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1999 年度雜誌訪問 |
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The Devil's Advocate
With roles in two prestigious fall projects, including director Ang Lee's Civil War epic, Tobey Maguire is ready to make a mark. There are strange confluences in the lives of actors when, due to studio head-fakes and the general vagaries of release schedules, they seem to pop up in several movies at once, causing a spike in audience awareness. Tobey Maguire stands on such a precipice. The 24 year-old actor, best known for last summer's Pleasantville, stars in two of the year's most high-profile holiday releases: the Civil War epic Ride With the Devil, from Sense & Sensibility director Ang Lee; and next month's The Cider House Rules, the long-awaited film adaptation of John Irving's beloved novel. And it could have been a hat trick if Paramount stuck with their original late '99 release plan of Wonder Boys (in which Maguire appears opposite Michael Douglas and Robert Downey, Jr.). Finally enjoying some well-deserved time off, Maguire recently sat down with Entertainment Today to talk about his easygoing acting approach and ongoing admiration for director Ang Lee. So Ride With the Devil represents your second collaboration with Ang Lee. What was it like working with him again, especially in Devil's big battle sequences? Ang's just great. He does a lot of his work in the casting. And then he just gets you revved up. With the battle stuff, it was just crazy. Stuff was blowing up around me, really just flying all about - bang, bang! Horses are getting all skittish, and it's a lot of choreography: "The cameras have to go here, the shots have to happen here." And you've only got one or two times to do it because they have to reset all this stuff. A lot of it is kind of a surprise because you don't rehearse with all that stuff. What can you tell us about The Cider House Rules? I came off of Ride With the Devil, I was kind of tired, wanted to take a break. And then they told me about this movie. I went out and met Lasse [Hallstrom], and he's such a wonderful guy and a great director. And I'm such a fan of his movies that [once] we started chatting about the movie and the character I just felt like I had to do it. And it was a great experience. Great actors, and working with Lasse, who really makes you feel like you can contribute a lot. Despite the tremendous boom in "youth movies," there seems to be a paucity of quality roles for teen actors, young actors. Yet in a few short years you've managed to appear in some tremendously diverse and interesting films. What do you look for in the roles you choose, and what kind of material do you get offered? For me, I hate to generalize. I like to do all kinds of stuff. For instance, I thought When Harry Met Sally was a great romantic comedy, and I'd love to do something like that. I thought The Fugitive was a great action movie. I thought The Apostle was an amazing character study, a small-ish kind of film, and I'd love to do something like that. There's so many things I want to do. I want to work with great filmmakers, great actors, great scripts. And there's no reason for me to do anything short of that, because I'm 24, I don't have a family, I don't need to make tons of money [and] I'm not dying to get famous. You were born out here, in Santa Monica, right? Well, I spent a lot of time there. I was born in Inglewood, I grew up in Venice. Then Palm Springs, Washington state and Oregon. So when did the acting bug bite? (Without hesitation) My mom urged me into it. I started professionally when I was about 14. It took a while for it to catch on. I was maybe 16 when I decided it something I really wanted to do. There seem to be a lot of young actors that already possess a certain world-weariness. Yet you almost always bring a sense of bemusement to your roles. Is acting a positive influence in your life? It is what I do. I think for the most part it's a pretty good job to have. It keeps me moving around. I feel unsettled sometimes, but I'm taking a break now and creating a nice little home for myself, which I think is very important. If I didn't like it, I don't think I would do it. What makes a good director? Well, I like to watch director's movies and then decide. (Laughs) It's hard to tell if you're going to work with a first time director, because they could be just a great pitch man. There's so much to the job. You and I could sit here and talk about it for a while. I mean, the [problems] of how to present the story and how to be innovative visually. What I like to do is [what I did with Ang] watch a few of Ang's movies and say, "Wow, he's good. I want to work with him." Was there anything you learned about Ang on Ride With the Devil that you didn't know before? That was different from The Ice Storm? (Long pause) I'm not sure. He certainly showed us things that he's never shown us before and once again handled them very well, with great attention to detail. I think he's got the right formula going, whatever that is. I think he had