Werner Herzog: I was bound to team with Cruise

(Cover) - EN Movies - Werner Herzog says it is “logical” that Tom Cruise wanted to work with him.

The German director-writer-and-actor appears alongside Tom in the new movie Jack Reacher. Werner can understand why Tom reached out to him to see if he was interested in playing villainous character The Zec in the action thriller. He has explained they have a lot in common when it comes to their working methods.

"I was approached by the director and Tom Cruise. They wanted me. I think it's a logical idea because I've done parts before where I played really dysfunctional and outrageous and dangerous characters, like in Harmony Korine's Julien Donkey Boy, and because of that and other films they were interested in me,” he explained in an interview with British newspaper The Guardian. “And I liked them for their professionalism and commitment – things that I prize myself."

Werner enjoyed working on Jack Reacher, which is directed by Christopher McQuarrie. He insists he wasn’t intimidated by the big budget movie, as he has been involved in a series of impressive productions during his career.

"No, the character and nature of a film is not necessarily related to the budget,” he replied when asked if he ever thought about how much money had been spent on the movie. “And by the way, I have made bigger films myself than Jack Reacher, not in terms of money spent – money is not the best indicator of intensity. The production value – if you think of how it registers on the screen, when you look, for example, at Fitzcarraldo, there is much more production value on the screen than in most Hollywood films.”