How did working with the Wachowskis compare to working with Sean Penn?
They’re both great in different ways. The Wachowskis are very precise and very meticulous. They like to study in micro-minimalism. Taking it down to the basics and then refining the basics – and you don’t realise how complicated the basics are. They really pride themselves on trying to do something new each time they make a film. The way they edit this film just has never been done before.

You’re the lead guy, did you feel under a lot of pressure?
No. I mean pressure in the sense that you don’t wanna fuck up, that kind of pressure. But I felt really good about what I was doing, and that was a result of having good guys to work with.

There’s kind of a pop art thing going on in Speed Racer…
Yeah, these really crazy colours. I saw a really early version of it, and even without the effects it was still striking. These kind of candy colours that just pop, and this kind of tongue in cheek sense of humour. The film really is surprisingly heavy. Just like the cartoon, which would be laughing one minute, and then screaming angry the next and then [sporting] a ridiculous monkey with a hat. It had this really strange tone, but that was what really separated it from some of the others on in the 1960s. And that’s really what the brothers went for. It’s just a unique tone, it’s really unlike any other movie.

Via Total Film