The last time Liev Schreiber was in Prague, he barely got to see the city due to his responsibilities as director.  This time, he was only fighting the forces of Hell as the lead in The Omen, so he had some extra time on his hands to see the sights.  The busy actor has a broad range of theatrical experiences, ranging from the Scream franchise to Shakespearean drama.  Add to that the fact that he wrote and directed Everything is Illuminated, which starred Elijah Wood, and it would seem that he would have an interesting perspective to bring to a character originated by Gregory Peck.  Below, Shcreiber discusses the Omen, the film with the creepiest opening day (6-6-06) of the summer. 

Q: Did the religious implications of this film have any impact on how you looked at your character? 

LIEV: I took the approach that he was a lapsed Catholic.  It seemed like a good way to approach the character. 

Q: If he hadn't, in your mind, been a lapsed Catholic, would it have been different?

LIEV: I liked the idea that he felt a connection to that scripture and that perhaps he was familiar with it, but maybe felt some reticence to the idea that it held any truth. 

Q: Are you a horror film fan?

LIEV: No.  I've never been much of a horror film fan, mostly because I don't really like being scared. 

Q: What was the appeal of doing this film?

LIEV: I think it was that I enjoyed the original film so much.  I think that great stories have a way of retelling themselves.  Also, the epic scale of the conflict.  What I look for is good, dramatic conflict and it doesn't get any better than your son's the anti-Christ.   

Q: Director John Moore has said that the general message of the film is that it is man that brings about the end, not the devil or some outside force.  Did you consider that perhaps the Damien wasn't evil after all?

LIEV: Absolutely.  I think it's important for the emotional conflict in the character for that possibility to exist.  Its part of what he hangs on to for so long.  I think it's even worth hanging onto past the end of the film.  I think in 1976, there was a sort of palpable anxiety in this country that exists today.  I think in some way, and I don't really know how, there is a way in which that affects the success of films like these.  One of the things that I think is effective about this film is the sense of relief when you realize that it is just a film.  I think there is something about venting our fears that I think has been very successful at the box office.   

Q: What was your reaction when you heard the release date for this film?

LIEV: That's very convenient.  It's about as good a marketing ploy as you can get.   

Q: Comparing the remake to the original, there were very few script changes, except for at the end when your character was reciting the Lord's Prayer as he tries to kill his child.  Why was that inserted?

LIEV: It was an instinct that I had and it wasn't scripted.  John liked it, so we went with it.  What he was doing was horrible and I think he was having to put his faith in something in order to accomplish it.  If he was to accept the premise that the prophesies of Revelations are true, than he must also accept the premise of the Lord's Prayer.  If he can accept Catholicism enough to kill a child, than he must also accept Catholicism enough to ask the Lord's forgiveness in the last moments of his life.   

Q: Did you find yourself reacting in an instinctual manner throughout the film?

LIEV: I think as an actor, you're always trying to walk that line of intuitive behavior versus rehearsed or practiced behavior.  If there's anything you can do to create that experience for yourself, it's usually more effective in film. 

Q: Have you ever asked yourself what would have to happen for you to take the leap of faith that your character did at the end.?

LIEV: That's basically what I got paid to do.  That's the outline of the character.  So yes, I did imagine it and ultimately I had to come to the conclusion that the character comes to in the script.  Again, that's why I say that I'm, at the end of the day, that it's just a film, because the reality, to me, is that it's preposterous.  I don't think it's entirely unrealistic because we are seeing in the world today atrocities in the name of faith and a lot of people are losing their lives over some of these things.  Certainly people seem to be believing it. You have to sort of ask, “What is it about certain faiths that they can empower people to take their own lives.”  You kind of have to wonder if anything is worth that.  I think that paradigm is explored in this film and that's part of what made it interesting to me.   

Q: What was it like working with little Seamus, who plays Damien?

LIEV: It was strange in the beginning, but we figured out a way to work that I think we both felt pretty comfortable with.  As a seven year old kid, I didn't think it was entirely appropriate to discuss the details of what the scene was about, so it was really just about figuring out what games we could play to get him to accomplish what we needed to accomplish in the scene.  He was more than happy to play the punch Liev in the stomach game while we were off camera so that when they said, “action,” he was having a lot of fun.   

Q: Was your theatrical background an asset in doing a horror film?

LIEV: Absolutely.  The size of the conflict is Shakespearean.  I think that's part of what draws you to it.  You get to try on big things.  That's what was fun about it.  To try on the idea of going into battle against the anti-Christ is a hard idea to wrap your brain around, but that's what's fun about it.  I think you have more reference for conflicts that epic from classical theater than from most contemporary films. 

Q: What are you doing next?

LIEV: I'm rehearsing Macbeth right now at the public theater in Central Park. 

"The Omen" opens today in theaters everywhere.