The Amazing Story of Trumbo - ComingSoon.Net, 06/25/2008 (Added 07/04!)
Capone and David Strathairn Discuss Trumbo - Ain't It Cool, 06/24/2008 (Added 07/04!)
David Strathairn: eccentric uncle - Los Angeles Times, 02/14/2008
DAVID STRATHAIRN: ACTOR TAKES SPRITELY TURN IN 'SPIDERWICK' - The New York Post, 02/10/2008
Patricia Sheridan's Breakfast With...David Strathairn - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 12/10/2007
Pacing of story key to Bourne actor: Strathairn enjoys action movie debut - Boston Now, 12/10/2007
A break in the action: David Strathairn has a way with sexy costars - The Boston Globe, 12/08/2007
IGN Interviews Bourne's David Strathairn: Bourne baddies speaks out! - IGN, 12/07/2007
Noted actor shares his craft with teens: David Strathairn visits Governor's School - The Greenville News, 12/02/2007
Thessaloniki: Tandem Master Class with Chris Cooper & David Strathairn - FilmFestivals.com, 11/22/2007
DAVID STRATHAIRN & CHRIS COOPER MASTERCLASS - TIFF, 11/21/2007
In Character: David Strathairn - Vanity Fair, 10/2007
Power plays unacceptable to Bourne's Strathairn - The Gazette, 09/06/2007
Who's That Guy? David Strathairn - Show Magazine, 09/2007
Strathairn Ultimatum! - AlloCine, 08/16/2007
David Strathairn Discusses The Bourne Ultimatum - About.com, 08/03/2007
David Strathairn Interview, Bourne Ultimatum - Movies Online, 08/03/2007
Bourne Ultimatum: Matt Damon is back. And he's not running anymore. - Empire, 08/2007
David Strathairn on The Bourne Ultimatum - CanMag.com, 07/31/2007
Strathairn Prepares For The Magical World Of Spiderwick Chronicles - MTV.com, 07/25/2007
David Strathairn on The Spiderwick Chronicles - Shared Darkness, 07/23/2007
Keeping It Reel: FilmInk Loves...David Strathairn - FilmInk, 03/2007
Wearing humility on his sleeve - The Denver Post, 11/18/2006
Armed with the word - TODAY Singapore, 05/26/2006
Finally Getting Their Due: David Strathairn & Phillip Seymour Hoffman Reach for the Gold - Autograph Collector, 03/2006
Rushes Hot: Setting the screen alight - David Strathairn - HotDog Magazine, 03/2006
Morristown's link to the Oscars: Couple hopes Good Luck will be good enough for son-in-law as best actor - Daily Record, 02/28/2006
Oscar Exclusives: Secret Scottish Roots of Best Actor Nominee David - Sunday Mail, 02/26/2006
Reeling from success - The Gazette, 02/11/2006
Oscar 2006: David Strathairn: Good Night, And Good Luck - Entertainment Weekly, 02/10/2006
"Ultimately, awards don't mean anything..." - David Strathairn, the star of Good Night, And Good Luck, talks Oscar silly season with Total Film - Total Film, 02/07/2006
The newsman cometh: George Clooney has made him a star, but is David Strathairn as outspoken as his new role suggests - The Sunday Times, 02/05/2006
Strathairn praises Oscar rival Ledger - MSN, 02/03/2006
Great Performances 2005: David Strathairn (Edward R. Murrow, Good Night, And Good Luck) - Premiere Magazine, 02/2006
Oscar tips: David Strathairn finds the spotlight - BBC News, 01/27/2006
David Strathairn: Working with Georgey Clooney and playing Edward R. Murrow - Filmink, 01/2006
Clooney crowd filled Sardi's air with talk, laughter - The Baltimore Sun, 12/20/2005
Interview: David Strathairn of Good Night, And Good Luck - Cinematical, 12/17/2005
Clooney's black-and-white take on McCarthyism - The Sydney Morning Herald, 12/16/2005

For more quotes from or about David Strathairn, please also see this site's other Movie/TV/Theater Interview pages.



The Amazing Story of Trumbo
ComingSoon.Net
June 25, 2008
By Edward Douglas

In the late '40s and early '50s, Hollywood was hit by something even worse than all of the recent and impending guild strikes, as the government started taking a serious look at subversive screenwriters who may be instilling alternative political agendas (translation: communist ideals) into their work, and one of the men targeted was Dalton Trumbo, a prolific and respected screenwriter under contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Because of his outspoken politics, Trumbo was put before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1947 along with nine others, all declared to be communist sympathizers, put in jail and ultimately blacklisted in Hollywood, to the point where Trumbo was forced to write films like Spartacus, Roman Holiday and The Brave One under assumed names.

Decades after his death, his son Christopher Trumbo wrote the touring play Trumbo, based on his father's personal letters from that era of turmoil, letters so beautifully written that it enticed a who's who of award-winning actors to recite them as monologues in Peter Askin's film of the same name. The documentary features the likes of Michael Douglas, Paul Giamatti, Liam Neeson, Donald Sutherland, Michael Douglas, Nathan Lane, Brian Dennehy, David Strathairn, Joan Allen and Josh Lucas reading Trumbo's stirring and amusing letters, interspersed with archival interviews with Trumbo himself, footage of the HUAC hearings and interviews with Trumbo's direct family and those who knew the man, making it an intriguing and memorable film.

Anyone whose interest in this period in history may have been piqued by Strathairn's turn as Edward R. Murrow in George Clooney's Good Night, And Good Luck will be interested in seeing how Joe McCarthy's actions affected Hollywood and one man and his family in particular.

ComingSoon.net had a chance to talk with Christopher Trumbo, director Peter Askin, as well as actors David Strathairn and Josh Lucas, about the making of the movie and why Dalton Trumbo was so important back in his day and why his actions are so relevant today.

"When your father goes to jail and he's constantly mentioned as an 'enemy of the state,' you're more guarded than anything else," Trumbo's son Christopher told us when asked about the origins of the play and now the movie. "Over time, as people became less frightened and more willing to look at what actually happened, rather then what they were told was going on, they started discovering the actual materials and the truth of the matter in what happened, the attitudes gradually changed. In 1997, I put the play together for the first time, and I expected that it was only going to be a one-night show, and the reaction of the audience was so pleasant to me, that I said, 'This can go someplace else.' It just kept on growing until I met Peter and that really was the best part, that we were able to develop the play in a very nice way, because everybody needs the input of other people in order to make something work. Peter was valuable in that way."

"The spine of the play, as well as the movie, has always been the letters," Askin continued, replying to a query about transitioning Chris' play into a documentary film. "It's a question of organizing those to help tell the story and help give a dramatic thru line to the story and then it was a question of trying to utilize a wealth of some visual footage, primarily photographs that Chris' sister and mother took, documenting their family during this time. They're both professional level photographers. We knew we had some film clips that we could possibly utilize, and the other aspects was more of a typical documentary with interviews with people like Chris and Mitzi. I guess the nice surprise was finding interviews with Trumbo himself. We tracked some things down we were surprised to find and some audio material was wonderful, like the Studs Turkel interview with Trumbo was great, as well as Ring Lardner's memorial. I didn't realize until we got going that the memorial service was recorded."

"What I wanted to do with this is I wanted to contextualize it so that we don't have history as a series of flashcards," Trumbo added. "What happens is you actually have somebody telling their own story in their own words. I don't think many people have the access to that kind of material or that kind of knowledge but the letters, all of which he left behind, his papers have a way of being able to present a very interesting personality through a specific period of time that tell that story. That was what I actually set out to do, tell the story of one man and one family, but I wanted to do it through the ways he was reacting and dealing with what happened."

"I love doing big pieces that are informative about bygone times, especially stuff like this where in many ways, the issues are repeating themselves," Strathairn explained about his decision to take part in a project that parallels his Oscar-nominated portrait of Edward R. Murrow. "To have landmarks, not only artistic in the film industry but theatrical creative arts, to have people acknowledged and remembered, I think is important. We keep these people who set certain standards alive, I love that. Just the material itself is fun to read, because it's great writing. He was a great writer. There's so much in all the letters, the colors in there, so it's just in this performative essence it's great, and I always learn something from doing things like this myself."

The original play had stints by Nathan Lane and Brian Dennehy, both appearing in the movie, as well as Paul Giamatti, who played the secondary narrative role in the original play, but "blatant commercialism" was the main reason Askin gave for the decision to cast multiple actors reading letters for the movie. "In the play, it was different," he explained. "One actor did the evening with a second actor contextualizing it with monologues that Chris had written for the play. (The movie) was a way of getting a number of actors into the film, which certainly helps with the commercial aspects of it, but once we knew also had some footage of Trumbo himself, we did debate that idea, but it seemed like a wonderful way to present a varied and yet unified voice. I think having Trumbo himself throughout the film, as well as Chris and Mitzi, helped unify those multi voices into one voice. A friend of Chris saw eight different actors do Trumbo and each time, this person said, 'That person is absolutely perfect for Trumbo.' They bring different interpretations. No one tried to be Trumbo, thank goodness. That would have been discouraged immediately, but with this kind of language, it attracts actors because it's rich dramatic material. As has Chris has pointed out when we tried to edit them, his father wrote letters in three-act structures. Some people read funny but don't sound funny, but Trumbo's language also sounds funny in the right mouths. Really, Nathan's letter in the film, he's a master of comedic timing, not that other actors didn't do it really well but I thought why would you waste that opportunity?"

As one of those actors, Josh Lucas explained how they shot his monologues. "They had me read a letter that I'm on film doing, the letter we all read at a certain point, the last letter, which is all the jobs he did, and then I did another letter which actually Joan (Allen) did in the movie as well, so some people did multiple letters so he had a choice of which way to go with it."

"Actors simply respond to this language," Askin stated when asked how they convinced so many prominent actors to take part in the film. "It's quite unique and there's an emotional range to it. It's stirring and moving and poignant and blisteringly funny and acerbic and Trumbo's personality seems to come out through it."

Both Lucas and Strathairn agreed with that sentiment. "You think of a screenwriter writing a personal letter...or is it the other way around? A letter writer who writes screenplays," Strathairn mused. "He had an ear for the human condition specific to whatever he was writing. You might think he crafted those letters, but they come with such passion and flow that you know it comes from him, but yet again, there's the mind of a craftsman in there, so that's what makes them doubly resonant."

"The direction was 'Don't try to be like Trumbo, don't even think about it'," Lucas agreed. "But also, the material really speaks for itself. It's got such depth and poetry and humor and pain and all the different elements of it, and I think what he was trying to capture more than anything. Each actor I think he wanted them to bring their own style and essence of what they do. I'd loved to have seen this play with David doing it and Nathan Lane doing it, so you see the difference in one person going at it the way Nathan goes about it and then the way David goes about it would capture totally different sides of Trumbo and I think both sides of Trumbo were there."

