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	Ordinary hero Hotel Rwanda’s Paul Rusesabagina speaks out Q: Had you talked about your experiences to many people before sitting down to tell Terry George your story? A: Since the end of the genocide in 1994, all the journalists and book writers flew to Rwanda; there were so many to come to Rwanda. And they were all surprised to see that the Hotel Milles Collines was the only place where no one was taken out, no one was killed, no one was even beaten. In their surprise, they were asking survivors and hotel workers, "Why only this place? Why only this place?" And they were telling them, "Because our general manager was here." "Who is he? Where is he?" "Paul." They were coming to me, all of them were coming to me. Many filmmakers also came to me, wanting to make documentaries and also movies. But I was not really convinced that this was the best way of conveying my message, until I met Terry. He showed me most of his movies, and I said, "I think this is the real messenger." Q: What do you hope the film accomplishes? A: My hope is that all the people who see the movie take it as a wake-up call, because what has taken place in Rwanda, it has taken place, and it is over. But it is still taking place all over the world. It is taking place in Sudan. It is taking place in Northern Uganda, where people who call themselves the Army of God are killing innocent civilians for nothing. In Congo, more than three million people have been killed, and nobody talks about Congo anymore. In Burundi, people have been killing each other for around 30, 35 years, and nobody talks about that. So we wish that this movie will serve as a clock, waking up all of us to the same cause of justice. Q: It seems as though whenever something like Rwanda happens, everybody says, "This can never happen again." And then it happens again. A: I think that the average person in the Western world is not informed. When the genocide was taking place in Rwanda, the Holocaust Museum was inaugurated in Washington, DC, and when Al Gore was inaugurating it, he repeated, many times in his speech, "Never again." And yet it was happening, because the average person was not informed. A few politicians were informed of what was happening. And very few journalists were aware that something was happening somewhere in Rwanda. We are informing people, and we expect them to inform other people, so that what’s happened in Rwanda should at least be prevented for the next victims. Q: Do you think of yourself as a hero? A: No. I’m not a hero. I never took myself as a hero. I only took myself as an employee of a company who did all he was supposed to do. I can never call [myself] a hero. Maybe you can call [me] the best employee of the year. Q: Would you like the Milles Collines survivors to see the film? A: Yes, of course. Not only them, but all Rwandese should see the movie, and take it as a message as well. To plan a better Rwanda, we’ve got to remember what happened, what took place. — TW

Q: It’s true that it’s much less gruesome than I expected.

A: And that was very deliberate, first of all because I thought, given the savagery of that genocide, there’s no way to re-create that on screen except with stupid horror-movie tricks. But also, I wanted the story to be accessible, particularly to schoolchildren, and also to lots of adults who don’t like that sort of film, don’t like horror films with a lot of violence, and who when they see Rwanda, are going to go, "Uh-oh." We fought for and got a PG-13 rating, which I think reassures people that this is not as bad as their perception of it is.

Q: Only, it’s worse in a way, because people know it’s real.

A: It’s worse in a way because you know it’s real. It works better as psychological drama because you know the threat outside, and there’s that element of, how did we miss [the genocide]? And also anxiety for the family, that they survive.

Q: Do you ever worry that people are going to get so caught up in this personal story that they’re going to forget how much bigger the actual events were?

A: No, because I think I’d rather get them caught up in the personal story. And I think this is a particular plus of nonfiction feature films: that you have the ability for the audience to identify with a person, and then walk them through the most incredible events, and allow them to experience it in a way that they don’t get from a documentary, and they certainly don’t get from news. And that’s quite unique. To have an event as unique and kind of remote as the Rwandan genocide and be able to really get inside it, I’m proud that I was able to pull that off.

Q: I’m sure you’ve heard Paul say he doesn’t consider himself a hero. What do you say to that?

A: Well, he is. It’s just by his circumstance. And like he says, the great thing about him is he was doing his job. That’s what attracted me to his story as well. Here’s a man who took his hotelier skills — he was good at all that stuff, particularly in an African context of bribing people and paying them — and he turned those skills into the most extraordinary talent for keeping these killers at bay. And that is truly heroic. And what’s amazing is, as we go around the country, people show up who were survivors in the hotel. [At a Boston screening], two people stood up and gave testimony to what he had done, and thanked Paul for saving their lives.

Q: How important was the casting of Paul’s character?

A: Vital. When we were writing it, I had Don Cheadle in mind. I was a big fan of his from [his role as] Sammy Davis Jr. [in The Rat Pack] and Bulworth and Traffic. He just has this ability to disappear inside a role. So I kind of pictured him playing it, because I knew that’s what I needed.

Q: What do you think about Oscar buzz?

A: I’m realistic to know that the only way to promote this film is through critical acclaim and awards buzz. And because it’s a word-of-mouth film as well, and a difficult topic, the only way to stimulate people to see it is like, "Oh, it got this attention."

Q: Why do you think people have been so slow to react to tragedies such as the Rwandan genocide?

A: I think, particularly in Africa’s case, there’s a sort of subconscious or institutionalized racism, where life in Africa is clearly not valued on the same level as elsewhere. And until we start recognizing that people who live in the Sudan have as much value as people in Boston or wherever, this situation is going to go on. This film shows that Rwandans are human beings. And in Paul’s case, [he] was comfortable, had a middle-class, pleasant life in a middle-class, Westernized environment. The perception of Rwanda was two groups of savage tribesmen in mud huts beating each other to death. And that was not the reality at all. So breaking down those barriers, and telling people those stories, that’s good to get out there.

Hotel Rwanda opens in Boston on January 7. Tamara Wieder can be reached at twieder[a]phx.com