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hazeleyes
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| Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 2:23 pm Post subject: Rope of Silicon Interview With Joaquin |
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Rope of Silicon of Interview With Joaquin
INTERVIEW: Joaquin Phoenix for 'Reservation Road'
Two flicks in two weeks, that's a lotta Joaq
By Brad Brevet | Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Last weekend Joaquin Phoenix hit theaters as Bobby Green, nightclub manager turned cop, in We Own the Night. This weekend he plays a much different role as Ethan Learner in Reservation Road, a man who loses his son in a hit and run accident and in a coincidental turn of events hires Dwight Arno (Mark Ruffalo) as his lawyer in an effort to keep on top of the case he believes the police have pushed off the table.
The film definitely requires Phoenix to dig into his emotional well to churn up a few tears as he plays the obsessed husband, but as he tells us, he hardly dwells in the grief of his characters. He was quite animated and extremely chatty as you will see by his long, yet interesting, response to the first question. Let's get started.
Was there any effort to keep the mood light on set considering the weight of the subject matter?
JP: You're in an awkward position when you are asked that in the off chance that you don't want to affect people's experience of when watching the film. I wouldn't want people to be watching the film and go, 'I know that after he did that crying scene he actually went out with Terry and watched Father Ted and laughed their asses off.' Because you wonder, doesn't that take you out if it? I have that with the things that I love, I always find that I am disappointed by the reality of it. I don't like it, so I am reluctant to say…
The truth of it is that, yeah I completely **** off and there were a lot of laughs and there was some fun. I am not the person that feels like I have dreams or I take it home. I have been doing it for a long time and you learn to do that. Plus, you have to when you're shooting a film in which you bounce around from scene-to-scene and it is not necessarily shot in order. You can't ever afford to just stay in one place, and while generally the mood of [Reservation Road] was heavy, and part of that was Terry as well. On the second day he came in and said, 'I don't want any more **** crying.' [smiling]
It says something a little unsentimental about him in some respects. Terry is like one of the most joyous people that you ever met. He is so full of life and just really enjoys life that he is not going to stay in any heavy mood for long.
For me you hold onto it for as long as you are shooting the scene, and it's hard, but the maintenance of something is what's difficult. Getting there is one thing, but maintaining it for multiple takes is another thing. I feel that when I go in to do a scene that I stay present in that scene until it cuts and we're moving on to the next thing, but there are times when you just completely **** off and jerk around.
It changes from movie-to-movie and scene-to-scene, I just worked with [Robert] Duvall [in We Own the Night] and we would be there rolling cameras and he would be like, 'Have you been to Peter Lugar's? The best steak, you gotta get the steak,' and ACTION – and he just launches into the scene and it is like 'What the… Where did that come from?'
There's this weird thing that I feel like about this serious acting thing, which is something that has been around for a long time and I remember being aware of it when I was a kid. I think it's really ********, all that matters is the final product. If you get there by laughing with somebody or you get there because you "are" the character, you have them call you by the character's name – whatever it may be it doesn't matter to me at all anymore and I don't think it should. I don't think that one actor is a better actor or more serious because they always seem to be studying. I'm envious and marvel at people who can walk in and the director goes, 'We just changed this line,' and they just nail it.
SLIGHT SPOILER IN THIS QUESTION AND ANSWER
What were your thoughts on Ethan and his progression until up to the end?
JP: Here is somebody, that, in his mind, has vilified this person and turned them into a monster and in his mind he is driving around drunk and has gotten off scot-free and suddenly he is confronted with the real person as opposed to the fantasy and the devil that he has created. My imagination is that he just initially doesn't know how to compute all that.
It is going with one set mind, he's been trying to talk himself into doing and committing this act and when he is actually faced with this person I don't think that he went, 'Ah, I get it, you've been troubled too. Sorry bro, we're cool now,' but I don't think he went, 'You deserve to die.' I think there is still a great level of conflict, but I think it is about recognizing the resolution to the conflict that Ethan feels is going to be through his own work with himself and his family as opposed to thinking that he is going to achieve some sense of justice by killing this person.
SPOILER OVER
What was the most appealing aspect of the story for you when you got the script?
JP: I like to see the way different people were affected by the same event. I think typically in movies we have a hero and an anti-hero and it is very easy for the audience to root for one person and root against another person and I imagine that the audience's sympathies lie with the Learners early on because their son was killed and then, throughout the course of the story, we see how detached Ethan is coming from his role as a father and as a husband and how he is becoming obsessive. Then we start to learn more about Dwight's character and the conflict he has been going through. I thought that was interesting because it is kind of rare.
You directed a couple of music videos, have you got the directing bug at all?
JP: No, I don't. I think it is a treacherously difficult job. I want nothing to do with it. I lack the patience, diplomacy and talent and intellect to be a director. I wouldn't want to do it.
Outside of your work, what are the movies you like to watch for fun? What's your guilty pleasure?
JP: I'm not saying. [laughing]
I will admit, it's terrible, I'm so ashamed… I watched "Kid Nation" and I liked it.
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jpfan4life
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Location: San Antonio, TX
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| Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 2:32 pm Post subject: |
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Very good interview! Thanks, hazeleyes! I'll have to tune into "kid nation" and see what I'm missing!
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