Askin talked about what makes Trumbo's story so relevant and timely to today's audiences: "I think when 9/11 happened and Bush's first administration, he brought in a guy named John Ashcroft and the Patriot Act was established. You had a sense that Big Brother was watching, and it was interesting in the early days of the stage version, the day Tim Robbins came in to do it, his film Bull Durham was pulled from Cooperstown because of Tim's politics, and a fan came up to Chris Cooper after a performance one night and said, 'You've just made John Ashcroft's list.' Then of course, you have the Dixie Chicks, and even though it wasn't a blacklist, it's insidious and pervasive in a way that it wasn't officially government-sanctioned, but it was. You had the religious Right being a watchdog, so I think that's one of the reasons it's relevant today."

"History repeats itself," Strathairn would tell us when asked about how Trumbo's story is as relevant as when his movie Good Night, And Good Luck was released a few years ago. "They're very much connected in the issues obviously. They're constitutional and civil rights and civil liberties issues. They're different arenas, Murrow and Trumbo, but they're basically carrying the same halberds I think in a different way. Murrow was a pretty creative writer himself, but he was coming from a different kind of forum than Trumbo."

To wrap things up, we asked Lucas and Strathairn if there were any writers today who could exemplify what Trumbo was doing in his day. "Writing-wise, I'm not 100% sure if I instantly (think of) a writer who does that," Lucas told us. "I have a tremendous value for Sean Penn. I lived with him and spent time with him for a section of time, and I think he has done something very similar and he risked his ass. You have to remember he went to Iraq not long after in the same way McCarthy said, 'By questioning people's patriotism to create fear', that's exactly the same thing that happened with the Bush and Cheney administration. They did precisely the same thing and there wasn't a clear-cut black list but I just worked with Susan Sarandon who talks very clearly about the fact she felt her and Tim's involvement, as strong as it was, limited things for them, and made things difficult for a period of time. I think Sean would probably say that. That's just from an actor's perspective, but the breadth of media is so much larger now, that there are probably people doing it all over the place that we don't necessarily know, because it's contained within their environment. Obviously, Sean is a public personality; that way it's easier to identify him. In this period of time, Trumbo and Kazan, they were the same sorts of media personalities. I'm sure there are a number of writers out there, but again, that's what's changing throughout the industry and media as a whole right now, because it's so large."

"Alex Gibney is doing some amazing stuff, and it seems to be more in the documentaries," Strathairn concurred. "It's something for discussion and will always be, but back when Trumbo was writing and Murrow, the community was really small, and the industry was 2 or 3-pronged or less pronged than it is now. Murrow was talking to 3 million people; now, Fox News speaks to how many more millions? Every little hub does, as do writers and as does film. As large a personality as maybe Sean and Susan and Tim and Michael Moore, in today's world, it's deluded and that's why it's great to remember these pillars so it gives some footing to those who were out there doing their own short film somewhere and think, 'No one is hearing us.'"

Trumbo opens in New York at the Lincoln Plaza Cinemas and Landmark Sunshine, as well as in Los Angeles, on Friday, June 27.

[ Link to article ]



Capone and David Strathairn Discuss Trumbo
Ain't It Cool
June 24, 2008
By Capone

Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here with one of the great all-purpose chameleon actors of his or any other generation, David Strathairn, who is currently appearing in the documentary Trumbo (beginning its limited release this Friday), along with other notable names like Paul Giamatti, Joan Allen, Michael Douglas, Nathan Lane, Liam Neeson, Brian Dennehy, Donald Sutherland, and others reading the letters of one of the greatest screenwriters to ever live (look him up to see what films he's written over the years), Dalton Trumbo. Trumbo was one of the Hollywood 10, a group of creatives who were blacklisted after testifying before the Joseph McCarthy-fueled House Un-American Activities Committee. Trumbo was luckier than some of his blacklisted peers since he was still able to work under assumed names during his time on the black list, although maybe "luck" is too strong a word. The studios took advantage of his predicament and paid him a fraction of what he was worth. The documentary is a mix of straight biography, and some of the most interesting and worthwhile recitals of his personal letters you're ever likely to hear.

It seems wholly appropriate that Strathairn, who took on McCarthy's tactics playing Edward R. Murrow in Good Night, And Good Luck, should be a part of this project. I first remember becoming familiar with the actor's work in his frequent collaborations with writer-director John Sayles. The two met in college and both made their first film together, The Return of the Secacus 7. Since then, they have teamed up in such films as The Brother From Another Planet, Matewan, Eight Men Out, City of Hope, Passion Fish, and one of the best films either has ever made, Limbo. Strathairn has also taken on memorable roles in films like L.A. Confidential, A League of Their Own, Sneakers, The Firm, Blue Car, The Notorious Bettie Page, We Are Marshall, Fracture, and most recently My Blueberry Nights, The Spiderwick Chronicles, and The Bourne Ultimatum (Jason Bourne pays a visit to Strathairn's office in one of the film's more memorable scenes).

Strathairn, like his friend Chris Cooper, is the perfect Everyman. There is nothing he can't play. He can play the hero in one film and the villain in the next, and you might not ever recognize that it's the same actor. I was profoundly honored to get to talk to him. Here is David Strathairn...

Capone: How are you today?

David Strathairn: I'm fine. How are you?

Capone: A whirlwind press day for you?

DS: Not too windy, not too worldly. [laughs]

Capone: I'm going to guess that the question you're asked most often is, How familiar were you with Dalton Trumbo's work as a screenwriter and as an almost reluctant activist prior to your involvement in this film?

DS: I remember the name vividly from having read Johnny Got His Gun, back when it first hit the streets. That to me was a seminal piece of literature, in terms of activism or, at least, the insight into the effects of war. And, then, when his name would come up, I was, like, 'Oh, that's the guy who wrote Johnny Got His Gun.' I see Spartacus, 'Oh, yeah, that’s the guy who wrote Johnny Got His Gun.' And, then, more recently, maybe about 10 years ago, there was a project that was about the Hollywood Ten that I was involved in the beginnings of... Obviously, his name came up then. And, then, the play, I saw the play [the format of the play was adapted into the movie Trumbo]. Then, when [director] Peter [Askin] called, this is as close as I've gotten really to a hands-on...as close to Trumbo, you know.

Capone: You mentioned the play. How long ago did you see that?

DS: When was that? Umm, I saw it with Richard Dreyfuss when he was doing it. It must have been... Well, Peter's been working on this about seven years now, so it had to be within that span of time, I think.

Capone: I'm not familiar with the play. Was it...?

DS: It is the letters.

Capone: One person reading them?

DS: One person, yeah, it's one person. That was the director's and sort of a collaborative idea, decision to have one person, being a lot cheaper for an Off-Broadway production to have one actor. And, then, to read the letters, which were the spine of the piece, and, as it turns out, this film could not--as Peter has said--would not have existed without the letters, because they are the most vital and insightful evidence of this guy.

Capone: When I finished watching the film--and as great a screenwriter as Trumbo was--the whole time I was watching this film, I was thinking, 'Nobody writes letters like this anymore.'

DS: We've discussed that a couple of times already. Yes, it's really a wonderful remembrance and acknowledgement of the art of letter writing. And, here’s a screenwriter who, you know…you couldn't help but think he’s crafted these letters, because they flow so well, almost like these mini-plays. But, that was him. I think that was his gift. He was sort of to the manner born.

Capone: Yeah, each one has a theme. He'll make a reference in the beginning and then bring it back again at the end. It makes me feel like the art of letter writing is dead today, because I've seen this and heard these letters.

DS: Yeah, well, with instant messaging, you don't have to embellish. You get just the facts. Yeah, that's one of the wonderful things about the film, I think. I'm glad people recognize that.

Capone: I taught a writing class here in Chicago, and it's hard even getting the students to remember to use capital letters half the time, because, like you said, we live in a culture of instant messaging.

DS: Yeah, e. e. cummings has taken over. [laughs]

Capone: That's right. What is it about Trumbo's story that resonates so strongly today? Why is it still so relevant?

DS: Well, much in the same way that Edward R. Morrow, or you can even go back to Brutus and Cicero, who by means of colloquy and exchange of ideas through writing, they...obviously, in the political arena, the resonances are apparent. And, I think, it's important for us to remember that there have been people who have come under the, you know, throughout our history, people have come under oppression and being vilified and accused and condemned for speaking out against the powers that be. In particular to Trumbo, today, the whole slippery slope of civil liberties and First Amendment, our Bill of Rights and the Constitutional issues that have been assaulted by this administration...it's important to acknowledge somebody who, although maybe he lived in a different time, was doing essentially the same thing--speaking truth to power--and using cunning coupled with his passion and his rage and his humor, spoke to these issues, was really one of the canaries in the mind...I mean "mine"...

Capone: That's a good slip, though.

DS: [laughs] Yeah... It's something that we constantly have to remind ourselves of, that you can find ways to speak out, and you should. When he was, through his creative works, using the alias, the producers are smart, you know, they're going to pay him less, but they're still going to make a product...I don't know, he's just one of those characters who can inspire and encourage, and you can sort of hold up as a halberd for saying, 'Oh, yeah, he did it', and look how he is revered today for what he did. He wasn’t afraid. All of those things, they're kind of self-evident, when you get to know the guy.

Capone: I couldn't help thinking, watching all the different actors read his letters...and I believe, if I'm not mistaken, you're the first one we hear in the film...it seemed that you're one of the more central people to have in this group, because of having played Edward R. Morrow, who battled McCarthy with words in a not-so-different way, I suppose. I'm guessing the parallels weren't exactly lost on you...

DS: No, I think they were really beautiful. Although they came from different podiums, but the elegance of Murrow, the incisiveness, and his passion. In many ways, they were both men destined to be these voices. They had a different aesthetic, but the parallels or the connective tissue is pretty apparent.

Capone: In the last nine months, or so I've spoken with both John Sayles and Chris Cooper about different things. But, I truly love talking about the group of actors and the creative types that work with John Sayles. Obviously, the two of you have a great actor/director relationship. I'll ask you the same thing I asked Chris: Can you put into words the nature of the connection you have with him? Why does it keep coming up? You haven't worked with him in a while, but you did--for a while, at least--keep coming back to him. Although I guess, technically, The Spiderwick Chronicles could be looked at as your reunion [Sayles got a writing credit for the film].

DS: [laughs] Yes, I guess it could, an indirect kind of reunion.

Capone: He was really the guy who made me aware that independent films existed when I was a younger man. And, I'm always fascinated to see the familiar faces that appear in so many of his films. You two, in particular, have something that... Is there a way you can describe it?

DS: In essence, it's the same as what Chris was saying, but, for me, it's the relationship with John's work. It dovetails with a lot of my politics, my ideas of collaboration, communal experience on a film, working in a...you know, lots of equanimity throughout production, the characters--each is an essential part of the tapestry. I love the stories he tells and also John's certainty about how he wants to tell the story that he wrote.

There's very little mystery, it's very much about the work. By mystery, I mean you are not left to figure out how are you going to do this, because John's map through each day and through the production and through the stories is so clear, so it's very accessible. You know what you're on about, and where your responsibilities are, vis-à-vis the character and the story. It's always been very refreshing, rewarding experiences. And, the integrity to the work, too, is exemplary. You know a John Sayles film, and you always will know a John Sayles film... All of those things.

