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When word first surfaced that the successful Blade film franchise was going to be turned into a television series for Spike TV, fans of the Marvel character were initially skeptical, but still gave the show a chance, turning it into one of the most popular original programs on the network.
With Kirk “Sticky Fingaz” Jones (best known for being part of the hip-hop group Onyx) as the title character, and a cast of intriguing characters, Blade: The Series takes place on the mean streets of Detroit. The House of Chthon is on the verge of eliminating the final barriers to their supremacy over mankind, and only the half-human, half-immortal Daywalker, Blade, can stop them. This week’s season finale, airing Wednesday, promises to pack quite a punch, and the show’s star, Jones, took time out to tell MediaBlvd Magazine all about it, and what it’s like to play a superhero.
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Kirk "Sticky Fingaz" Jones at the San Diego Comic Convention on July 23, 2006. | MediaBlvd. Magazine> For those who haven’t seen the show, or might not be familiar with the Blade films, can you talk a little bit about the character you play?
Kirk “Sticky” Jones> Basically, Blade is the vampire hunter/killer. He’s half human, half vampire. He has all of their strength, but none of their weaknesses. He became that way because his mother was bitten while she was pregnant with him, about to give birth. So, he feels like it’s his moral duty to kill all of the bloodsuckers -- the vampires.
MB> Did you have any hesitation about taking on a role that was already well-established by another actor?
KJ> Hell no! I wanted to take the role. I figured it was time to branch out further. The movies -- 1, 2 and 3 -- were one step, and now, the television series is the climax of it.
MB> What was it about this role that attracted you and made you want to pursue it?
KJ> Everything. First off, we need more black superheroes. Blade is one, and he’s so cool. But, outside of that, you’ve got three monster machines behind it -- New Line, Spike TV and Marvel Comics -- so it was incredible.
MB> Were you approached about doing the role, or did it just come out of a regular auditioning process?
KJ> It came out of a regular auditioning process. As a matter of fact, I had to fight for it. It didn’t come easy. I had to really go to bat and say, “I want this part and, not only do I want this part, but I’m taking this part, and y’all are going to give it to me. My name is Sticky Fingaz and everything I touch, I take, and I’ve already touched the part, so it’s taken.”
MB> Had you been familiar with the films?
KJ> Oh, of course -- the films and the comic books. I’m a comic book fan. I read comics, still, to this day. They come out every Wednesday, and I go to the comic book shop because they hold some of the comics for me, in case I miss a few weeks at a time. I go there and they’re stacked up to the ceiling. I get ‘em, read ‘em, and come back for more.
MB> Were there any particular comics that you were a fan of, aside from Blade?
KJ> Mostly Marvel comics, like The X-Men, The Punisher, The Hulk, stuff like that.
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The cast of "Blade: The Series" (left to right: Jessica Gower, Jill Wagner, Kirk "Sticky" Jones, Nelson Lee & Neil Jackson) at the San Diego Comic Convention on July 23, 2006. | MB> Was there anything specific that you did to set apart your Blade from what Wesley Snipes had established?
KJ> I just put myself into it. We’re two different people, so we’re going to have two different outlooks on it. I come from a superhero, comic book background, so I knew exactly how to put the spin on it. I think a lot of people were hesitant to watch the series, and then, once they saw it, they went “Okay, okay.”
MB> Do you like being able to play a character that is both good and evil?
KJ> I love it. It’s almost like how I am. I’m good, but I have my evil side as well.
MB> What aspects of Blade are you able to identify with?
KJ> One of the main aspects I identify with, with him, is the non-stop work. He lives, eats, breathes and shits killing vampires, and I live, eat, breathe and shit creativity. The only time I’m not working is when I’m sleeping, and I rarely ever sleep, same as Blade. I think we have those traits in common.
MB> How has being the lead of a television series been different from what you expected it to be?
KJ> It hasn’t been different from anything I expected. I believe that whether you’re number one on the call sheet or number 30, it’s still the same thing. You’re only as strong as your weakest links. Krista Starr (Jill Wagner) and Marcus Van Sciver (Neil Jackson) are main characters as well, so they take a little bit of the weight off my shoulders.
