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You're about to step into another classic tough-guy role in the third attempt at a Punisher movie. How did that happen?
In a roundabout way.  I was actually seen by Marvel for the nemesis [in the upcoming The Incredible Hulk]. Tim Roth got the role, but when Marvel got together a landscape for The Punisher, [director] Lexi Alexander's name came up. Kevin Feige from Marvel said that she needed to see me.  She wasn't a TV watcher, so Kevin told her to watch Rome.  She said, "I watched one episode. That's it. From then on you were my Punisher."  But the first drafts weren't up to scratch and my agent said, "We may pass on it."  Lexi is going, "No, no, no, he is not going to pass on this. This isn't going to be the script." So the journey was almost predestined.

So this Punisher movie takes place in New York?
Yeah. We were shooting in Montreal for New York, which worked exceptionally well.  I think 90 percent of the movie was night shots with the weather getting down to minus 18. We had a couple of snowstorms, and were in derelict buildings, which you could imagine were just like working inside a fridge.  The length of the night determined the schedule; basically two months of night shoots. We lit entire city blocks in neon color; I mean it just looks amazing.

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