Now it's March 2003, and things have gotten even more exciting. Mark is still kind enough to grant interviews to fan pages, and this time he's talking to me! And he had some fascinating things to say, so read on:
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Q: What are you up to nowadays?
A: Well, these days I live in Marshall, MN. I work for Prairies Edge Casino Resort as a Surveillance Shift Supervisor. We just opened Prairies Edge and it has been an exciting endeavor. I go to college at Southwest State University as an Economics major. My life is pretty uneventful between work and school, but you gotta do what you gotta do!
Q: Would you like to provide a little of your personal history?
A: I was born July 28th 1980 in Granite Falls, MN and have lived there all of my life. It is a small town of about 3,000 people, and I would like to leave but not until I am done with school.
Q: How did your hometown react to you being a movie star? In a George Lucas film no less.
A: The hometown reaction to my movie gig was overwhelming sometimes. News organizations from across the state came to my school and interviewed my classmates and me. I am definitely well known around town. Many times people will say hi to me and act like I should know who they are but I don't. I feel bad but I have always been bad at remembering names. The experience has certainly made it easy for me in school and in life.
Q: Do you remember the Willow experience very clearly? You were pretty young after all.
A: The Willow experience... I do remember it pretty clearly. My time working on the movie is about the first thing that I do remember. The thing that I remember the most was how nice everyone was. You got this feeling that everybody was having fun working on the movie... rightly so I suppose. :)
Q: About how many days did you spend working on the movie? Was most of the time spent on actual filming, or did the preproduction part take a lot of time?
A: Well, preproduction was just me learning my lines before I went to London. We did have a few days before we started filming. I spent a total of 4 weeks in actual production. My entire family was allowed to come with me including my brother, which was very exciting. During the week we had long days on the set, something like 10 hours or more. The rest of the time was great for sightseeing.
Q: Was it hard to learn your part for the different scenes?
A: I have been in a few plays and musicals. Those are by far harder than a movie. Movies are easier because you say like one line than stop, say it again, stop, say it again. It is a very repetitive process.
Q: Were there any scenes that were especially fun (or not fun) to shoot?
A: One thing that we all joked about on the set was the fact that most of the closeup scenes were shot at the end of the day. After 8 hours we were all exhausted and it made it even harder to film the closeups. Maybe George or Ron had a good reason for it.
Q: I know the Tir Asleen set was under construction while you were there. Were scenes for other parts of the movie actually being shot while you were there? Did you get much of a hint about what the rest of the story would be like?
A: I knew what the story was but I didn't know what the other parts of the movie would look like, except of course Tir Asleen and Nockmaar. Actually it was cool because Tir Asleen and Nockmaar were constructed back to back on the grounds of the studio.
Q: What was the most fun part of the experience?
A: I think my favorite moment while working on the film has to be (especially now) when I met Joanne Whalley and hung out with her for a while. Even at 6 I was so embarrassed when she held me in her arms!
Q: What was the worst part (besides the bedpost accident mentioned in Joe Frese's interview)?
A: The worst time... other than the bedpost (haha! ouch!) was after the movie was made. I was supposed to go to the premiere of Willow at a local theatre and I got sick, went to the hospital and couldn't go. I felt like I let everyone down. Very disappointing!
Q: Was there anyone in the cast or crew who was particularly fun to hang out with?
A: Mark Northover (Burglekutt). He was the most fun to hang out with... he is a very boisterous and funny man indeed. One day I was feeling down and he burst out in song to cheer me! I think it was some kind of operatic tune.
Q: Looking back as an adult, what do you think about the experience now?
A: Looking back I wish I would have appreciated and taken in the experience better. I would definitely have spoken with George Lucas more.
Q: Are you still interested in acting? Had any other acting experiences?
A: I am still interested in acting. I live in the middle of rural Minnesota so it is certainly hard to find acting jobs but I do parts every once in a while. I have done a few local plays and such. I haven't been in any movies but I have had a few parts offered to me. But they all fell through.
Q: How did you like England?
A: I absolutely loved England. At the time I was a little too young to appreciate the historical nature of London but I was still amazed by the sights and sounds. I want to go back very soon. If you ever get a chance go see Hyde Park and feed the ducks, great fun! :)
Q: Is there anything else you'd like to add?
A: Thanks to all those fans who are still out there! I had a wonderful time and a feel very honored to have been a part of Willow where a dwarf is the hero! Not too many movies like it. Thanks again.
Mark, thanks a million for the great interview! It's been a privilege talking to you, and a lot of fun hearing about Willow from someone who was actually there. Good luck with everything you do, and especially with your acting career - we'd all love to see you in some more films!
For a further look at Mark's adventures on the Willow set, check out my report on his Willow home video tape here.