CS Interview: Guy Pearce talks about the seventh day, acting and demons!
Guy Pearce made a career out of playing complex characters like Ed Exley LA Confidential, the worried Leonard in memory, the noble if jealous Fernand in The Count of Monte Cristo and the vengeful Aldrich Killian in Iron man 3, among many others. His last role in the suspense thriller The seventh day continues that tradition but adds a fascinating twist to the process as the actor plays a cynical priest who must overcome his personal demons in order to train a new recruit (played by Vadhir Derbez) to stop the actual demons.
Call Training dayexcept for Catholic ghouls instead of drug dealers.
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“I think he’s very cynical” Pearce explained his character in an exclusive interview with ComingSoon.net. “He’s so ready that it won’t work, that he presents it in such a way that he says, ‘Well, if I have this almost fatal wishful attitude, what else can you take away from me? I’ve seen a child burn to death … so my soul has really been destroyed. ‘And you know, he says he’s got a score to settle, which I think is some kind of dangerous journey he’s on. “
In the film by Justin P. Lange (The darkness), Pearce’s character, Father Peter, is introduced to his new partner through an Archbishop (Stephen Lang) in a scene you can watch in the player below.
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It turns out that Father Peter went through a lot during his practice and has a lot of regrets about his past failures. And yet there is something about the character.
“We start looking at this cynicism from Father Peter and we say, ‘Well, does that make him a suspicious kind of character? ‘Should we actually suspect him of not being who he says is actually what I think is a beautiful device? “ Pearce said: “Because then at least it gives the audience the feeling of being on one level – they are safe and have their suspicions about it – but at the same time they say: ‘What will it lead to if it is us? correct?'”
Considering the film is about exorcisms and demons, The seventh day has many horrors. There’s an early scene with an elderly priest, played by Keith David, in which the mother and father watch helplessly as their child goes through an exorcism that ultimately goes wrong, not to mention an intense sequence involving a homeless man and a Soup kitchen workers involved It’s not quite what one would expect.
However, Pearce was more drawn to the characters than to the more frightening elements of the film.
“I didn’t want to make a horror film” he said. “I didn’t want to make a movie that was scary per se. I just want to find movies where the characters feel like they are real. and their journey is justified and that they are on a path. And even if they don’t know what this path is, we as an audience understand what this path looks like. “
Develop chemistry
Pearce shares much of his scenes with Derbez, and the two display natural chemistry that absolutely sells the situation. Where does this chemistry come from? When pressed to discuss his technique, Pearce stated that two actors should be able to hate each other in real life and still find the kind of chemistry needed for a particular scene.
“I think that’s my respect for the craft of acting.” he said with a laugh. “Of course you do everything to make it easier for yourself. You spend as much time together as you can … we were filming in Dallas and there is nothing else to do but hang out and talk about the movie and get a feel for how each other works and what you might need each other. I think you are just beginning to develop a relationship, not just with other actors but also with the director and producers. and you just start connecting with a team of people and making sure you’re on the same page. “
One of the difficulties that can arise during a film production, Pearce explains, is that an actor has a completely different perspective from everyone else on the set.
“It’s just about making sure you’re really all on the same page. And what the director is going for, you all agree, because occasionally you have a job and the director says, “Well, yeah, I want you to do this and that and that, ‘and the actor will go,’ No, no, I don’t see it that way at all. I want to do this and that and that. And the directors say: “No, no, no, this is a different film!” Then you think, “Shit, we’re in trouble now.”
“So you never know how much people want to convey their own perspective on things. I have to make things feel authentic. I have to feel that I can do the most authentic version of what there is, as best I can. But ultimately I want to be able to see what’s on the page and say, “Do I clearly understand what you want to present? Because if it’s me, then I’m great on board. And I’ll just do what you need me to do ‘Because that’s my job as an actor. I’m not here to rewrite the script. I’m not here to do a lot of new research and change things because that’s how I want to do it. I am here to get on board and give you what you need. What did you think when you wrote this thing? “
The deeper heart of the story
Another interesting aspect that Pearce looks for in a movie revolves around the practicality of the story. He wonders how real is that? Or is that feasible? In the case of the The seventh day, a film full of religious overtones, he felt that the story had indeed come close to home.
“I believe in reincarnation” he said. “I believe that when we die, our spirits may go off and join another physical being in a different place. Correct. I always have to believe that. And you know, I don’t have a firm belief in it. But I just think, “Wow, that could really be possible.” I do not think so. Neither do I believe that evil spirits could infiltrate our physical beings on planet Earth. So for me it’s probably about being entertained, but it’s also about questioning that stuff. It’s about being able to watch [the film] and go, “Wow, that might actually be possible!”
“I suppose at some level, that’s what you want in every movie you make – you want the audience to get away from it.” Wait a minute. I need to think a little more about it because I’ve been a bit blind to it in the past and maybe it’s time to think about it a little more. ‘I think that’s all you can ever hope for in a movie. “
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The seventh day is now playing in selected theaters and on request. Try it out today!
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