|
I love acting. When I'm acting I feel like I'm on vacation. I'm just having a wonderful time. The nightmare is just getting the work to happen.
The work is getting the work.
I figured, if I failed, I'd tried something that I hadn't tried before and if one movie was going to destroy my career than I didn't have much of a career to start with. I just went for it. God willing I wasn't over the top and didn't embarrass myself.
I worked very hard to get, "Jacob's Ladder." At first they wanted Julia Roberts, Andie McDowell or Michelle Pheifer.
I went to see Dale Chihuly yesterday. I got to meet him and be in his loft. He is a trip and his wife is delightful. It was wonderful to watch the process of what he makes. It was very exciting and I loved meeting him.
It was very scary while shooting it because I kept thinking, am I going over the top?
I auditioned for six months, twice a week. The reason I kept going back was because Adrian was literally fighting for me to get the role.
It was a lot of pressure, but I loved working with Tim and I loved working with Adrian.
My agent called me and said, "John Sayles would like you to be in a movie of his," and I said, "OK." Then my agent said, don't you want to read the script?
I said, I don't care if he wants me to walk through the film and exit. I just want to be in his presence. Fortunately it was an amazing script.
He's very economical in his shooting. He didn't shoot 18 set-ups per scene, he shot only what he was going to cut and use.
It's a clique and I think a clique exists in every business. There's a circle of people that are guaranteed to open a movie and we all know their names and whether they're right or wrong for the role.
Every time I work with a European director, I find they hire the person that captures the spirit of the role. Americans tend to hire the best face. The person that looks more like the role, whether they can perform the role or not is a bonus.
When I'm not working, my family and I have a house in the San Juan Islands. We've been here since '94.
He was also a wonderful communicator in terms of acting. He knows how to give you one word or one physical thing that's going to alter everything.
I believe the director is the one that sets the mood and if you have this hysterical director it's a domino effect. I would work for him forever, for nothing. Don't tell my agent that.
The year of the Latin actor happens every 10 years and it's usually a false alarm.
When I was going over the script I thought, I'm not too old to play Carmen, which is the normal role I'd be cast in. When I was offered Leticia, I thought, I can't do that.
Playing Leticia was a challenge. I've never played anyone who was, "tucked in." That's the best word, she keeps tucking herself in. So it was exhausting trying to sedate my own energy more than anything.
When I got Jacob's Latter, I was nervous because I felt I wasn't allowed to fail. I felt that they were waiting for one little failure and that would prove them right and I'd be,"out of there."
Sayles could pull a performance out of a dog. I'm serious. He was just amazing. The world could fall apart and he remained on neutral.
|