And, he's very generous about telling you what he expects. He does a lot of backstory for you, and by that, I mean he's done this over and over again. He says, 'This is who the character is', and it's your job then to fit those attributes into the film. It’s different than a lot other directors. And because he's the writer, the director, and the editor, that offers a lot more access to the essence of what he's trying to get to. But, all of those things are part and parcel of the experience.

Capone: You mentioned that there's not often mystery in what he's attempting to get at, but you were in what many would consider his most mysterious work, Limbo. I remember the first time I met him was at a screening of Limbo before it opened, and, if you can have a positive reason to riot, I think the audience at that film almost did...

DS: [laughs] I know. I was in a theater in Philadelphia and I saw it, and someone threw their popcorn at the screen at the end. It's, like, 'You can’t do that!'

Capone: And then, of course, it has come up again recently, when Sopranos left the air--a show that you were on. It ended up that they had 'stolen' their series ending from John. And, the same theory applies to both as to why they ended that way, because there's no way that either writer could have created an ending that would satisfy everybody--so, why not write no ending at all.

DS: Exactly.

Capone: Do you ever take a break?

DS: Oh, yeah, jeez, yeah.

Capone: ...Because it seems like you make three to five movies a year.

DS: No, no, it seems that way, but that's just because they accumulate, and they sort of get stacked up on the tarmac, and then they get released all at once or something, but no.

Capone: But, by the same token, it seems like you make a lot of films that...and I spoke to Chris Cooper about this, too, and he seemed very aware of how he's perceived by casting directors and sort of attributed that to the reason he's cast in so many military roles or someone in authority. You, on the other hand, are much more of a chameleon. Just in a single year, I've seen you The Spiderwick Chronicles and My Blueberry Nights and Bourne Ultimatum. These characters could not have been more different. Do you deliberately try not to repeat yourself?

DS: Yeah, I think it's important to keeping changing up, because you can get pigeonholed pretty quickly, for better or worse. Some people say, 'Yeah, it's great. I'll dial this one in, this is what people expect, and this is what they want.' But, just for my own personal entertainment, I like to change it up, yeah.

Capone: Thinking of Murrow and then the character you play in Bourne Ultimatum, that's your range, like, that's anybody's range, really. There couldn't be two more different people. I think sometimes people forget it's even the same actor, because the roles seem so diametrically opposed.

DS: [laughs] Well, you hope they do. That's one of the traps, too...is that, 'Oh, there's that guy again!' So, you hope to keep it fresh, fresh and new.

Capone: You and John both seem to have a very workmanlike approach to the films that you do. It's not a passive thing for either of you. Is that a fair thing to say, that you don’t just dive in?

DS: Yeah, it's important...you dig in. You're given the responsibility to represent either an idea and sometimes a person, like in the Murrow thing...

Capone: Not everyone's like that, I guess thats my point, even though they probably should be, especially actors, they're not always like that.

DS: Well, it depends on the material. Sometimes the material does not bear the weight of investigation, in-depth investigation. That's just maybe the nature of the story and sort of the tone of the film. But, for me, it's important to get as much of a gestalt on the situation, character, because you’re under a microscope. And, you want the audience to get something extra, hopefully, you know, surprise or learn something or perceive a person differently. But, I feel it's important, I consider it my duty, really, to study a character.

Capone: How much do you really allow your mind to think like the characters you play? I'll give you an example of what I'm talking about. It's maybe the character in a movie that you made that still sometimes haunts me a little bit...I'm thinking of your work in Blue Car. How much do let the thought process of a person like that creep into your own mind?

DS: I don't know. It's hard, because it usually happens in the moment, or on the day, or in the two or three weeks, whatever time you're involved in the picture, that you're trying to access, obviously, a different kind of neurology or a different kind of thinking. But, I don't know, I don't think I could quantify it very well.

Capone: I did want to ask you about a couple of things you have coming up. Of particular interest to our readers...I think it's now called The Uninvited...

DS: Oh, yes, I think it was Tale of Two Sisters, now it's Uninvited.

Capone: I've seen that original Korean film.

DS: Yeah, I did, too.

Capone: What did you think of that?

DS: Well, frankly, I thought, 'Why are they remaking it?' [laughs]

Capone: That question could be asked a lot lately about different projects.

DS: Yeah. I haven't seen the film. I have no idea how they put it together, what the ultimate outcome of that is going to be. It was interesting to work on, because of having seen the Korean one and seeing how it had been sort of adapted... I don't know, my jury is certainly out, because I don't have much evidence, but I'll be real curious to see how that comes to fruition.

Capone: I take it you play the father of the two girls?

DS: Yeah.

Capone: What did you actually think of the original film, other than, 'Why are they remaking this?' You must have liked it to a certain degree, if you thought that.

DS: Well, actually I saw it after I finished shooting the later one, so it was a little more surprising to me, why they remade it. Different, really different, the feeling of this production versus the original. Very different feeling.

Capone: Okay, I guess that's always a possibility when you're remaking a film from Japan or Korea or anywhere. It feels like it's only been in the last couple of years that you've done some of this genre work.

DS: Yeah, Fracture and this one tale is... I've never done those kinds of films before. Yeah, they're a lot different than a John Sayles film, that's for sure. [laughs]

Capone: Better believe it. The other thing, when I was speaking to Wong Kar Wai about My Blueberry Nights, he mentioned that the segment that you and Rachael Weisz are in--I'm sure he told you this, but I was looking for your take on it--was his attempt at writing a sort of Tennessee Williams play in a sense.

DS: Yeah, you do get that feeling, isn't it? It's very evocative of Tennessee Williams, the whole environment, and her character, especially, is just exquisite in that kind of…and the texture. I wanted so much more of her character, really.

Capone: ...Of Rachel's character?

DS: Yeah, oh yeah.

Capone: And, I mentioned it to him, too, that that whole scene, even before it turns violent, just feels like it's going to get violent. It's just brewing under the surface the whole time. When you see somebody that jealous, you just know that violence is imminent.

DS: Well, he's a master of mood, that's for sure.

Capone: Yeah, absolutely. And, you've made a film that Paul Giamatti's in as well.

DS: Yeah, that was a fun little thing. I had a couple of days on that one. Cold Souls, I think it's still in post-production.

Capone: What is your role in that?

DS: I play a doctor who sells soul replacements. Yeah, we can give you a new soul, if you're not happy with yours. And, Paul gets a hold of one that creates all sorts of ramifications and complications. It's a very wonderful, little whimsical, odd tale. It's got a great tone to it. I'm really excited to see how that turns out. Plus, of course, Paul is a comic genius.

Capone: Based on your description, I wasn't sure it was going to be whimsical. It could go in a very ugly direction.

DS: Could do, could do, but it's not. It has a nice aesthetic to it. I think it'll be surprising.

Capone: David, thank you so much for talking to us, and it was great to hear you read the words of Trumbo.

DS: Okay, man. My pleasure. All the best.

[ Link to article ]



David Strathairn: eccentric uncle
Los Angeles Times
February 14, 2008
By Josh Getlin

He's played a brooding, chain smoking journalist, a diabolical Hollywood pimp and a high school English teacher who brazenly slept with Tony Soprano's wife. In a 30-year acting career, David Strathairn has been identified with dark, introspective characters who smolder their way through memorable performances.

But now he's appearing as an aging, eccentric uncle in The Spiderwick Chronicles, opening today, and the contrast is striking: Strathairn spends much of his time on screen interacting with computer-generated characters. It's a visual effects-laden fantasy that's a far cry from his Oscar-nominated turn as newsman Edward R. Murrow in Good Night, and Good Luck.

Is it a radical departure? "More like on-the-job training," he joked, in a phone interview from his upstate New York home. "It was quite a learning experience, both fascinating and intimidating."

For Strathairn, 59, the challenge was getting used to the intricacies of green screen work: "The mark where you are placed on the set is measured and related to something that's going to happen way down the road, so there are more constraints as far as action is concerned. You're relating to a giant griffin, which is actually a piece of white tape on a grip stand. All of this becomes a real test of the actor's imagination and concentration."

Not exactly what the actor--or his fans--have become accustomed to in a career including seven films by John Sayles (one of his closest friends and one of the screenwriters for The Spiderwick Chronicles). Other roles have included Pierce Patchett in L.A. Confidential, as well as parts in Silkwood, A League of Their Own, Bob Roberts, Lost in Yonkers, The Firm, Losing Isaiah and The Notorious Bettie Page, among nearly 90 movies.

Strathairn said some of his most noteworthy moments have come from work with iconic, fiercely independent writer-directors. The richness of his experience as an actor has been kindled by the sense of community they create.

He noted, for example, that Sayles, whom he befriended in the 1960s, has a rare gift for ensemble filmmaking: "What's special about working with John is that after a while you develop a shared intuition about what he expects," he said. "There's a wonderful shorthand that develops. It's a case where familiarity breeds clarity."

Strathairn, born in San Francisco, began his career in 1980 with Sayles' Return of the Secaucus Seven, later appearing in the filmmaker's The Brother From Another Planet, Matewan and Eight Men Out. And even though his appearance on The Sopranos was limited to three episodes, he relished the ensemble world created by David Chase. "That was such a well-oiled machine," he noted. "And I was one of the few characters who crossed the family and survived." Asked about his on-screen seduction of Carmela Soprano, he answered with a laugh: "I actually lived to tell the tale. That about says it all."

Where you've seen him: David Strathairn, who began acting at Williams College in the 1960s, earned an Oscar nomination in 2005 for his portrayal of Edward R. Morrow in Good Night, and Good Luck. He has appeared in The Bourne Ultimatum, L.A. Confidential and other films, including seven by director John Sayles. He stars next in My Blueberry Nights, playing an alcoholic policeman, in a cast that includes Norah Jones (in her screen debut), Natalie Portman, Rachel Weisz and Jude Law.

[ Link to article ]



DAVID STRATHAIRN: ACTOR TAKES SPRITELY TURN IN SPIDERWICK
The New York Post
February 10, 2008
By Sara Stewart

When it comes to cinematic worlds of fairies and trolls, David Strathairn isn't exactly an obvious casting choice. The veteran character actor does complicated, dissolute and tortured like nobody's business--but the sight of the guy being whisked away by a CGI flock of wood sprites seems truly odd.

The Spiderwick Chronicles has one of its screenwriters, John Sayles, to thank for Strathairn's involvement. The pair attended Williams College together in the late '60s, and Strathairn has appeared in [seven] Sayles movies to date.

Spiderwick, however, was a far cry from the low-budget sets of Sayles and the gorgeously smoke-filled newsrooms of Good Night, and Good Luck,, in which Strathairn made an Oscar-nominated turn as Edward R. Murrow. For one thing, there were a lot of green screens.

"It was on-the-job training," he says. "It was exciting, watching these skilled technicians set up the shots and all the equipment and the measurements--I'd never seen that kind of technology."

But Strathairn is hardly becoming a kiddie actor; he's in rehearsals at the Public Theater for the very grownup Conversations in Tusculum, about Julius Caesar's political manipulations, in which he stars with Brian Dennehy, Maria Tucci and Aidan Quinn. He's also appearing in the indie film My Blueberry Nights, out in April.