that on The Ice Storm as well, but this film just stretched and challenged him in different ways. The Ice Storm was a film so rooted in melancholy. What was the experience like for yourself and the other young actors on the set? It was a great experience. I was really treated with respect and the material was so good. It was a different time in my life. I was 20 years old and out on my own in Connecticut, in this hotel room. And I had a lot of time off on that movie too, so I just had to fill my days up. I'd just be out in some time. It was interesting and the work was great. What do you feel are your strengths as an actor? (Long pause) Earlier [in group interviews] you touched on the struggles of your Ride character becoming a man, not having a lot of relationships and responsibilities that hold you down, and how you could relate to that. Do you feel that informs your work? I just try to try to keep an attitude that I don't know what I'm doing. Not to the point where I'm beating myself up, but I just go in thinking that I have a lot to learn. And I hope I still have that attitude 30 years from now. Like a sponge? Yeah, going in, being committed, giving everything I have, being prepared. I mean, I couldn't stress the importance of preparation enough as an actor. But beyond that, just trying to stay open. What's preparation for you? A lot of directors like to handle stuff like that differently, so I'm open to how the director likes to handle it. I like to get familiar with material, and what the intentions are, and what we're doing and how the director sees the film. And then I just hope that we're all trying to make the same movie. You've mentioned watching films a lot. You're obviously able to make a qualitative judgement of directors, find things that attract you to working with certain people. What kind of films do you enjoy? All kinds. I love going to the movies. This year, [I liked] Election - a lot. The Sixth Sense, The Matrix, Fight Club. I think Fincher's unbelievable, and Ed Norton I really admire his work. I gotta be honest with you, I gotta go see it again. Do you think you can you learn from bad director? I suppose. It's been a while since I've had the "opportunity" to work with one. The problem. (Laughs) Yeah. But I suppose you can learn from anything, right? With a keen eye for interesting projects and friends like Ang Lee, it may be a while before Tobey Maguire has to face that dilemma. |
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If I were President Interview Yoga in the Oval Office? Tobey Maguire, star of the pro-choice film Cider House Rules and the Civil War Saga Ride With the Devil, has his own house rules: Be young, be hip, and take no lip. Why should we elect you? Why wouldn't you want a 24-year-old actor running the country? What would be your campaign slogan? Vote for Tobey. How would you raise money for your campaign? A bake sale. Which of your activities would present the greatest challenge to your spin doctors? My habit of telling the truth. What activity would pose the greatest challenge to your secret service detail? Pickup basketball games. How much personal information do voters have the right to know about you? None. What's the biggest problem in the world? And how would you fix it? A lack of social consciousness. Better education. Whom would you appoint to your cabinet? Ignatius J. Reilly, from A Confederacy of Dunces; Edmond Dantes, from The Count of Monte Cristo; and Santiago, from The Alchemist. Who would be your spiritual advisors? Bill Wilson and Austin Powers. Write the forst news headline about your administration. Yoga required in schools. What person, living or dead, would you model yourself after as the leader of the free world? Peter Finch as Howard Beale in Network. What book would be required White House reading? Backgammon: The Cruelest Game. Whom would you pardon? Pete Rose. What would you legalize? Assaulting abusive paparazzi. What would you outlaw? Cigarettes. What would you veto every time it hit your desk? Any budget cuts in education. What three objects must you have in the Oval Office? A backgammon board, a CD player, and cigars. Who would get an invitation to stay in the Lincoln bedroom? Michael, the chef at Picasso Cafe in New York. He could come and cook pizzas - the best I've ever eaten. Who would never get an invitation? That wouldn't be very kind of me to say. How would you unwind from the pressures of the job? Play basketball, eat a good meal, and get a massage. Name the movie based on your presidency. The World According to Tobey. |
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Tobey Maguire Smokes a Cigar
