Интервью. Кто переведет?

Fishburne gravitates toward roles with gravitas
Bob Longino, Cox News Service
February 1, 2005 LAUVAR0201


Laurence Fishburne, whose latest film is "Assault on Precinct 13," has a kingly laugh -- a boisterous and long bass boom that emerges deep from the gut and can fill a room to bursting.

His mood has been elevated as he discusses the great films he has made ("Apocalypse Now,"The Matrix" and "What's Love Got to Do With It?" with fellow Oscar nominee Angela Bassett) and the great ensemble casts he has appeared with ("Mystic River,"Searching for Bobby Fischer").

"Assault" is a do-over of John Carpenter's 1976 drama but with a vastly different plot. The cast includes Ethan Hawke, Gabriel Byrne, Brian Dennehy, Maria Bello, Ja Rule and John Leguizamo.

Fishburne plays Marion Bishop, a menacing mob-type jailed in a Detroit precinct isolated by a blinding snowstorm. Renegades then come in force not only to try and silence Bishop but everyone at the jail.

You will take small parts in films. Is that more of wanting to work or the limited number of roles for African-Americans?

Listen, when I heard that Clint Eastwood wanted to invite me to join his cast for "Mystic River." ... OK. Sean Penn. Tim Robbins. Kevin Bacon. Laurence Fishburne. It doesn't matter what the parts are at that point. When you've got actors of that caliber with that kind of history and a director with that kind of history and artistry, it's not about the size of the part anymore. I'm going to be working with people who are at a certain level, and it's a level that I wish to work at. Laura Linney. Marcia Gay Harden. Eli Wallach!

I played a scene with Eli Wallach, man. I get to say I played that. Those guys are not around anymore. There's no Eli Wallach. There's no Marlon Brando. There's Karl Malden, but he doesn't make movies anymore. You know what I mean? When you can get that level, you just go do it.

There's the same correlation for "Searching for Bobby Fischer." Joe Mantegna and Joan Allen weren't big movie stars then, but they were sure known for stage work.

Yes. And Ben Kingsley. Those are real journeyman actors.

Even with this movie. Gabriel Byrne. Brian Dennehy, who I refer to as the O'Neill voice. [Dennehy has won two Tonys for Eugene O'Neill plays.] Ethan Hawke, who's rehearsing "Hurlyburly" [for an off-Broadway revival]. That's the stuff.

Beyond your co-workers, what else leads you to the type of films you do?

When I was young, I stayed up late at night. I'd watch, you know, a little 19-inch black-and-white screen. If Peter O'Toole showed up on screen, I'd watch him. Richard Burton. James Earl Jones. Sidney Poitier. I always gravitated toward very serious, very dramatic, very tragic, very high-quality work. I just did. I don't know what that's about, but that was the stuff I was interested in.

What's the secret to your playing a bad guy like Bishop, who, at the same time, has to lure the audience into believing he's a good guy at heart?

The fact is, the way the script sets up the character is brilliant. You are in a church with this man, Bishop, and it appears he's reading the Bible. But he's not reading the Bible, he's doing something else with a pen. A guy asks him a question. He says, "No." Then the guy pulls out a gun. And he kills the guy in the church.

You have a great laugh. When are you finally going to do a full "Othello" on stage?

Oh, yes, I've not done that. It's not time yet.

After the "Matrix" movies, your Morpheus is now etched into the minds of all the young moviegoers. Is it also a little bit of a curse? Do young moviegoers know what else you've done?

No, it's not a curse at all. You know, young people who love Morpheus will one day discover the other parts of my work. They'll figure it out. They won't be 15 forever.

__________________
I remember that time
When Life was a miracle.

The truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country. (c) "V for Vendetta"

И хотя я понимаю, что это глупо, я опасаюсь стать фанатом "Матрицы", каждый день думаю об этом! Забавно?!

Адрес поста | Один пост | Сообщить модератору | IP: Logged