"I play a kind of alcoholic, local town policeman who's having a hard time dealing with the fact that his wife doesn't want him anymore, and has moved on," he explains.

In other words, a welcome return to complicated, dissolute and tortured.

[ Link to article ]



Patricia Sheridan's Breakfast With...David Strathairn
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
December 10, 2007
By Patricia Sheridan

Elegantly serious, actor David Strathairn wasn't always so composed. To watch his cool command of roles such as CIA Deputy Director Noah Vosen in The Bourne Ultimatum or Edward R. Murrow in his Oscar-nominated performance in Good Night and Good Luck or even in a guest spot on HBO's The Sopranos it's hard to imagine he began as a clown. After graduating from Williams College, he joined the circus. Strathairn, 58, started a children's theater company and finally got a break when John Sayles cast him in Return of the Secaucus 7. The Bourne Ultimatum is available in stores on DVD tomorrow.

Q: Your parents were professionals. Was there some dismay when you ran off to join the circus?

A: I don't know. You know, I never really had a one on one, except for, after the fact. Yeah, I suspect there was a bit of dismay. I remember both of them kind of instilling us with whatever you feel passionate about, go for it. Although the times, from let's say 1960 to '75, were tumultuous. There probably were a lot of parents who were dismayed. (Laughing)

Q: Clown College wasn't the worst thing you could be doing.

A: Well, no. It may have been one of the more bizarre things to be doing.

Q: Speaking of bizarre, is it true your first gig was to play half a Siamese twin?

A: I think that is why I was hired, basically. One half of the twin gag had left the circus and moved on to something else. So they needed someone to fill that void, and, indeed, I was the right size to fit the costume.

Q: Today you are described as a very elegant actor. You have a certain seriousness about you, yet you started out in such a playful way.

A: I think you sort of go through the doors that are open to you, and it's a double-edged sword. Doors get open to you based on the one you came through before. If you are not careful you end up being pigeonholed in this business. That's not to say, if a door opened on to a, you know, a clownish room. I wouldn't go through it. It comes with the territory.

Q: Have you developed a routine for memorizing lines?

A: No. No I wouldn't say I have one particular methodology. It depends on the kind of line, on the kind of project. If it is a play, you have weeks of rehearsal to have them become a part of you. But, for instance, in The Bourne Ultimatum, very often, we were getting new lines on the day. So you have to be prepared to learn them or at least get a reasonable facsimile of them going quickly.

Q: How have your aspirations as a young actor changed, if they have?

A: They haven't, I don't think. It's always to be able to stand and deliver and do well enough that someone will consider you yet again.

Q: Have any of the roles you've played taken longer for you to find your rhythm?

A: Um, that's an interesting question. Let's see, well, I'll put it this way: I've taken as long as I've been allowed [laughing] to find the rhythm. Sometimes you land a part, and you have a week to get ready. Sometimes you have as much as, well, at least for me the most I've had is about two months. It's like the weather. You have to be prepared.

Q: Do you have a preference for playing fictional or nonfictional characters?

A: No, but they definitely have different requirements. One is wide-open exploration with infinite choices, and the other is a framework you have to work within.

Q: Once you've finished a film project, do you enjoy seeing it or is it on to the next job?

A: I enjoy seeing it. Not right away sometimes, because I find, as far as film goes, it's a learning tool. You get your feedback on how well I accomplished what I thought I was doing. You pop in, you pop out and then you see your work later. Film is so much more of a technical thing than stage is.

Q: Can you take the movie experience and apply it to stage work?

A: I don't think I can quantify that very well. I see it as the responsibility of the actor as essentially the same thing, to be present in the moment and fresh and creating the illusion of the first time each time you do a take or a performance.

Q: When you go home, do you bring these characters with you or can you leave them at the door?

A: Well, when you are in a play the character is always sort of with you. Ultimately, that's what it is. I do take them home with me as long as the projects are ongoing. It's one of the things you live with when you are living the character.

[ Link to article ]



Pacing of story key to Bourne actor: Strathairn enjoys action movie debut
Boston Now
December 10, 2007
By John Black

When you hear an actor tell you that making a movie was like "dancing across hot coals", you might think it was a bad experience.

In the case of David Strathairn and The Bourne Ultimatum, though, just the opposite is true. Although he faced the pressure of being the new guy--and the third villain, CIA Deputy Director Noah Vosen--to go up against Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) in a very successful film franchise, Strathairn said the experience turned out to be one of the best of his career.

"I've never been involved in this kind of film before and while I was excited by the idea, I was a bit daunted, too," Strathairn said. "There was a lot of on the job training, so to speak, but it gave me such confidence to work with really great filmmaker."

The filmmaker he's talking about is director Paul Greengrass who has made two of the three Bourne movies.

"Paul made it fun. Quite frankly, I'm sure those first few days on the set I looked like a deer in headlights because this was so different from anything I've done before, not only in terms of the action, but of the style of film Paul was making with lots of hand held cameras and other innovations to keep the tension level high."

Despite early days of flop sweat--or 'actors neurosis' as he called it--Strathairn, who has been making movies for close to 30 years, eventually found a way to play the character.

"This is going to sound weird, but there is a music, or a rhythm, to what Paul does and when you find that it all falls into place," he said. "Basically, The Bourne Ultimatum is a cut to the chase movie, but there's an pulse to it that makes it more than just car crashes and snappy dialogue."

The Bourne Ultimatum comes out on DVD tomorrow.

[ Link to article ]



A break in the action: David Strathairn has a way with sexy costars
The Boston Globe
December 8, 2007
By Carol Beggy and Mark Shanahan

David Strathairn's got the Midas touch when it comes to leading men. George Clooney, his costar in Good Night, and Good Luck, was People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" last year, and Matt Damon, his costar in The Bourne Ultimatum, was "Sexiest Man Alive" this year. Does that mean Martin Short, Strathairn's costar in The Spiderwick Chronicles, due out next year, will be "Sexiest Man Alive" in '08? "I don't know about that," Strathairn said, laughing. "He might be the sexiest underworld gremlin creature." A Williams grad whose impressive resume includes several John Sayles films, Strathairn said it was a big treat to work with Damon in The Bourne Ultimatum. "Matt embodies something I haven't heard articulated overtly," Strathairn told us. "He was able to imbue the Bourne character with an amazing amount of integrity because, really, that's something that emanates from him."

[ Link to article ]



IGN Interviews Bourne's David Strathairn: Bourne baddies speaks out!
IGN
December 7, 2007
By Christopher Monfette

With such a stoic demeanor and calculated performance, David Strathairn often comes across as a Serious Actor--perfect for the black-and-white, smoke-filled rooms of films such as Good Night and Good Luck. His performances almost always carry a kind of relentless authority--a quality which lent itself perfectly to the character of Director Vosen in The Bourne Ultimatum. Calling the shots from the C.I.A. command center, Vosen is by definition a company man, keeping pace with Bourne by a series of barked orders and frantic deduction.

We recently had a chance to sit down with Strathairn and discuss the character and his possible future within the Bourne franchise.

IGN: Just to begin at the beginning, how was it that you came to be involved with the project?

STRATHAIRN: It came down the usual channels, I suppose. When I was over in London during Good Night and Good Luck they'd worked it out that I could meet with Paul Greengrass. I was really excited about the way he was looking at the material and I'd been very impressed by United 93. I'd never been involved with this type of film and so we tossed around some character ideas and it was just a great meeting.

IGN: Were you very familiar with the films at that point?

STRATHAIRN: I'd seen the films, but I'd never really been in the hopper for those kinds of movies prior to this. Most of my admiration for Paul was based upon Untied 93 and how he was looking to deal with the landscape of Bourne's quest.

IGN: Vosen is a very complicated character in that, while being the villain, he's not without nobility.

STRATHAIRN: I had a different idea of him when I first read the script. On the page, I didn't actually see him as the helmsman of the situation. It's not much that you form about Vosen from what he's doing vis-à-vis the moment, but you do see that he's a career guy. He believes in it; he's a zealot; and for better or worse, his M.O. is predicated by his job. You could make a case for him being a right-wing conservative, or a nihilistic policy-pusher. But if there's any humanity there--which I think there is a small amount--it's inferred from the images.

IGN: Your performances generally appear very carefully and intelligently crafted--which is interested given Paul's style of filming and the breathing-room that he allows his actors. What was your process like throughout the filming?

STRATHAIRN: It was a combination of stuff that was on the page and the stuff that was tweaked or discovered at the last moment... And it's a credit to Paul because it was made up in so many pieces, catching little inferences of character and plot. The way we shot it was fairly piecemeal and apart from the scenes with Joan, you're on the ice and you're skating fast and trying to stay focused on the moment. Paul really captured this guy and put him together from a lot of individual pieces. It's an indication of his ability to create a character without much ice-time... The days felt like dancing on a hot skillet, and yet Paul was always there with a very supportive, positive energy, saying, "Don't worry. It's all good; just go for it."

IGN: Is there an element of Vosen that has transformed from youthful idealism to being, in a sense, blinded by the power available to him?

STRATHAIRN: Obviously, in order to live with oneself in that kind of world, you've gotta believe in the ideals. Moe often then not, these guys are countries and days and time-zones away from these deeds they order, so that distance might give them comfort. They're not pulling the trigger. So the ideals are a lot of the motivation, but then when push comes to shove, he proves to be more vulnerable than he's put on. And what little you see of that breakdown is evidence of a rather fragile ideology. He's hiding behind a lot of technical prowess. Big toys. Ultimately, he's a company man and as long as the company keeps him safe and glossy and there's no blood on his desk, he's insulated.

IGN: There's a kind of surprising and unexpected continuity between the second and third films--

STRATHAIRN: Not to interrupt, but that's a such a great point. There's a very interesting progression from two to three. And not too many people discuss this or put it on paper, but what Damon is doing with the character lends this--and it'll sound a bit esoteric and weird--but there's kind of a Greek thing going on here. There's a case to be made that this kind of person in modern times is a bit of a mythic person. And his quest for himself and his identity is beautifully nuanced. There's a resonance that makes the film more than just a big car chase.

IGN: With that continuity in mind, do you see any opportunity for Vosen to come back in further Bourne films?

STRATHAIRN: It would be really exciting. I don't know who's pulling those strings, but I know that there's nothing written, and it might be a tall order to create something beyond this one. He's done what he needed to do and he's free to go. I don't know if there's enough propulsion into whatever comes next. There's penultimate and then ultimate, but it would certainly be exciting to do this all again.

[ Link to article ]

The Greenville News (12/02/2007) - photo copyright © The Greenville News

Photo Galleries: Other Events

Noted actor shares his craft with teens: David Strathairn visits Govenor's School
The Greenville News
December 2, 2007
By Ann Hicks

A slender man in perpetual motion, acclaimed character actor David Strathairn intermittently tugs at his neatly trimmed, graying beard while he explores the art of performance with a gathering of eager actors-in-training.

A whole world emerges from the details Strathairn has shared for two days with the students of the South Carolina Governor's School drama and writing classes. He arrived Thursday, invited by drama department chair and fellow actor Daniel Murray.

