughing) And you certainly do, I mean just from that clip we can see such anger in your fighting.
CHRISTINA
Oh yeah, I've been told that lots of times actually. Chris will come in and just say "Who are you fighting for?! Go!" and I'll just murder the dummy I've been given and Chris will say "Alright, now we all know that Christina has some serious anger issues..." (laughs) It's great.
JAKE
Javier you've gotten to work with a lot of great female opposites, Judi Dench, Julia Roberts, how is it like working with Christina Essenelle? And I know some of your one-on-one scenes are very intimate-
JAVIER
I had the chance to work with her like skin-to-skin like very close to each other and I was, hah, afraid because there was some physicality in the scene I didn't want to hurt her or, uh, she was such a, ah, delight, I mean it's, she was there, just her looking at your eyes and being relaxed as she is as an actress, gives you so much. And, and, she was, uh, doing something very difficult which is to maintain the concentration of me going through the scene so many times, because we have to do it several times. We try different ways of playing it and she was there and doing her job, like such a lady. I mean I don't know it's, again, it's a gift for an actor to be close to Christina Essenelle and to be able to play one scene with her.
CHRISTINA
(her left hand is on JAVIER's knee and her right hand is on her heart, she is open mouthed) I wanna cry, you think of me as an actress?
JAVIER
(he laughs) Of course I do, you act don't you?
CHRISTINA
(hands on her lap, she blushes wildly) Well yeah, but, I'm not an actress...
JAKE
You two are adorable. It's hard to imagine you two being enemies.
CHRISTINA
Oh it's not that hard. Javier and I compliment each other and then we beat each other up. It's an interesting relationship to say the least.
JAVIER
We also insult each other frequently.
CHRISTINA
And sing songs together.
JAVIER
What we you doing before this interview?
CHRISTINA
(she starts laughing loudly) Oh man. I don't think Jake wants to see that.
JAVIER
No go ahead. Mock me.
CHRISTINA
(in a terrible Spanish accent) Hail-lo! My name is Haveair Barrrrrrdamn.
JAKE
Oh no.
CHRISTINA
I lovah the beautiful women and I drink loss of whyne.
JAVIER
This is her being nice.
CHRISTINA
Aaalll da laydees love me. Because I, uhhh, I, talka like dis.
JAKE
Well now that's just Italian!
CHRISTINA
(back in her regular accent, to JAVIER) I thought I summed you up pretty good.
JAVIER
Yes because all I do is having women love me and drink wine.
CHRISTINA
I dunno Jake that sounds about right, no?
JAKE
I don't know Javier, I might have to side with Christina on this one.
CHRISTINA
(throwing her fists in the air) SUCCESS!
JAKE
(laughing) Alright last question. And I want both of you to answer; favorite thing you like about the other.
CHRISTINA
(thinking) Ooooh, I don't know. Favorites are hard.
JAVIER
Yeah, I'm trying to think if there's one specific thing that I like the most...
CHRISTINA
Oh! Done. My favorite thing about Javier are his hands. I'll leave it at that.
JAVIER
(JAKE has a very strange look on his face and JAVIER laughs and puts his hands up) Wait wait wait, ha ha, you cannot just simply leave it at that I don't want any guys coming to kill me with crow bars. Ha, no, I have been trained to give massages while on the set for Eat Pray Love and Christina asked me for one when I was, uh, bragging about it.
CHRISTINA
Fine. Take out all the mystery. Whatever.
JAVIER
(laughs) Hmm, my favorite thing about Miss Essenelle. I don't know...I guess my favorite thing about you would be your immediate trust in me.
CHRISTINA
Who says I trust you?
JAVIER
Immediately when I met you, you said "What's up, we're gonna be best friends I can already tell"
CHRISTINA
Well... yeah.
JAVIER
You didn't even know me, and yet you wanted to be so close to me for me to consider you a best friend. You open your heart Christina, I don't think you realize it but you do. To almost everyone. And that's my favorite thing about you.
CHRISTINA
(smiles sweetly) Javier...well now I feel like dick for picking something physical. Can I change mine?
JAKE
(shaking his head and laughing) Sure.
CHRISTINA
(looks up) My favorite thing about you...is...how much you care. Jake you said you read my blog, when I went to that party with Jen Lawrence last night, Javier was there asking to drive me home-even though you were in no state to-and then in the morning- apparently I left my bedroom door open- I get a lovely cup of coffee and a bacon sandwich from this guy because it is a "hang over cure". Little did he know that I never get hang overs because my body loves me BUT nevertheless he was there serving up smiles. And that's my favorite thing about you, how caring you are. OH! And I might also mention that while we were filming a fight scene I got thrown up against a wall and he broke character so bad because he was so worried that I got hurt. Now that's a stand-up guy.
JAKE
Well, suffice to say, you're both wonderful people. And thank you so much for coming in!
JAVIER
(smiles and looks at CHRISTINA) You care.
CHRISTINA
Of course I care.