MB> What is the most difficult aspect of doing the show? And, what’s the most fun for you?
KJ> The most fun, I’d say, is the wire work. It’s just incredible. You fly 50 feet in the air with no effort. The hardest part is waking up at 5:30 in the morning.
MB> Was there a lot of training involved with this role?
KJ> Yeah, vigorous training. They’ve had me doing martial arts, kick boxing, wing chun, wire work, sword work, body sculpting, dieting, stretching, everything -- the works. But, it’s not new to me. I’ve always done most of that stuff, anyway.
MB> Do you do a lot of the stunts yourself, or do you leave it to the stunt people?
KJ> I do at least 85% of the stunts myself. It’s just, when they’ve got somebody jumping out of a three-story building onto cardboard boxes, I’ll let the stunt guys do that. Everything else, I can handle.
MB> Have there been any injuries during filming, because of the stunts?
KJ> No serious injuries. You might have a fight scene where somebody will hurt their back because they’re a little older, or whatever, but ain’t nobody died. As long as you walk away alive, it was a good day. I had nerve damage in my right hand from one of the shoots ‘cause they had me hanging up on chains for 12 hours, but my hand is all better now, so no harm, no foul.
MB> What do you do to stay in such good shape?
KJ> I just go to the gym every day, I eat right and I think right. Most importantly, you’ve got to think right.
MB> Had you had any experience with doing wire work before?
KJ> No, I hadn’t, but I’m an expert at it now. When it comes to anything physical, I can do it, eyes closed.
MB> Did you have to do any sword work at all, in order to get comfortable carrying it around?
KJ> Yeah, I had to do a tremendous amount of sword work. But, I’m good at anything physical, so it came slight of hand. It was real easy for me.
MB> Is that physical aspect part of what attracted you to this role?
KJ> Yeah, but not only the physical. You figure, it’s a TV series, it’s not a movie, so the character has to have more depth than just kicking ass and taking names. It’s not just physical, it’s a mental game as well. You’ve got to intrigue the audience, and have them want to learn more about the character and see what he’s going to do next, and how he interacts with everybody.
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Jill Wagner and Kirk "Sticky" Jones at the San Diego Comic Convention on July 23, 2006. | MB> The series tends to be quite violent. Are those scenes difficult to do, or do you enjoy doing that sort of thing?
KJ> Yeah, it’s violent, but I definitely enjoy it. America loves sex and violence. It’s the American way.
MB> What age group do you think should be watching this show?
KJ> I think the age group that should be watching this is from 13 to infinity. We’re killing vampires, so we can get away with a lot more. Vampires feed off of humans. Humans are food for them. Blade is like a vegetarian because he’s trying to save the humans and telling the vampires not to feed off of them. So, it’s good violence, not bad violence because he’s saving the human race.
MB> Do you think that Blade is ever going to have any happy moments, or get the chance to smile?
KJ> He smiles every time he kills a vampire.
MB> Do you think the writers will ever give Blade a love interest?
KJ> They better. Quick. Even Wesley almost got some in the second Blade film, so I’ve got to get some, sooner or later.
MB> How did you go from a career in music to a career in acting, and was that something that you had always desired to do?
KJ> It’s not something I desired to do. It just kind of landed in my lap. But, ultimately, it happened simultaneously ‘cause Onyx released their first album in ‘93, and I did my first movie, called Clockers with Spike Lee, in ‘94. It was basically the same time.
MB> Have you always preferred one over the other, or are there things about both that you like?
KJ> There were definitely things about both that I liked, equally, and that’s why I just wrote and directed my first feature film that’s coming out to theaters through Lions Gate. The whole movie is in rap, so I kind of merged the two together. It’s called A Day in the Life. It’s not even rappers. It’s all A-list actors, like Michael Rapaport, Omar Epps, Mekhi Phifer, Bokeem Woodbine, Vivica Fox, Cedric the Entertainer, Fredro Starr, Clarence Williams III and Robert DeNiro’s daughter, Drena DeNiro. It’s real intense.
MB> Had writing and directing been something that you had been thinking about for awhile?