Now, down to a few more hours before he leaves, Strathairn has the students working exercises during which he tells them not to be afraid to explore their craft, to "invest the words with intention" and to explore the "connective tissue" between the writers' words and the actors' actions.

The San Francisco-born [58]-year-old master teacher graduated from college in 1970, and spent several years as a clown in a traveling circus. Since becoming an actor in 1980, he has appeared in 55 movies and numerous plays and television dramas and has won critical acclaim for many of those roles.

Among them are Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award nominations for best actor for his portrayal of famed CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow in Good Night and Good Luck (2005), directed by George Clooney.

Most recently, Strathairn played Noah Vosen in The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) and has completed for release in 2008 two more films, The Spiderwick Chronicles and The Tale of Two Sisters.

Asked to talk briefly about the relationship between the actor and the writer, Strathairn says, "It is a given that without the writer we wouldn't have the words."

It is the writer who provides the blueprint, the story, and it is the actor's responsibility to respect it and investigate it, he adds. And in case an actor is asked to help, perhaps to explore a word or reinvestigate a play with a living playwright, then "you offer up yourself as a tool, as an instrument of expression to the writer."

About making Good Night and Good Luck with director/actor Clooney, who recently filmed Leatherheads in the Upstate, slated for release in 2008, Strathairn says, "Working with George was quite extraordinary."

It had everything to do with his passion about the project, his preparation, his expertise around the camera, and his instinct to create a supportive, safe and playful environment for the actors.

"To say it was easy, it wasn't, but it sure was smooth," he says.

Strathairn will be next seen on stage in a new play, Conversations [in] Tusculum, at New York's Public Theater, written and directed by Richard Nelson.

The play takes place in 45 B.C. in a town outside Rome where Cicero, Cassius (Strathairn) and Brutus are discussing the Republic. The play explores loving one's country and its values being destroyed by a misguided leader.

Asked about the social responsibility, if any, an actor has in choosing to portray a role, Strathairn says, "I'm a citizen before I'm an actor, and I do care about what's going on."

He says he loves the word "entertain" and quotes Clooney in an interview about Good Night and Good Luck: "This is not entertainment. What Edward R. Murrow was doing and what we're doing is asking you to entertain these thoughts, these ideas" we present.

[ Link to article ]



Thessaloniki: Tandem Master Class with Chris Cooper & David Strathairn
FilmFestivals.com
November 22, 2007
By Alex Deleon

Day number five of the fest opened with a One-Two punch tandem Master Class delivered by Oscar winner Chris Cooper and multiple award nominee David Strathairn, two of the best character actors currently active in American cinema. Both are here in Thessaloniki accompanying director John Sayles on his full-scale career retrospective, ongoing throughout the festival. Both actors have appeared in a wide variety of roles in Sayles pictures and have made their mark in countless other films with various other directors.

Strathairn came to wide international recognition for his iconic portrayal of mythical American journalist, Edward R. Murrow in Goodnight and Good Luck, directed by George Clooney in 2005, and Cooper was attributed a Best Supporting Oscar for his portrayal of a Swamp rat recluse opposite Meryl Streep in Adaptation, 2002. He was also remarkable as the gay ex-marine living next door to Kevin Spacey in American Beauty, a multiple Oscar winner in 1999, and as the savvy horse trainer in Seabiscuit, 2003. Both are the kind of actors who can disappear so fully into a role that one barely remembers them except as the character in question. There are many other shared commonalities between them, (original roots in the theatre, near contemporaries in age, born 1949 and 1951, respectively) although they tend to portray vastly different kinds of characters on screen, Strathairn more at home in urbane sophisticated roles, whereas Cooper, who hails from Missouri and Texas, is more likely to appear as an earthy mid-westerner or a sly country bloke.

In response to an audience query as to what questions he would himself ask a director when trying to decide whether or not to accept a part offered, Strathairn, after considerable reflection, said that he would, first, want to know why the director chose him in particular over other candidates for the role, secondly, what was the directors view of the character, and, finally, what was he trying to say with the film. Both actors agreed that "having to go to places with a character who goes very much against the grain of your own personal beliefs"-- i.e., playing unsavoury or politically loathsome characters--(the gay Marine in American Beauty, the Bush-like politician in Silver City, the psychotic cop in My Blueberry Nights, the dyslexic babbler in City of Hope)--sometimes forces them to do their best work.

Cooper and Strathairn have both been featured in numerous Sayles films in both supporting and leading roles and regard him as a mainstay of their acting careers. Asked if he ever does a job just for the money Cooper replied that it was "about a three-to-one proportion"--three good films he really wants to do, and one 'whore job' to pay the bills. What these two unusual screen craftsmen really share, however, is a kind of theatrical honesty which makes them totally believable no matter what the role, and a dedication to the profession that is a light year away from the narcissism of Hollywood. One might also add that both actors have very distinctive speech patterns (in Strathairn's case an almost professorial, vocabulary-rich delivery, with Cooper, a seductive mid-western drawl that isn't quite a drawl after all...) and a kind of low-key screen charisma that ploughs them into your sub-conscious whether you like it or not.

This session turned out to be a true "master class" in that it had the qualities of a compact College Course that could have been entitled "Screen Acting 101", monitored, incidentally, by festival president, George Corraface, who is himself a well-known Greek actor and a dead ringer for the early Tony Curtis. The entire proceedings were recorded on tape and will comprise a separate report elsewhere. Some of the subjects covered were; the influence of dreams in the role preparation process, the various approaches to the composition of a character, working methods--staying in or out of character during the filming process, the joys and difficulties of the metier, and innumerable personal observations from lengthy parallel careers. Suffice it to say that this two-hour tandem disquisition on the art, psychology, and philosophy of acting, both screen and theatrical, was alone worth the trip to Greece.

Of films seen during the day, two are worthy of special mention. In the ongoing section on New Spanish cinema, The Ferpect Crime (El Crimen Ferpecto) which deals with a very Imperfectly accomplished killing by a department store Don Giovanni, was a rip roarer, with co-star, delicious Ugly Duckling Monica Cervera, in attendance, and Juno, Jason Reitman's follow-up to Thank You For Smoking wowed an eleven PM audience. The latter film was very well received in Toronto and won a prize at the recent Rome festival. The mostly unknown cast, especially newcomer Ellen Page (the saucy 16 year old heroine) and Jason Bateman, the reluctant adoptive father, will certainly emerge from obscurity with this one.

[ Link to article ]



DAVID STRATHAIRN & CHRIS COOPER MASTERCLASS
Thessaloniki International Film Festival
November 21, 2007
By unknown

"With us today we have two of the most prominent members of John Sayles' family who aren't interested in star status, but in making us part of the cinematic world that they have been faithfully serving for years." With these words, the Director of the Thessaloniki Film Festival, Despina Mouzaki introduced David Strathairn and Chris Cooper at the masterclass they gave on Tuesday, November 20th at the packed John Cassavetes Theatre.

Coordinating the discussion was the President of the Thessaloniki Film Festival, George Corraface, who started off with the subject of actor typecasting. David Strathairn mentioned that typecasting is unfortunately an indivisible part of cinema: "It's a trap, a kind of 'copying', a problem for actors who want to explore their art. We want to be the messengers of the world. However, the film industry doesn't like to take risks so it forces actors to play the same roles. These are the conditions of our work. Therefore, you either go back to the theatre, or you go...to John Sayles." On the same topic, Chris Cooper said: "Typecasting is like a bad joke. They are always offering me the part of the bad father, the government official or the soldier." Regarding how he selects the films he plays in, Cooper said that he uses the three-one rule: "Three films for the heart, and one for the money."

In a question regarding the research that they do for the roles they play, David Strathairn said that "this is one of the best parts of our job. You learn about the clothes that were worn in any given time in history, about the politics of the time and you generally have a lot of information and data to think about. If you’ve done your research properly, then the result is truly educational, both for yourself, as well as for the audience."

The two actors were also asked whether they have ever been afraid of accepting a particular role. Cooper mentioned that it depends on how high the actor aims for: "In American Beauty, every time I read the script, I became more and more disheartened. I kept dwelling in darker areas. Finally, I listened to my wife and accepted the role." Strathairn noted: "When you say no to a role and then someone persuades you to accept it, you usually end up regretting it. You question your own judgment and blame yourself for trusting someone else rather than your instinct."

Regarding how difficult it is for actors to switch in and out of their roles, Cooper claimed that he isn’t affected by it: "Of course, the characters continue to exist inside of you even after the film is finished, but that doesn't bother me." On the same topic, Strathairn compared an actor to an athlete, and each role as a separate and active member of his body.

In a question regarding their collaboration with John Sayles, the two actors revealed that he is one of the few directors who gives concise resumés of the roles when he offers them to actors. "This is something very special and an incredible help to actors, who have a starting point for their research," said Chris Cooper. David Strathairn added that he only experienced something similar to that in Goodnight and Good Luck by George Clooney.

Finally, regarding the Oscars and the changes they brought in their lives, Strathairn was firm: "There is no way that an Oscar can change the 25 years of my work in cinema." Cooper agreed and added: "We became more popular, which isn't bad, but nothing more. Regardless, we don't even live in Hollywood."

[ Link to article ]

Vanity Fair (10/2007) - photo copyright © Howard Schatz

Photo Galleries: Publicity & Photo Shoots

In Character: David Strathairn
Vanity Fair
October, 2007
By Howard Schatz

The actor transforms into a boy learning about sex, an evangelical preacher, and an apoplectic soccer dad.

Left: You're a 9-year-old boy hearing about the details of sex for the first time from your 16-year-old brother.

Center: You're an evangelical preacher, screaming to your flock, "Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, JESUS!"

Right: You're an ex-jock dad, apoplectic over the penalty the soccer ref has called against your seven-year-old son for a tackling foul.

[ Link to article ]



Power plays unacceptable to Bourne's Strathairn
The Gazette
September 6, 2007
By Jamie Portman

It was marketed as a thriller and was a big summer hit. Yet, it's proved to be a lot more than just a brilliantly efficient piece of cinematic escapism. Whatever its original intent, The Bourne Ultimatum has touched nerves and provoked serious discussion among filmgoers and commentators about the use and misuse of government power.

For actor David Strathairn, one central question emerges from the film. It concerns what he terms "lethal action instituted by an institution against individuals." Is such action ever justified? Strathairn has no trouble answering that one: The answer can only be no.

But in The Bourne Ultimatum, he portrays a public servant named Noah Vosen, a veteran CIA operative who does believe that the ends justify the means. Strathairn's performance as a man who sanctions illegal government action to achieve his ends has triggered a lot of reaction, including comparisons with U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney. Strathairn won't comment on the Cheney parallels, but he does say he's glad the movie is prompting serious discussion.

"I love that these questions are happening over an action picture," the [58]-year-old actor says. "It's really great."

He adds that the movie's impact is a testament to the skills of British director Paul Greengrass and star Matt Damon, who delivers his third performance as Jason Bourne, the killing machine created and programmed by the CIA to assassinate America's perceived enemies.

