INTERVIEW 5
(From TV Guide online)
Given Brad Renfro's recent real-life legal woes, it's uncomfortably ironic to watch his raw portrayal of a troubled teen with criminal tendencies in Bully. Recently, the 18-year-old was fined over $4000 for a botched attempt at boat theft, adding to a litany of transgressions that have included underage drinking and drug possession. Speaking with TV Guide Online via telephone from his front porch in Knoxville, Tenn., Renfro turned tense when we asked him to reflect on his misspent youth.
Said Renfro: "I'll just say, I'm not a bad guy. Period." When encouraged to elaborate on his feelings a bit, it became clear the youngster feels persecuted for his mistakes because of his celebrity. "Well, look," he huffed, "I ain't no different than anybody else. It's just for some reason, people want to crucify me, that's all."
A major contributor to Renfro's shady image has been his consistent choice of edgier roles (Apt Pupil, Telling Lies in America) over more traditional teen fare. "You couldn't pay me enough to do a film like Dude, Where's My Car?" he sniped. "You know, I just want respect as an actor, and you don't get that doing Free Willy 4."
"You see, I think people underestimate the kids these days," Renfro continued. "They're getting smarter — and I don't like these movies that try to milk the kids for their money, 'cause they think that they're stupid. Don't get me wrong, I love me some good old-fashioned entertainment, but I just like to make movies that I would enjoy watching. It's more artistically fulfilling."
Disturbing yet highly engrossing, Bully co-stars the excellent Rachel Miner — yes, Macaulay Culkin's teen bride — as Renfro's codependent, Lady Macbeth-esque girlfriend and Nick Stahl (Disturbing Behavior) as the sinister pal they plot to murder. Sounding very much like a boy who speaks from experience — and doesn't bother mincing his words — Renfro pointed out the film's effort to illustrate modern kids' troubles:
"I think parents would rather ignore problems than have to deal with them," he said. "In turn, you have these kids who are so misguided that they buy into the [expletive] and start to live in this [expletive]-up fantasy world. It's out of fear that the kids just [expletive] up. The generation before them was like, 'Nobody understands us, we'll do drugs.' Well, those are our parents! So it's just spiraling into a pre-determined demise." — Daniel R. ColeridgeURL Contributed by: Emily