For the first half of the 1999 Toronto International Film Festival, "Tobey Maguire" and "festival it boy" were interchangeable terms. The 24-year-old American actor stars in two large-scale productions that played at the fest - "Ride With the Devil," directed by Ang Lee, and "The Cider House Rules," Lasse Hallstrom's adaptation of the John Irving 1985 bestseller (Irving also wrote the screenplay). The films are to be released in the fall, meaning that Maguire's popularity should outlive the festival, which closes Saturday. Maguire's latest roles are both coming-of-age tales, with his characters struggling to take - and eventually win - control of their lives despite unusual challenges. In "Cider House," Maguire plays orphan Homer Wells, the lead character in Irving's sweeping novel which touches on life and death, love and betrayal, abortion and incest. Set in 1930s and '40s Maine, Wells sets out from the orphanage that raised him to find his own life at an apple plantation. While living with workers in a clapboard cider house, he's challenged by real-world possibilities and traumas, eventually accepting his existence. Maguire is joined in the film by Charlize Theron, Delroy Lindo, Michael Caine and Paul Rudd. In Lee's Civil War drama "Ride With the Devil," he plays a young Missouri bushwhacker fighting for the South. Skeet Ulrich, Jeffrey Wright and singer-actress Jewel also star. But it's Maguire's character who confronts issues of racism and slavery, befriending a black man who's fighting for "the cause" out of loyalty to his former master. Both Lee and Hallstrom praise Maguire's work. "Tobey's a dream," says Lee, who also directed Maguire in 1997's "The Ice Storm." "He's a very talented actor, a rare talent, I would say." "His ability to really stay low-key with his performance and just trust instincts of staying emotionally in the moment," says Hallstrom, "you'd think a young actor like him would want to show off a little. I admire and respect his trust throughout the shooting of 'Cider House.'" Maguire sat down at the Toronto festival for an interview in a suite at the Park Hyatt Hotel. With steady rain falling against an open window of the room, Maguire - wearing a white T-shirt and black pants - smoked a Cuban cigar and talked about his upcoming films, fame and how he's often not what he appears to be. Cigar smoker, huh? One or two a year. But you won't be on the cover of Cigar Aficionado - although they'd probably love to have you. I'm sure, why not? Now that your career is taking off. (Maguire re-lights his cigar.) I spoke with you yesterday in a "Ride With the Devil" roundtable and we kidded you about being the festival "it boy," and you kind of rolled your eyes. It doesn't seem like this whole fame game is something you take too seriously. Is that right? I don't know. I just show up to support the movie. And you know - I mean people create labels or say things that really have nothing to do with anything that's necessarily in reality. It's just people's assessments or judgments or catch phrases and it's fine. It doesn't really bother me. I'm just here to support the films, something that is totally different from what my reality is. Talk a little about the production of "Cider House Rules" - you said you were happy to get away from the demanding production of "Ride With the Devil," and then you went to film "Cider House." It was a different experience? I was just exhausted on "Ride With the Devil." I didn't even want to work at all, but Lasse is so unbelievable a filmmaker and when we hooked up and talked about the character and the movie he got me so excited about it that I had to do it. We shot in Massachusetts and Vermont and Maine. You know, it was a movie set. Gorgeous country. Yeah. My family used to go to Maine during the summer. Watching the film made me want to go back. (Maguire pours water.) What was it like working with ("Cider House" co-star and former supermodel) Charlize Theron? It was great. I had known Charlize a few years. And you know, she's cool, man. She's funny and professional and a great sense of humor. So, it's nice. Lasse said that you had pushed to get Delroy Lindo to be in the role as Mr. Rose. Yeah, they were already interested in him. Obviously he's a fantastic actor. As far as I saw, he's the only person for Mr. Rose. You know, I think he's such a great actor, and I was very excited to work with him, and I definitely said to them, "Do whatever you can to convince him to do the movie." You had just seen his work, but never met him? No. What was it like first meeting him, after enjoying his work for so long? It was fine. I just met him, you know. I was excited to get to work. He's phenomenal, such a hard worker, classy guy, so much power as an actor. His face - it's very expressive. (Maguire blows smoke from his cigar.) Do you agree? Yeah, I don't know what you're saying exactly. I mean he's a very interesting-looking guy. Is there one story from the production that was funny or ridiculous? For instance, with "Ride With the Devil," you told us how sick you were during the filming of one scene. You were riding a horse, and as soon as you got off camera you'd lie down on the ground. Was there anything like that from "Cider House"? I'm sure there is but I can never answer those kind of questions. It's just too much information for me to scroll through. What do you do in your spare time? See movies, hang out with friends. You have any hobbies? I like to play board games. Backgammon is a