In the film, Bourne is on a ruthless quest to rediscover his true identity and to unmask those who taught him how to kill. He therefore represents a threat to Washington's security establishment, which fears public exposure of its secret policy of training international assassins. Vosen is the "patriot" determined to take whatever measures are necessary, including eliminating ordinary civilians who stand in his way, in order to find and destroy Jason Bourne.

Strathairn, one of Hollywood's most respected character actors, is aware of the irony involved in his taking such a role. After all, he will always be remembered for his Oscar-nominated performance as legendary CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow in Good Night, and Good Luck. That performance depicted Murrow's lonely battle against the late U.S. senator Joseph McCarthy, the notorious instigator of an anti-Communist witch hunt that destroyed innocent American lives more than half a century ago.

"We have the use of force, the use of violence, the use of trained programmed assassins to compromise a perceived threat--for the sake of what? That's where the equation for the discussion begins. ...In this story, it is excessive and reprehensible because all he (Vosen) is looking out for is himself."

But is Vosen truly evil? Strathairn, who lived with this character during months of filming, thinks not. But he does see a cautionary lesson in the spectacle of an essentially banal human being elevated within the system to the point where he is capable of doing serious harm in the name of patriotism.

Strathairn likens Vosen to "a corporate clerk...one of those guys who probably never was in the field...and has ascended to a place where he might feel now he is a bit of a Napoleon."

Strathairn will offer audiences a less sombre side of his talent this year. He'll be seen in the family fantasy The Spiderwick Chronicles, playing "a wonderful kind of mad botanist, naturalist, animist kind of guy," who also has access to "a magical kingdom of trolls and goblins and fairies and sprites."

He is currently in Vancouver shooting another movie, A Tale of Two Sisters.

[ Link to article ]

Show Magazine (09/2007) - photo copyright © Show Magazine

Who's That Guy? David Strathairn
Show Magazine
September, 2007
By unknown

Over his 27-year acting career, David Strathairn has appeared in close to 90 films and TV shows, sharing celluloid with Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Kevin Spacey, Sigourney Weaver, even Sidney Poitier. Still, most of us have never heard of him. Not a clue. David who? The 58-year-old Strathairn happens to be one of the most dependable character actors in the business, but even his star turn in Good Night, and Good Luck--which earned him Golden Globe and Oscar noms for best actor--didn't make him a house-hold name. The same goes for this year's role as a world-weary D.A. in Fracture. Even appearing opposite Matt Damon in The Bourne Ultimatum hasn't put his name in lights. Then again, if the steady pace of Strathairn's upcoming projects (six films this year and next) is any indication, fame doesn't seem to matter all that much.



Strathairn Ultimatum!
AlloCine
August 16, 2007
By unknown

AlloCine meets Academy Award® nominee David Strathairn, one of the most accomplished character actors working in Hollywood today.

AlloCine: How did you come to be involved in The Bourne Ultimatum? Obviously you know [Bourne producer] Patrick Crowley from L.A. Confidential.

David Strathairn: I didn't know Patrick was on-board, and I'm not sure how it fell my way. When I was doing the rounds with Good Night, and Good Luck. We were in BAFTA and I heard that I was under consideration. Paul Greengrass was there and we had a short conversation about Bourne, how he wanted to approach the film and the like. And I was a big fan of the franchise and I think that was my audition.

So an informal interview...

David Strathairn: Exactly that, discussing what we thought and after that I wrote him a sheet on ideas that I had--kind of Monday morning quarter-backing and he responded, which was nice. And then the dice rolled my way.

What did your sheet of ideas say?

David Strathairn: I saw Noah as someone who had been ensconced in the basement of whatever Blackbriar's infrastructure was and he'd been cultivated and gradually ascended to this new position. Basically, he was like a clerk for this company. Not necessarily an evil guy, but a product of his nurture, and his nature took a backseat to this world, so he became very efficient and had a real aptitude. I saw him behind the scenes, with his fingers all over the surveillance toys, and someone they put forward to voice their policy. And Paul thought it was a great idea, and then the character evolved into what you see in the film, and there are some allusions to those real Noah types out in the world.

You said that you were a fan. What is it about the films that you like?

David Strathairn: Well, I don't rush out to see the next big action picture, but I'm a huge fan of Matt Damon. He's such a terrific actor, very thoughtful and with a combination of gifts that he's using very wisely. He can fill the bill for an action hero, because he's got the physique, but he's also Matt Damon, and that really infuses the character. And I also love the use of camera and that the stunts and action are really plausible. There's a real authenticity to it all. I like it on this Greek level; a hero who's been spewed out by the system, like Odysseus, who has this very successful career as a killer, but is on a quest to find out who he is.

And not just to take down the system...

David Strathairn: Yeah, it's not just vengeance. Obviously, killing his nemesis was a big thing for him, but I love it that he holds onto that motivation. James Bond, for example, doesn't really hold onto his love, while Jason does, and that fuels his journey, too. And that he's on his way home, after the war.

Like Odysseus returning to Penelope...

David Strathairn: Exactly that, and I love it. You're not hit over the head with it, but all great stories are made of something like that--if they're to last they need that ingredient.

And there's also that sense of tragedy...

David Strathairn: Yeah, a sadness like some Greek epics. It's not easy, and it's not black and white. It's a man's journey back to himself.

As an accomplished actor yourself, can you elaborate on Matt's specific talents?

David Strathairn: I didn't really get to work with him; I'm in this movie chasing that guy but only interact with him during that phone call. That was a bit frustrating, to never have had a scene with him.

Patrick Crowley said that your strength comes from your 'softness'. What do you think he means by that?

David Strathairn: I'm not sure! Well, with the character you can't see the razor edge on him. If you got into a fight with him, he'd lose. He loses throughout, even to Landy, and hasn't got the balls to take her out. He's kind of ineffectual when it comes to doing the deed. You might expect him to shoot Landy, but he can't take her out to cover his ass. Noah's kind of nebulous. You could put your finger in there, he's physically vulnerable. When I was thinking about the character, I thought of certain political people who are surrounded by this grey fuzz--it's almost as if you could put your hand right through them and it'd come out dripping with stuff. So maybe that's what he means by the 'softness'.

Did the character evolve during filming, or was he nailed down by the time you started shooting?

David Strathairn: He evolved, which was fun, and each day there was that quest to discover the scene. And Paul's so adept at keeping the character on the table, while also working through what he needs the character to do. If you go too far the character can get bogged down, and detract from the story. So he was really clever at guiding you--doing something very specific for the character, and then doing something for the story.

Did you work very tightly to the script, or was there some leeway, providing the scene got to its destination?

David Strathairn: It was exactly that. Paul's very collaborative. Once we discovered where the scene needed to be, how it fit the puzzle, the script would just be a guide. It'd demand the necessary emotion, but Paul would change things. Sometimes that was hard to inhabit right away, it creates panic in any actor, but there was also the way that he used the camera. The camera was very generous in respect of getting your lines.

How do you mean?

David Strathairn: Well, the camera would never be static and fixed on you, so you got a lot of takes, because the camera was rolling round the room, picking up bits of information on the fly. So you'd get a bit of that line here and there--there was this fluidity, as if they were spying on us when we were spying on them.

What most impressed you about Paul, other than what we've discussed?

David Strathairn: He's there up on the bridge of this vast juggernaut of a production--they went around the world twice--and the pressure of paying off from The Bourne Supremacy, with all that expectation, was huge. They're dropping a bundle on this and yet he held onto how he wanted the film to work. And to keep that sensibility was a rough go, to forge ahead that way while honouring all the requisites of a big studio blockbuster.

And he has to better those wonderful action sequences from Supremacy...

David Strathairn: Yeah, to equal or better them. And he was leading this army of people around, and it was a long process, and yet each day he'd come in saying, 'This is another great day in the making of The Bourne Ultimatum.' He'd keep things in perspective, that we're just making a movie. And whatever you did wasn't wrong – it was all part of the grist to his mill. So he made you feel comfortable, and then took us to the pub! I didn't expect somebody with all that pressure to be able to have fun. But Paul did.

Did you learn much about this clandestine world while working on the film?

David Strathairn: It's a weird world, but I didn't seek out anybody specific to help with the nuts and bolts. But this is a world of disclosure, and there's a lot of information out there about this world, so can construe a lot of that stuff.

You've had a very rich and varied career, what roles stand out as your favourites? Presumably Good Night, and Good Luck is right up there...

David Strathairn: Oh, Good Night, and Good Luck, of course. That was one of those rare parts that you really hope comes along. But I've been very fortunate with the parts I've got to play. Some were hard to get into and inhabit, like Dolores Claiborne was rough, getting in and around that guy. And there's been a lot of projects that if I hadn't been involved with, I would definitely have gone and seen. Stories that I want to hear told.

I have to ask you about going to clown school!

David Strathairn: I really should take that off my bio! There was a clown college, set up by the Ringling Brothers, which was like a farm system to find their cannon fodder for the next circus season. It's a great idea, watching a bunch of old movies, like Harold Lloyd, and learning what the art of clowning really is, learning how to fall down without hurting yourself. There were also pies in the face! It's like leaving graduate school and then going into plumbing!

You've had a very bountiful relationship with John Sayles. How did the two of you meet at college?

David Strathairn: He was behind me in school and ran a theatre group there. We then hooked up at a summer theatre where he was acting and directing, and we hung out over a span of six or seven years. Then he wrote Return of the Secaucus Seven with a bunch of people from that company and we shot it on the grounds of the theatre and we felt very good. John is just so generous, including those people in his subsequent projects. He built his career always remembering those people that he started with.

I guess he could trust you all with what he was doing...

David Strathairn: Yeah, there was that like-mindedness, because his productions were very roughly hewn. So there was that common language we all shared and the stories are always this social anthropology and I love those films. Eight Men Out and Matewan are so great you can almost taste the stories. And I cut my teeth learning from him, discovering how to act on film.

[ Link to article ]



David Strathairn Discusses The Bourne Ultimatum
About.com
August 3, 2007
By Rebecca Murray

Oscar nominee David Strathairn (Good Night, and Good Luck) plays the heavy in the third film of the Bourne franchise, The Bourne Ultimatum.

David Strathairn Press Conference

How did you prepare for this role?

"Mostly in collaboration with Paul's thoughts and thinking about what precedent was set in the other films, what kind of requirements there were for this particular genre. But then take it away out of such generalization to this particular design of film. We came to sort of settle on the fact that he's not a consciously evil mastermind and if he were to be, that might tip the tone of the film out of the plausibility, the authenticity, the sort of gritty realism that is one of the great things about the Bourne movies.

"He's sort of to the manor born.

"He may have grown up within this system, and for better or for worse, he is the point person now. Maybe now that he's implementing the methodology can be considered evil, yeah, but to stay within the delineation of a corporate clerk for a company whose interests are sort of high stake interests. There's a lot of pressure on him but he's one of these guys who probably never was in the field. He was in administration, in policy, and he went down that alley to get to where he is. And where he is now, he has ascended to a place where he might feel now he is a bit of a Napoleon. But it wasn't, 'Let's make evil Monster Man.'"

Did you see any topical issues in the story?

