NEW YORK POST, MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 1988 DON’T FAINT, IT’S The new Norris is a the multi- dimensional Norris By FRANK LOVECE HUCK NORRIS: Quiche-eat- 'No, no, no, no. The popular star ‘of such action flicks as Delta Force,” “Silent Rage, Eye for an Bye" and “Missing in ‘Action” parts 1, 2 and 3 is not turning into Alan Alda. But in his teat pleture, the cop, thriller “Hero ‘and the Terror,” which opened Friday, the former world middleweight karate champion shows a side of his screen per- ‘Sona never before seen, "That's right. Chuck Norris has ‘become Warm and Vulnerable. "Tm not. going to desert the character I've taken 12 years to Gevelop," Norris assures over lunch at a fancy joint on Central Park South, where from a menu the likes of Seafood Mimosa and Escargot’ Pate he's chosen grilled ham-and-cheese on whol ‘Wheat. In "Hero and the Terror he plays police detective Danny (O'Brien, who's haunted by night- mares about a psychopathic serial killer he had captured . - ee Tee erred “INNER MAN: Chuck Norris as himself, and (inset) with Brynn Thayer in “Hero and the Terror. porig w9q #OU TOK AAchiateist girliriend lent ready In a soft tenor voice closer to his reablife self than to kick eateeseaaee wan Sie aR ate eee eens eres way. So every film, why do you have tobe the same type?” For one thing, because it helps to sell tickets As with Dirty ee Rags Sort you're buyi “Hero,” Re 2 eS as enscee il iu i , f = : ay Rata Seve peeeoee eee ce ee uch fai ? Eee Fk i Sl for me to tank ne say. ‘But by take 101 was getting re bored” And have'a fondesy te joke around, s0 on one take T fainted at the admitting desk, Well the crew ture out laugh everybody cracked up. 80 the director Bill Tannen] is edit- {ng the film, and he calls me up and says he'd like to leave the fainting scene in. I go: "No way! No way is Chuck Notris going to faint on-screen” “Now, Ihave final cu, 90 out of desperation he calls my manager. ‘And my manager sees it and calls me up and says: "You know, ft Fealy aoe ook goo And aftr { tee il again, {reflect to when my first child was born 25 Dianne Holechek (to whom he's till married), and enlisted in the Air Force. While ‘serving with the Military Police in Korea, he took up karate as'a way of build: {ng his self-confidence. ie new Norris angle on his steely-eyed screen image is partly @ nod to the times. Like “One day you're this way, another day you're that way. ‘ervoK NORRIS eS saeaaon ects Sree = Fevers oe eee erat Rant faroriinanss cemianoaeans eter canon ee {alfa well as soclal winds ae nara aay aati it “2 He knows, and the Industry knows he knows. That's why in 3086 Cannon Films signed hm to A seven-year, 4 picture deal for & ‘reported $25 million-plus. Yet as his popularity grows, 80 does his dissatisfaction with the deal “Cannon's strength 1s In over- seas distribution,” he says, and {n fact his films do well interna: tionally, “But they can't market films domestically for {expletive deleted)” Cannon was recently bought by an Ttallan investor, #0 Norris is optimistic of change. Yet, he notes pointedly, “con: tracts are only worth anything If both aldes are satisfied.” ‘Who knows? Chuck Norris a/k/a Col. James Braddock / Sergeant Eddie Cusack / Sheriff Dan Stevens, ot al, may just give ew meaning to a contract being “shot full of holes.”