KJ> Well, yeah. I was about to do my next solo album, and I was like, “I don’t want to just do a regular album because the game is so non-creative, at this moment.” I wanted to bring some creativity to it, so I just figured, “Let me merge the two together. Let me do a movie, but with every word in the movie being rapped, like Dr. Seuss, or something.”
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Kirk "Sticky" Jones & Neil Jackson at the San Diego Comic Convention on July 23, 2006. | MB> When you started trying to get people involved with the film, did they understand what you were trying to do?
KJ> Nobody understood what I was trying to do. I had to shoot a few examples with some no-name actors, and then I used the no-name actors in the edited footage that I had to get name actors, and then I used the edited footage of the name actors to get bigger name actors. Then, I took that to Lions Gate and they gave me finishing funds.
MB> Is writing and directing something that you’d like to do again?
KJ> Oh, I’ve already completed my second movie. It’s called Caught on Tape. And, I’m about to start prepping to work on my third one. It’s going to be just like the first and the second movie. The whole movie is going to be in rap. It’s in the dialogue.
MB> Did you know that Blade: The Series would be such a big hit?
KJ> Actually, yeah, I did. It’s a franchise player, you’ve got monster machines behind it, and you’ve already got a fan base. Everybody loves it. I love it. The only way from here is up. It’s all about rebuilding franchises and putting them back out there. They did Spider-Man a million times, Batman a million times, and all these other superheroes a million times, so why wouldn’t they do Blade, the black superhero, a million times?
MB> What sort of reaction do you get from fans?
KJ> They really love it. In person, and even on the Internet where people can speak freely and not worry about backlash or anything happening to them, they love it. I’ve watched the Internet progress from the beginning, where people were really skeptical, saying “I don’t know, man. You’ve got this rapper dude playing this part. We love Blade. This rapper dude probably can’t act. Man, y’all are making the biggest mistake in the world!” And, the same exact people that made those comments have come back and said, “Fuckin’ great job! We love it! Oh, good decision!” So, it was cool, seeing the general public make the transition.
MB> What do you think it is about rappers and musicians that enables them to make the crossover into acting so easily?
KJ> Well, I don’t know if it’s all rappers and musicians. I don’t think every good rapper or musician makes the transition like that. There’s only a few of them.
MB> What about the ones who are successful?
KJ> I think it’s timing, and it’s vocals. Music and movies are the same thing. They all come from sound. All words come from sound. Before there were words, there was sound. The whole world is surrounded in sound. Only the human world is surrounded in words. So, most rappers and musicians have mastered the art of sound and, once you’ve mastered the art of sound, words are easy.
MB> Are you still able to go out and be anonymous, or is that becoming more difficult for you now, with the success of the show?
KJ> It’s always been like that ‘cause I’ve been doing this since I was 16. Everywhere I go, people yell, “Yo, what up Stick? Take a picture with me. Sign this.” But, it’s all love. When I go around now, I’m by myself. I don’t need security or nuthin’ ‘cause I’m just ‘hood like that.
MB> Do you find that people are a little more scared of you, now that you’re playing Blade?
KJ> Nah, people ain’t scared of me. It’s all love.
MB> What’s it been like, filming in Vancouver, Canada?
KJ> It’s cool, as long as it stops raining out there. Now that we’ve left, it’s kind of sunny and bright, coincidentally.
MB> Why did you decide to make the move from New York to Los Angeles?
KJ> ‘Cause that’s where my career’s at. It’s Hollywood. You’ve got to be in it to win it. I’ve been living here for six years now.
MB> Without giving anything away, what can viewers expect from the Blade finale?
KJ> They can expect good action, good acting, good special effects, and it’s definitely cinematic. Big ups to all the writers and the directors and the D.P.’s. They do their thing on it. It doesn’t even look like a television show. It looks like a straight movie.
MB> Do you see Blade as a hero or an anti-hero?
KJ> I see him as both a hero and an anti-hero. He’s a hero to the humans, but he’s an anti-hero to the vampires.
MB> Have you been told whether Blade will be picked up for a second season?
KJ> I’ve been told, unofficially, that it will. I’ve got the inside scoop.
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