"In specific, no, but there's a lot of allusions. And the fact that there is a display of technical toys available that are probably the ones they have discarded to the public--nowadays they have more incisive technology--I think that in a way is topical.

"The particular threat of Jason Bourne...I love it that it's a threat that is coming back home, not necessarily a generalized threat like the threat of terrorism. That a company like this would address its expertise to, that it's coming home. One of the reasons I think the film succeeds is that it awakens all this plausibility and potential topical terrain. Therefore it's entertaining on more levels than just a cut-to-the-chase good guy gets bad guy. To Paul's credit, it's that he has managed to evoke all these things in this film, and that Matt has made this man so human that you have various kinds of entertainment in this film. You've got the great chase, you've got the great actions, you've got all the plausible technology, you have people you care about, and you have a wonderful camera. The camera is a character in and to itself.

"But in terms of topical, I think people can walk out of this film and go, 'Yeah but what about all the cameras that London has, and CCTV and all the surveillance cameras that we see in our world today?' It rings a lot of bells."

Did you create your own backstory for him?

"By watching the other two films, to see what sort of niche this character occupies, what this character contributes. And the back story as to whether he takes his kids to school or what is his favorite hobby, that really wasn't pertinent to what I had to do [which was] basically stay on point with the chase. 'Your stakes are high, you've got to get this guy. If he gets home he can burn your house down.' All those things could be applied to anybody in that kind of situation. So I didn't do a lot of biographical work. Like when I was researching Edward R. Murrow, that was a different creature altogether in that film."

This guy considers himself a patriot and that the end justifies the means. What would Edward R. Murrow or Joseph McCarthy have thought of him?

"That's interesting...muse about that. Gosh, I don't know what Joseph McCarthy... Well, you know, I'm going to jump to some conclusions that might be right. Probably not. I think Murrow would love to get an investigative assignment on somebody like this. But I also think he would have understood the potential good use of an entity like Blackfriar. And I'm saying 'potential' good use. He would understand its necessity in the world, and he was such a historian in that he was aware of many many implications happening at the same time. I mean he was an amazing reporter because he was a student. He wasn't just a crow on a tree branch. I think he would have assessed the situation and said, 'Okay, Vosen has stepped out beyond his camp, so to speak, as did Joseph McCarthy.'

"Now, what Joseph McCarthy would have thought about this guy--he probably would have said, 'Yeah, our system is threatened. We need to take care of that threat.' Because that's the way he went through his accusations. He was part of a system and he would have felt threatened and cut to the chase, get rid of the threat. So he probably would have been pretty much in character today as they were then."

The moral question of whether violence is justified hangs over the film. Did you find your opinion on the subject changed after working on this movie?

"I love that these questions are happening over an action picture. It's really great, and it's kind of a testament to what Paul has achieved and what Matt has achieved, what this trilogy has achieved. It's great.

"The use of force, use of violence, use of trained programmed assassins to compromise a perceived threat for the sake of what? And I think that's where the equation for the discussion begins. For the sake of what? In this story, it is excessive and reprehensible because all he is looking for is himself. It's kind of mythic, kind of Greek, that here is a hero who is returning from the wars, who has been spewed out of some system to do its duty, and he is now becoming awake and he is returning home. It's quite mythic, really great. He's not a threat, but they don't know that. But they should know that. So I think Vosen's implementation of this is loathsome and reprehensible, and therefore he should be taken ignominiously away in car. I hesitate to expand beyond the film because it's such a huge discussion about the world we're in. Hence, the topical thing about Bourne.

"My own personal feeling? The use of lethal action is never--lethal action instituted by an institution upon individuals--no."

[ Link to article ]



David Strathairn Interview, Bourne Ultimatum
Movies Online
August 3, 2007
By Sheila Roberts

MoviesOnline recently sat down with Oscar nominee David Strathairn (Good Night, and Good Luck) at the Los Angeles press day for The Bourne Ultimatum directed by Paul Greengrass. In the third installment of the franchise, Matt Damon returns as trained assassin Jason Bourne for the latest showdown. The film also stars Julia Stiles, Scott Glenn, Paddy Considine, Edgar Ramirez, Albert Finney, and Joan Allen.

Strathairn plays Noah Vosen, the complicated new head of the covert wing of the CIA assigned to track down the re-emerging Jason Bourne. His character operates the umbrella black-ops program known as Blackbriar. Producer Patrick Crowley, who first worked with Strathairn on L.A. Confidential, notes that the filmmakers were interested in Strathairn because his "strength comes from his softness. There's a depth of intelligence that he brings to whatever he's doing."

Strathairn was eager to become part of the Bourne players. Of his agency, he explains, "Blackbriar is an operation whose primary responsibility is to gather information and take action against a previous threat. Vosen is part of--and maybe even responsible for--this operation formed to perpetuate what Treadstone put in motion." Here's more of what David Strathairn had to tell us about his new movie:

Q: YOU'RE PLAYING A CHARACTER WHO'S AN AMALGAM OF ALL THE EVIL GUYS IN THE HISTORY OF FILM. HOW DO PREPARE FOR A ROLE THAT IS ALSO GROUNDED IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY?

A: Well, how did I prepare for this? Mostly in collaboration with Paul's thoughts and thinking about what precedent was set in the other films--what kind of requirements there were for this particular genre. But then take it away out of such generalization to this particular design of film. And we came to sort of settle on the fact that he's not consciously an evil mastermind and if he were to be, that might tip the tone of the film out of the plausibility, the authenticity, the sort of gritty realism that is one of the great things about the Bourne movies--that he is sort of to the manor born--he may have grown up within this system, and for better or for worse, he is the point person now--maybe how he's implementing the methodology can be considered evil. Yeah. But to stay within the delineation of a corporate clerk for a company whose interests are sort of high stake interests, so that there's a lot of pressure on him, but he's one of these guys who probably never was in the field. He was in administration, in policy, and he went down that alley to get to where he is. And where he is now, he has probably ascended to a place where he might feel now he is a bit of a Napoleon. But it wasn't, 'Let's make evil Monster Man.'

Q: PAUL GREENGRASS SAID EARLIER THIS FILM IS CONTEMPORARY BUT NOT TOPICAL AND HE FIRST AND FOREMOST WANTED THIS FILM TO BE ENTERTAINING AND NOT SO MUCH REFLECTIVE OF SOCIO-POLITICAL THINGS GOING ON IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. IN YOUR MIND, DID YOU SEE ANY TOPICAL ISSUES IN THE STORY?

A: In specific, no, but there's a lot of allusions. And the fact that there is a display of technical toys available that are probably the ones they have discarded to the public--nowadays they have even more incisive technology--I think that in a way is topical. The particular threat of Jason Bourne--I love it that it's a threat that is coming back home--not necessarily a generalized threat like the threat of terrorism--that a company like this would address its expertise to, that it's coming home. And the disclosure--that's plausible, that's topical. And one of the reasons I think the film succeeds is that it awakens all this plausibility and potential topical terrain. Therefore it's entertaining on more levels than just a cut-to-the-chase good guy gets bad guy. It's to Paul's credit that he has managed to evoke all these things in this film, and that Matt has made this man so human that you have various kinds of entertainment in this film. You've got the great chase, you've got the great actions, you've got all the plausible technology, you have people you care about, and you have a wonderful camera--the camera is a character in and to itself. But in terms of topical, I think people can walk out of this film and go, 'Yeah, but what about all the cameras that London has, and CCTV and all the surveillance cameras that we see in our world today.' It rings a lot of bells, a lot of great entertaining ideas.

Q: THIS COULDN'T BE FARTHER FROM YOUR EDWARD R. MURROW PERFORMANCE. HOW DID THEY THINK OF YOU FOR THIS? DID YOU PURSUE THIS ROLE AT ALL? AS I WAS WATCHING THIS, I KEPT SAYING TO MYSELF, "CHENEY, CHENEY."

A: [Laughs] I think if they could have gotten Cheney--I don't know. Yeah, this is different from Edward R. Murrow for sure. I don't know how they decided or thought of me or how I got on the list. It was certainly a privilege to be asked. It was sort of a surprise to begin with for me, because usually I'm more involved in kind of character-driven dialogue and I've never really been in an action so to speak picture, so I don't know how the dice rolled my way, but I'm certainly glad to be a part of it.

Q: YOUR CHARACTER WAS THERE FROM THE BEGINNING BUT WE DON'T SEE HIM UNTIL THE THIRD FILM, DID YOU TRY TO CREATE YOUR OWN BACK STORY FOR HIM?

A: Well, by watching the other two films, to see what sort of niche this character occupies, what's his role, what this character contributes. And the back story as to whether he takes his kids to school or what is his favorite hobby--that really wasn't pertinent to what I had to do--basically stay on point with the chase. Your stakes are high, you've got to get this guy. If he gets home, he can burn your house down. All those things could be applied to anybody in that kind of situation. So I didn't do a lot of biographical work. Like when I was researching Edward R. Murrow, that was a different creature altogether in that film.

Q: DID YOU GO BACK AND READ THE ROBERT LUDLUM BOOK AND SEE IF THERE'S ANYTHING IN THERE ABOUT THE CHARACTER?

A: Yeah, but it has sort of evolved from that, mutated a little bit from--and sometimes that can be a distraction and often it's a help. You get ideas that you can access, see if you can fold it in, but the main thing is the script that you get and the way Paul wanted to approach it.

Q: I'VE NEVER SEEN YOU GIVE A BAD PERFORMANCE.

A: Oh, thank you very much.

Q: DOES THIS HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH YOUR THEATRE BACKGROUND? AND HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT CHOOSING YOUR ROLES?

A: That's a good question. For a long time I've felt that I'm still on a learning curve vis a vis film acting a little behind the learning curve because I just started in theatre. That was a more familiar world to train myself within. They're different things, you know, when you're doing a play and doing a film. In film you're working in the moment, and it's very often disconnected from your next moment. Whereas theatre you're doing the whole thing every night. It's a different kind of energy, different kind of focus, but when it comes down to building character and doing basic nuts and bolts, learning your lines, showing up and doing everything that any discipline requires, they're kind of the same. The one difference is that you don't get time to rehearse with either your character or the people you're in the scene with. You don't get to rehearse as much, so you're kind of catching it as it happens. You don't get to hone it and build it over time. Sometimes that's frustrating, sometimes it's great because you come loaded up with who you think you are and you meet for the first time and then what happens can be very exciting.

[In terms of] choosing a script, usually it's the story. Rarely I think are you lucky enough to have a story like Good Night, and Good Luck come your way, but for me, it's the story. Do I want to listen to this story? Do I want to be a part of this? Yeah, that's my departure point, starting point.

Q: YOUR CHARACTER CLEARLY CONSIDERS HIMSELF A PATRIOT AND THINKS THE END JUSTIFIES THE MEANS. WHAT WOULD EDWARD R. MURROW HAVE THOUGHT OF HIM? AND WHAT WOULD JOSEPH MCCARTHY HAVE THOUGHT OF HIM?

