From 'Sprint King' to A Common Man

Amalshan Gunerathne

He inhales challenges and exhales courage and determination. Swift-footed and oozing vigour, he knows that every second counts in his chosen discipline. Battling with time, he reached his goal. Then the spotlight fell on him as the Olympic winning British athlete, Harold Abrahams, who sprinted to the gold medal in 1924

Cross's top films

* A Bridge Too Far - 1977
* Chariots of Fire - 1981
* The Citadel 1983
* The Far Pavilion - 1984
* Paper house- 1988
* Steal the Sky -1988
* First Knight 1995
* 20 000 Leagues under the Sea- 1997
* Exorcist: the Beginning - 2004
* The Mechanic - 2005
* Undisputed 2: Last Hour - 2006
* When Nietzsche Wept - 2007
* Species; the Awakening - 2007
* Hero Wanted - 2008
* Star Trek - 2009

Abraham's historic feat was recorded on reel in the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire. Leading actor Ben Cross portrayed the role of the English Jew who runs to overcome prejudice. Two decades after his Academy Award winning project the actor was in Sri Lanka to shoot Chandran Rutnam's latest movie A Common Man. He was not alone. A team of Hollywood experts and Oscar Award winner Ben Kingsley accompanied him on this venture. Daily News 'Projector' caught up with Cross within minutes before the team wrapped up the movie shoot.

"The script is the most important aspect of a good movie. As long as the script and the story have a universal appeal, it can touch cinema lovers all over the world," Cross opined on A Common Man.

Voicing his impressions on Rutnam's script, he noted that the movie has the capacity and the potential to make a lasting impact on the cinema industry. Sharing his thoughts on how he got involved with the project, he noted, "The truth of the matter is, before asking me, they made offers to a couple of other actors as well, but for some reason or other they couldn't take up the role. As soon as I read the script, I instantly wanted to be in it. I thought that Rutnam is eminently qualified as a filmmaker to shoot it and I knew that I was in very good hands."

The heyday of Cross' filming career stretches way back as early nineteen to his Chariots of Fire days. Moving on from there, he had contributed to many popular Hollywood titles. His filmography varies from Exorcist: the Beginning (2004), Undisputed 2, Star Trek (2009), Species: the Awakening and 20 000 leagues under the sea to 1995's block buster First Knight.

While playing the role of Prince Malagant in First Knight, Cross had the fortune to work alongside some of the biggest names in the Hollywood industry: from Richard Gere to Sean Connery. He is never one to restrict his talents to a one particular genre. The versatility in his acting prowess meant that he was invited to take up roles in wide range of movies.

Looking back on his cinematic endeavour, Cross had these thoughts to share, "Frankly, I m not the biggest star by any stretch of imagination. If I had chosen roles with a narrower band, I might have had a larger fan following. Since I have played all sorts of different characters, people don't have a fixed idea about me. I am not saying that taking up a wide scope of roles have a negative impact on your career, but I feel it has worked for and against me."

When questioned as to, whether our cinema has the capacity to challenge the global cinema trends, Ben was very candid in saying, "If you are talking about adventurous, action oriented box office movies, perhaps you cannot but, if you are talking about Oscar winning movies which give prominence to good screenplay, storyline and the artistic expressions of the actors, you can still make a mark."

The whole shooting process was done within a month and Ben was very impressed by the commitment and dedication of the Sri Lankan crew. Except for the technological aspect, he doesn't see a much of difference between the European and Sri Lankan squad.

"I felt the Sri Lankan crew worked diligently, they did it with lots of good heart and goodwill. I am very grateful for them all," he added. A Common Man is a thriller which revolves around the terror attack on the capital city.

After the editing process, the movie is expected to be released worldwide within 2011. It is a Sri Lanka - Hollywood co-production.