Robin, Ricky riff on ‘Terminator’ rivalry

Robin Williams and Ricky Gervais joked in Washington about what may happen when their Night at the Museum sequel opens against Terminator Salvation.

Asked during a recent press conference what they think moviegoers will do when faced with the decision of whether to see the Terminator action flick or the family comedy Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian this weekend, Williams assumed a child’s voice and quipped: Mom, I want to see the Terminator. I want to see him get angry at the director of photography.

Williams was, of course, alluding to Terminator star Christian Bale’s infamous rant at a crew member on the film’s set. The profanity-laced tirade was recorded and became an Internet hit, with some versions even set to music. Bale has since apologized for his outburst.

Gervais, sitting beside Williams at last Friday’s press conference at the Smithsonian Castle, said he didn’t see a problem with having two good movies to choose from at a theater.

You can see both, though, can’t you? the British actor, writer and director inquired. They’re not going to say (at a screening of ‘Terminator,’) ‘You’ve been to see ‘Night at the Museum,’ off you go.’ I think people should see both.

The second Museum movie is about what happens when the exhibits at the Smithsonian complex come to life at night and a security guard, played by Ben Stiller, tries to keep the peace.

Shawn Levy, who directed both Museum flicks, said he hopes the sequel drives home the points that fun shouldn’t be limited to children and doing something you love with people you love and respect is a blessing.

I think that is a fantastic lesson in life and it’s certainly a great aspiration for young people, Levy said.

Although Williams, Gervais, Stiller and Owen Wilson all reprise their roles from the first Museum movie, Amy Adams, who plays Amelia Earhart, and Hank Azaria, who portrays a pharaoh, are new additions to the cast.

Asked how he came up with the voices for two scene-stealing computer-animated characters in the film — Rodin’s bronze sculpture of The Thinker and the marble statue of President Abraham Lincoln from the Lincoln Memorial — Azaria said: “That was done on the fly and they really just sort of kept those in while we were shooting.

I didn’t know they were going to end up in the film, added the actor, who also provides voices for several characters on TV’s The Simpsons. Lincoln was hard because you want to not diminish him, yet you want to try to be funny. … They had to cut me off. I wanted to keep going (making up funny lines.)

Hank would still be laying down Lincoln voices, Levy said. Hank did those voices as a favor for me, so that I could edit the scenes. The intention was always to hire other voices. In fact, I did go and hire other voices, but no other voice, no other actor was working quite as great as Hank’s was, so they stayed until the end.

The film is slated to open in U.S. theaters Friday.