A: That's interesting to sort of muse about that. Gosh, I don't know what Joseph McCarthy--well, you know, you can--I can even jump to some conclusions that might be right, might be not; probably not. But I think Murrow would love to get an investigative assignment on somebody like this. But I also think he would have understood the potential good use of an entity like Blackbriar. And I'm saying "potential" good use. He would understand its necessity in the world. I mean he was such a historian in that he was aware of many, many implications happening at the same time. I mean he was an amazing reporter because he was a student--he wasn't just a crow on a tree branch. So I think he would have assessed the situation and said--okay, Vosen has stepped out beyond his ken, so to speak, as did Joseph McCarthy. Now, what Joseph McCarthy would have thought about this guy--he probably would have said, 'Yeah, our system is threatened, we need to take care of that threat.' Because that's the way he went through his accusations. He was part of a system that if he felt threatened, he would cut to the chase to get rid of the threat. So they probably would have been pretty much in character today as they were then.

Q: FOLLOWING UP ON THAT--THE MORAL QUESTION THAT HANGS OVER THE ENTIRE FILM IS WHEN IS VIOLENCE JUSTIFIED AND WHAT IS THE JUSTIFICATION FOR USING EXTREME FORCE? DO YOU FIND THAT WORKING ON THIS FILM AND RESEARCHING THE CIA HAS CHANGED YOUR OPINION AND THE WAY YOU LOOK AT THAT?

A: I love that these questions are happening over an action picture. It's really great, and it's kind of a testament to what Paul has achieved and what Matt has achieved, what this trilogy has achieved. That's great. The use of force, use of violence, use of trained, programmed assassins to compromise a perceived threat--I think that's where the equation or the discussion begins. For the sake of what? In this story, it is excessive and reprehensible because all he is looking for is himself. It's kind of mythic, kind of Greek, that here is a hero who is returning from the wars, who has been spewed out of some system to do its duty, and he is now becoming awake, and he is returning home. It's quite mythic, it's really great. He's not a threat, but they don't know that--but they should know that. So I think Vosen's implementation of this is loathsome and reprehensible and therefore he should be taken ignominiously away in car. I hesitate to expand beyond the film because it's such a huge discussion about the world we're in--hence, the topical thing about Bourne. My own personal feeling? The use of lethal action is never--lethal action instituted by an institution upon individuals--no.

Q: WELL, JUST TO GO WITH A HYPOTHETICAL, IF TREADSTONE HAD TASKED JASON BOURNE ON SEPTEMBER 10th TO GO AFTER THE HIJACKERS THAT WERE GOING TO FLY INTO THE WORLD TRADE CENTER, WITH THAT KIND OF SCENARIO, IS THERE EVER MORE JUSTIFICATION FOR THAT KIND OF EXTREME ACTION?

A: Tough one. Tough one. It's a real good question and one we have to wrestle with every day. It's hard to answer. That's going to be something we'll probably have to live with and do. It's a really good question.

Q: JOAN ALLEN'S CHARACTER IS YOUR ANTAGONIST IN THIS DEBATE. HOW IMPORTANT WAS IT TO HAVE SOMEBODY LIKE HER TO PLAY AGAINST?

A: Oh, it's great. Her contribution to this--not only just the Ultimatum but also to the Supremacy and throughout--is that, in my opinion, she's the only other real heart that has real blood in it in these films, and to have her present that with all her intelligence and the cache that we've succeeded in bringing her in to use, and then Vosen realizes there's something about her that threatens him, and what is that? I think that she--much like Matt--has invested their characters with a humanity which threatens a man, Vosen, who I think basically is a shell. He's either forgotten about his heart and soul or whatever and so she offers this threat--not only a threat to the system but a threat to him. And I think it's great. I think it's a piece of the puzzle that is so essential and what she brings with her laser intensity. She is an operative. She is close to being able to implement the stuff that Vosen does. She would have that choice. She's intelligent enough. But why is she behind a desk? It's because she is who she is and I think that gives the film something that people can taste. And having her stand across the desk from me, slowly just (he makes a slashing sound), and I'm sitting there [going], 'Oh, I'd better get a good lawyer.' It's great.

Q: IF YOUR PERFORMANCE CHANGES WHEN YOU WORK WITH SOMEONE LIKE THAT, IS IT POSSIBLE YOU MADE SOME DECISIONS ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER BEFORE YOU STARTED THIS MOVIE AND THEN JOAN WALKS ON THE SET AND SUDDENLY YOU'RE PLAYING YOUR CHARACTER A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY?

A: Good question. Well that's the thing about doing film or theatre. You're surprised and you have to be on your toes and react in the moment. That's what makes it exciting. Yeah, that scene in the office where she increasingly becomes in my line of sight as I have to deal with this--Vosen has to deal with her as well as [the actor has to] create an awareness of a relationship that you don't necessarily see on the page. You can choose to have it there, but when it actually happens, it's really exciting. It gives the work--it kind of makes it bristle and come alive.

Q: DID IT EVER COME UP THAT A HIT MIGHT BE BROUGHT ON JOAN'S CHARACTER WHEN HER CHARACTER UNCOVERS YOUR GAME?

A: Yeah, I'm sure it went through their minds that we should--and if they had a window into Vosen's mind, I'm sure in his quiet, paranoid moments, he was saying, 'I gotta take her out, too.'

Q: I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO GET HER.

A: If I had, maybe there would be Bourne 4. [Laughs]

Q: WHAT ARE YOU DOING NEXT?

A: I'm just beginning a project in Vancouver now for DreamWorks called A Tale Of Two Sisters.

Q: YOU'RE ALSO IN A FEW OTHER PROJECTS THAT HAVE FINISHED. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER IN SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES?

A: Yes, Spiderwick Chronicles is going to be completed in the near future. I play Arthur Spiderwick, the man who has written sort of the field guide to the magical kingdom of trolls and goblins and fairies and sprites that he has locked away. Because he has all these dangerous secrets--kind of a Pandora's Box of the fairy kingdom--and he's hidden it away and gone off into the world to contact them because he really believes the world is full of them, and he gets tracked out there, and the children discover this and then everything's opened up and the world comes alive again. So I play the...maybe he's eating too many mushrooms, but I don't know. He believes there are things we cannot see, that the world is animated. He's a wonderful kind of mad botanist, naturalist, animist kind of guy.

Q: WHO DO YOU THINK HAD THE GREATER ULTIMATUM IN THE MOVIE, BOURNE OR YOUR CHARACTER IN TERMS OF WHAT YOUR CHARACTER WAS TRYING TO DO AND WHAT JASON WAS TRYING TO COME HOME TO?

A: Oh, Jason. That ultimatum is much more human and, therefore, universal than Vosen's sort of temporal, paranoid visions of the world.

Q: WHAT ABOUT PATRIOTISM?

A: Well, patriotism is a pretty good ultimatum but it depends on what you're patriotizing, I guess, if I can put it that way. But definitely it's Bourne's ultimatum.

[ Link to article ]

Empire Magazine (08/2007) - photo copyright © Empire Magazine

Curtesy of Felicity

Bourne Ultimatum: Matt Damon is back. And he's not running anymore.
Empire
August, 2007
By unknown

[ Excerpts from article: ]

David Strathairn--former circus clown, doyen of US indie cinema and Oscar nominated actor--doesn't do blockbusters. In fact, the closest he's come in his distinguished career was a supporting role in Sneakers and Curtis Hanson's The River Wild and L.A. Confidential. So, when he signed on for Paul Greengrass' trilogy-capping big-hitting The Bourne Ultimatum, as shady CIA bigwig Noah Vosen, he did so for three reasons: 1) the lure of the highly respected Greengrass; 2) he wanted to see how an "ocean liner" worked in practice; and 3) he was told that his part would be over quickly--a couple of shots on location in New York, the rest on soundstages in Pinewood Studios. Piece. Of. Cake.

Famous. Last. Words.

"I was told it would take three to five weeks, with a little bit around the corner, back in November," Strathairn says, safe in his New York home and able now to laugh at the memory. For that "little bit around the corner" has turned into a series of callbacks and reshoots, as the Bourne Ultimatum shoot edges close to day 150.

"I'm not done yet," he adds wearily. "I think there's still some stuff to be shot." We're talking, by the way, in the middle of June. The movie's out in the US on August 3.

Still, Strathairn's not alone...

[ On the New York car chase ]

For Strathairn, the experience was an eye-opener. "We were running up and down the streets of New York without it being shut down!" says the actor. "We had a couple of guide cars, but it was up to the driver to negotiate through real traffic. And I was trying to do lines on camera...it was really deer-in-the-headlights stuff!" He pauses, sounding mildly horrified. "Actually, I think that's what we're going to be reshooting a little bit of in a month..."



David Strathairn on The Bourne Ultimatum
CanMag.com
July 31, 2007
By unknown

Didn't it seem like Bourne had finally gotten all the corrupt government types? They keep finding more to pursue him. In The Bourne Ultimatum, David Strathairn pops up in the wake of Brian Cox and Chris Cooper. Strathairn plays another leader of a secret government program who doesn't want Bourne to find out what's up.

"We came to sort of settle on the fact that he's not a consciously evil mastermind," said Strathairn. "If he were to be, that might tip the tone of the film out of the plausibility, the authenticity, the sort of gritty realism that is one of the great things about the Bourne movies. He may have grown up within this system, and for better or for worse, he is the point person now. Maybe how he's implementing the methodology can be considered evil, but to stay within the delineation of a corporate clerk for a company whose interests are sort of high stake interests. There's a lot of pressure on him but he's one of these guys who probably never was in the field. He was in administration, in policy, and he went down that alley to get to where he is. And where he is now, he has ascended to a place where he might feel now he is a bit of a Napoleon."

His willingness to dispatch an American agent like Bourne without due process may reek of current political figures, but even the actor does not want to take away from the fun of the movie. "There are a lot of allusions, and the fact that there is a display of technical toys available that are probably the ones they have discarded to the public, I think that in a way is topical. One of the reasons I think the film succeeds is that it awakens all this plausibility and potential topical terrain. Therefore it's entertaining on more levels than just a cut=to-the-chase good guy gets bad guy. To Paul's credit, it's that he has managed to evoke all these things in this film, and that Matt has made this man so human that you have various kinds of entertainment in this film. You've got the great chase, you've got the great actions, you've got all the plausible technology, you have people you care about, and you have a wonderful camera. The camera is a character in and to itself. But in terms of topical, what about all the cameras that London has, and CCTV and all the surveillance cameras that we see in our world today? It rings a lot of bells."

Ultimately, Strathairn's job was just to be the foil. It wasn't the sort of role that required a lot of research. "[I prepared] by watching the other two films, to see what sort of niche this character occupies, what this character contributes. And the back story as to whether he takes his kids to school or what is his favorite hobby, that really wasn't pertinent to what I had to do: basically stay on point with the chase. Your stakes are high, you've got to get this guy. If he gets home he can burn your house down. All those things could be applied to anybody in that kind of situation. So I didn't do a lot of biographical work like when I was researching Edward R. Murrow. That was a different creature altogether in that film."

However, The Bourne Ultimatum could get audiences thinking as much as Good Night and Good Luck. "I love that these questions are happening over an action picture. It's really great, an