good game. I love to play basketball. Nothing too out of the ordinary. Are you going to take a break from filmmaking? I'm going to take a little break. I did another film this year called "The Wonder Boys." Now I'm kicking back and I'll work when something great comes along. You've been acting since you were 13? Thirteen, 14. Is it nice to be at this point where you've made some strong films and now you can kind of pick and choose parts? I've always been pretty choosy. Regardless if I could or not, I've always felt like I could be or I would or whatever. You know, I don't know. That sort of is a strange question because I just live my life as a process and I'll talk to an interviewer and they come in on a certain moment or something. But I'm constantly living my life so I'm always either kicking back or picking and choosing or working or whatever. So yeah, it was nice now and it was nice four years ago. Someone asked me the same question four years ago. So, you know. It must get old to go on all these junkets and to festivals and get asked the same questions. Well, I'll tell you, with these films I just think they're phenomenal movies and I'm glad to support them. I'm really behind them, and glad to be associated with them and the people involved. I'm happy to do whatever I can to support them. That's part of the job, too. I guess so. You were in "Pleasantville" last year - any plans to work with director Gary Ross or Ang or Lasse again? I have no plans to work whatsoever. What are you going to be doing when you're 40 years old - have you ever thought about whether you might still be acting or writing or what? I have no idea. I think tomorrow I'm getting on a flight to leave Toronto, but that could change too. Day to day. I could sit here and think about stuff like that, but surely it will change by the time I get there. So how much of my time do I want to occupy with those kind of thoughts? It would end up being sort of a waste. It's interesting you say that, because there are some successful people who sit down and map out their career. And then there are guys like you who have, I guess it's natural talent that carries you and you don't really focus on a five-year plan or anything like that. Well, I have goals you know. I want to be able to work and have a wide variety of opportunities and it's important to me to work with good people and to have options. My point is just that I couldn't say what I'm going to be doing when I'm 40. It's an easy question for a journalist to ask. I mean, if I'm still acting I would love to be in a position to work with the best people. I'm sure you could say what you would like if you continue in your field and if something else happens then it does. What do you make of the whole cult of celebrity - does it bother you? Are you recognized when you walk down the street? Not really. you know, it's a strange thing. I just think it's strange. But it's nice to be associated with good projects and people are usually like, when they come to talk to me, they appreciate the films I've been in or something like that. It's nice in that way. Sometimes someone will interrupt me when I'm in the middle of a conversation or eating and that's kind of strange. I don't really like that. But whatever. That's the price, huh? I suppose. I think that's about all the questions I have. That is some crappy weather out there. I don't mind it, really. No? You like rain? Sometimes. You're cautious about your answers because if you say, 'Yes, I love rain,' then you're worried about me going and writing. "Tobey loves the rain!" No, it's not that I love rain. It's just that when I was crossing the street from that hotel to this hotel it felt kind of nice. Because I hate to give statements like that because it's not necessarily true. I want to be honest and represent myself in a truthful way and journalists or reporters, it seems to me, like to grab little catch phrases or something or have their own idea where they're going and almost try to lead you there. That can be true. I think it might have to do with the short time frame that we're sitting here with you. So you have to be cautious - that's what you do? It's about me wanting to portray myself honestly, to be as truthful as possible. And it's difficult to step out on a limb and say something slightly different, like, "I smoke cigars." What does that mean anyway? I happen to be smoking a cigar right now, but that doesn't mean I smoke cigars. I'm smoking a cigar right now. Maybe I never will again and maybe I've only had two cigars in the past year, which is about the case. You know, someone would put in the headline, "Tobey's a cigar smoker" and it totally misrepresents me. Are you celebrating something? Someone gave the cigar to me and I'm leaving soon and it's a Cuban and I don't think I can take it into America, so. Well, cool. I appreciate your time. You've got two great films coming out. Thank you. Yeah, I'm excited man. I'm excited. You're going to get a lot of attention. Yeah, we'll see. |
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