‘America’s two best actors’ fill director’s ‘Crazy Heart’
by Scott Marks
SDUN Film Critic
Cooper was at the AMC La Jolla recently for a screening of “Crazy Heart” for the Cinema Society of San Diego. We pulled up a table outside Schlotzky’s deli and in the middle of a crowded mall talked about anamorphic compositions, the value of Academy screeners, and the possibility of a first-time director leading one of the greatest working actors to Oscar gold.
Marks: How long did it take you to shoot the movie?
Cooper: 24 days.
M: That’s it?
C: Twenty-four days, three states and ten musical numbers. A more seasoned director would have said, “No way.”
M: How long did it take to write?
C: The first draft took about six weeks. After I finished it I sent it off to my mentor, Robert Duvall. He loved it and said, “Let’s make it. What do you need?” I [said I] need two things to make the film and if I don’t get them I shouldn’t make it. One is (composer and producer) T-Bone Burnett and the other is Jeff Bridges.
M: There has been a lot of talk about the similarities between “Crazy Heart” and “Tender Mercies.”
C: They’re apt given that it’s, as the French would say, that “milieu.” The comparisons should stop after they are both about country and western singers. “Tender Mercies” is two-thirds redemption whereas mine is one-third. It’s an edgier version of what the great Horton Foote (author of “Tender Mercies”) did.
M: For my money Jeff Bridges is the finest American actor currently making movies. He has not always been in great movies, but they are never bad at his expense. Has he ever given a bad performance?
C: No. He’s such a true actor and he cares so much about the craft. Between Jeff and Robert Duvall I think I have America’s two best actors in my film. At 79 years old Duvall is continually pushing to explore and live in the moment. And while they are both movie stars, they aren’t taking movie-star paychecks to do crap.
M: Then why hasn’t Jeff Bridges ever won an Academy Award?
C: And why has Robert Duvall only won one? They don’t play the game. These guys don’t go out and actively solicit votes. What they do makes acting look very easy. Hollywood likes to reward people who overact.
M: You won’t get an argument out of me. Everyone is calling “Crazy Heart” his crowning achievement.
C: Jeff thinks it is. Let’s hope that people recognize how difficult it is to play in a scene and sing live.
M: He is an accomplished singer. About 10 years ago he attempted to launch a musical career. There was talk that he was going to take a break from movies to become a singer.
C: That’s right. He has a lot of goodwill in [Hollywood], Jeff does. He’s a beloved actor. You hope that this time it’s a meritocracy because I think he gives one of the finest screen performances I’ve seen in a very long time. And I think that I can say that objectively.
M: You are up against a good year when it comes to acting and as superb as he is in “Crazy Heart,” I’m not sure that the Academy always hands out its awards solely based on merit. Let’s hope that this year the Academy pulls a John Wayne and views Bridges as what’s referred to as a “sentimental favorite.”
C: Let’s hope that he’s finally rewarded for his fantastic work. He’s a better person than he is an actor and that’s saying a lot. He’s such a generous human being. I’m spoiled. I don’t know how I’m ever going to be able to go back to work.
M: So much of this film hinges on the chemistry between the performers. And it’s not just between the leads. It’s a small scene, but the actor who plays Wesley, the piano player that introduces Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal) to Bad Blake…
C: Rick Dial. He’s an alumnus of “Sling Blade.” I found him in a furniture store in Arkansas. As Duvall says, “One of the best natural actors in America.”
M: He is so good in that tiny role. Not only is the professional respect those two characters have for each other made clear during their brief exchange, thanks to Bridges’ performance you get the sense that Bad Blake’s admiration is genuinely sincere.
C: As an actor, this is my first time as a writer and director. If I can’t direct performers I shouldn’t be directing. I won’t be making movies about spaceships and aliens or those sorts of things. It’s all about behavior for me and characterization even in the smallest roles. They are all very critical to the whole.
M: You have already amassed a body of work as an actor and you, ya sonofabitch, land your first directing gig at 20th Century Fox. I’m so jealous! How did you accomplish this?
C: (Laughing) It’s like getting into Harvard when these guys buy your film.
M: Not only did you make Harvard, you’re working with two of the greatest teachers in the world.
C: Anytime Fox Searchlight buys your picture…they’re peerless in what they do when it comes to getting small films out into the marketplace. They are just about as good as it gets. (Exhaling) So far, so good. I just can’t believe the acclaim and reception…it’s remarkable.
M: I want to talk with you about DVD screeners sent out to Academy voters. You put all this energy and effort into composing your shots for the widescreen and people sit home and judge them on a fifty-inch box. Doesn’t that drive you crazy?
C: The Director’s Guild, of which I am a member, will not send out screeners because they feel that you should only see a film as it was intended to be shown. I agree with that. I understand that some people have wonderful home entertainment systems with great sound, but it never has the same impression as a shared experience in a darkened theater. You’re not balancing your checkbook or dealing with the kids or your Blackberry. I don’t have much good things to say about screeners.
M: It’s sad to say, but screeners could ultimately help your movie.
C: Well, it’s such a small film and it hasn’t been able to reach a wide audience and unfortunately some people can’t get to see it any other way. It becomes a necessary tool.
M: C’mon. It’s playing in Hollywood and New York. People have ample chances to see it.
C: I wish that people could see (cinematographer) Barry Markowitz’s wonderful “Scope” compositions on the widescreen. [Markowitz] is my direct line from “Sling Blade” to “The Apostle” to “Crazy Heart.” In each case all three directors were actors.
M: You used a lot of non-actors in the movie.
C: As Duvall says, they don’t have bad habits.
M: If nothing else, first time out of the gate you knew to work with a safety net named Jeff Bridges.
C: (Laughing) He made the film director-proof. And Maggie Gyllenhaal. She’s really stunning in the film. Jeff thinks she’s one of the best actresses he’s ever worked with. She’s first rate.
M: Both Maggie and Jeff are fearless. I’m sure you’ve seen “SherryBaby.”
C: She’s remarkable in that film. I’ve used the term “fearless” to describe her on numerous occasions. And both of them give vanity-free performances. They let me shoot them in all states of disrepair.
M: Some of the close-ups in this movie are quite unflattering, but this isn’t Metro in the forties. Your goal is not to glamorize these characters.
C: I’m sure it’s anathema to many people that I have one-third fewer edits than most movies. It adds to the film’s lyrical quality.
M: I was just listening to Peter Bogdanovich’s audio commentary for one of his films and he said, “I only cut when I have to.” And it’s true.
C: I’m surprised that anybody is responding to this film. There’s no cross-cutting or quick cuts like on MTV and people react to that. You have to be patient and take your time with the film and let it wash over you. By the way, [Bogdanovich] loves “Crazy Heart.” He did a Q&A with me at the Director’s Guild and it meant the world to me how much he loves this film. He’s seen it three times. It’s kind of a bookend for “The Last Picture Show.”
“Crazy Heart” is currently playing at Landmark’s Hillcrest Cinema.
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