“Clyde Barrow was such a famous historical person but I
found myself not knowing who he really was a person,” actor Emile Hirsch said
about his latest role during a teleconference for the miniseries “Bonnie and
“The more I learned, the more fascinated I was,” he told
Asian reporters.
Hirsch, 28, started his acting career 15 years ago. His film
credits include “Lords of Dogtown,” “Into the Wild,” and “Speed Racer.” He had
smaller parts in subsequent projects “Milk” and “Savages.”
To portray the notorious American outlaw, Hirsch said his
research included reading books, viewing documentaries and using his
imagination. He skipped the 1967 movie, which starred Warren Beatty and Faye
Dunaway.
“I purposely avoided the Beatty version because I think he’s
a very good actor,” Hirsch said. “To watch his performance might influence mine
or set me on a different direction that, maybe, I wouldn’t have gone to on my
own.”
His iteration of Clyde , he added, is
“more serious and darker.” Holliday Grainger plays Clyde ’s
lover and partner, Bonnie Parker. The cast also includes award-winning actors
Holly Hunter and William Hurt. Excerpts from the interview:
How did you strike a balance between accuracy and
interpretation?
I wanted to play it as accurately as I could. I wanted to
kind of try to give them a version of who Clyde was but
not necessarily… evil, from what I learned. I wanted to not just capture, but
create a character, use this horrible past to create something that I thought
would be compelling to watch.
As far as glamorizing crime, I don’t know. I mean, there’s
no doubt that in the end, they pay for their crimes. Going out the way they
did, I feel that by the end of it, all the glamor’s kinda gone… Our version has
Clyde wishing he could take it all back. In that way,
there’s a [focus on] morality happening instead of just glamorization.
How would you describe your career path, transitioning from
movies to this project?
I feel really lucky, with all the opportunities that I’ve
been given. I feel excited to do something different, like this miniseries on
television. Technology is evolving so rapidly, [allowing us to] do things that
haven’t been done before—three networks in the US
will be simultaneously airing this.
The way that the film market is changing, television is
starting to get better and better. In a lot of the circles I’ve been in…
everyone’s talking about the TV shows they love [and are] religiously
following! It was a little intimidating at first, because I’ve never done it,
but it was also exciting to branch out. It was a chance to explore a character
in a bigger way. It’s longer than a feature film so I took my time and let the
performance be more of like a slow burn, as opposed to this big explosion!
(“Bonnie and Clyde ” will air Monday
and Tuesday, 9 p.m. on History and
Lifetime.)
No comments:
Post a Comment