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Q: What are you going to be doing next?
A: I have no idea. We had a writers strike that lasted for a few months. And I think the business
in general anticipates a screen actors guild strike, possibly, and that may be happening in June.
So scripts are few and far between at this point.
Q: In terms of saying you were in Vancouver filming "Married Life" and in Arizona filming “The
Kingdom”. How do you go from character to character, and also check into reality and go back
home?
A: Like I said, it’s not the way I like to work. I like to put all my energies into one character but
then on the other hand I look at it like repertory theatre where an actor will do a piece of
Shakespeare one night and do some other play the next night. It’s just the way we’re trained
and you make it happen. I was working on the character in “The Kingdom” and when my day
was done and I knew I was going to fly up to Vancouver then my head was into that character.
You just have to do it.
Q: What was it like working with Maggie Smith in "My House in Umbria"?
A: It was wonderful working with her. But I really have to say when I found out I was going to
work with her I did a retrospective and looked at all her films and I literally got physically ill
(laughther). ‘cause she’s one of the greatest and meeting her was terrific. She’s very very
dedicated, she’s very no-nonsense and doesn't suffer fools lightly. Which I didn't personally
experience but I saw her unload on another actor in that production. She’s a great lady. She’s a
terrific, terrific woman and a great actor.
Q: All your characters are wonderful and so different and I was wondering if you had one that
was your favorite.
A: Yeah a handful. Sam Deeds in “Lonestar”, John Laroche in “Adaptation” and Colonel Fitts in
“American Beauty” were among some of my favorites. And then Robert Hanssen was a HUGE
huge challenge. I wouldn’t say it was my favorite character to play but it was quite a challenge.
Really.
Q: You mentioned the writers earlier. I was so impressed with that trip through Irony and
hypocrisy. I was wondering if you ever worked with those writers before. I thought it was a
brilliant script.
A: No, I hadn’t worked with Ira or his partner. Ira had done I think only two other films before
this. He did a film with Rip Torn called “40 Shades of Blue” and he got a little bit of recognition.
Ira sent me this script several years ago and I was the first actor to come aboard, to commit to
the project. Over a period of a year and a half there were actors that came aboard and left. And
that’s how I got into the trouble of juggling both “Married Life” and “The Kingdom” because we
had thought we were going to lose financing and we had lost actors in “Married Life” so I
committed to “The Kingdom”. Then Pierce Brosnan , Rachel McAdams, and Patty Clarkson came
aboard and the project picked up again.
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Interview with Chris Cooper - May 10, 2008
On SATURDAY May 10 we had a chance to ask
movie star Chirs Cooper a few questions.
Q: Where was “Married Life” filmed?
A: We were doing the film in Vancouver Canada in the
final months of 06. I was, over a five month period, not
the way I usually like to work, but I was juggling two
jobs. I was in Mesa Arizona doing a film called “The
Kingdom” and any time I had off from that film I flew up
to Vancouver and worked on “Married Life”. I was very
fortunate that the two production companies worked
out a schedule where I could do that. But it’s not usual.
Usually I like to do one job at a time and then come
home and be with the family but this was an unusual
situation where I kind of worked myself into a corner
and committed to two jobs.
movie star Chirs Cooper a few questions.
Q: Where was “Married Life” filmed?
A: We were doing the film in Vancouver Canada in the
final months of 06. I was, over a five month period, not
the way I usually like to work, but I was juggling two
jobs. I was in Mesa Arizona doing a film called “The
Kingdom” and any time I had off from that film I flew up
to Vancouver and worked on “Married Life”. I was very
fortunate that the two production companies worked
out a schedule where I could do that. But it’s not usual.
Usually I like to do one job at a time and then come
home and be with the family but this was an unusual
situation where I kind of worked myself into a corner
and committed to two jobs.
