‘Speed Racer’ stars do some fast talking

AP: The Wachowskis are notoriously press-shy. Did you get any sense about why they don’t do interviews?

Ricci: I think they really kind of believe that their work is making the film, and any sort of attention that comes to them as people really takes away from the distance of making the film for them.

Hirsch: Plus, they’re in the awesome position of they don’t have to. They’ve got Joel Silver, who’s a really great speaker to kind of speak, as well as the actors, on their behalf. They’re not interested, and I think probably more than anything, they value their anonymity. You get very smart, somewhat shy people, they don’t necessarily want to be famous just because they’re writers.

AP: Are you car enthusiasts?

Ricci: I used to be, but I’m not anymore. It’s too much work. I had a ’67 Firebird, and my first car ever was a 1964 Ford Falcon Futura station wagon. Then I had the Porsche 911, the year 2000 model. I was kind of into cars, but it’s just too much work. The vintage ones break down, and they don’t pass the smog-emissions checks.

AP: What do you drive now?

Ricci: I won’t say. It’s bad for the environment.

AP: Emile, car enthusiast?

Hirsch: Only the new-technology cars that are absolutely good for the environment. I have a Toyota Prius. I don’t have an interest in any car that isn’t good for the environment, other than maybe an aesthetic quality in a picture book.

Ricci: See, I got my three-year lease on my car before I saw the Al Gore movie (“An Inconvenient Truth”), then immediately went, “Oh, no.” So I’m waiting for my three-year lease to be up, and I’m going to get a green car. I feel really bad about my car. ... I got my car because I thought it was hilarious ...

Hirsch: What, do you have like a clown car?

Ricci: No, I have a really big sedan like some old, fat Italian grandfather would have. I think it’s hilariously funny, but it’s not worth the humor. Not a lot of people get the joke, so it’s not worth abusing the earth for it.

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