Eric Stoltz Explores His 'Passion'
Star Talks Of 'The Passion Of Ayn Rand'; PLUS: Review Of 'Monkeybone'
Forget about James Brown ? Eric Stoltz should be considered the hardest-working man in show business.
A veteran of over 80 theatrical and telefilms (and he's done theater and sitcom work, too), the 39-year-old actor is so dedicated to his work, that he took the time recently to talk with me about the new DVD release "The Passion of Ayn Rand," even though the film itself debuted on cable's Showtime two years ago.
Why is this significant? Well, mainly because actors usually start to decline interviews no more than a couple weeks after their film debuts. But what makes Stoltz's situation unique with "Ayn Rand" is that he's done 15 projects since then (one of the most recent, "The House of Mirth," is now starting to break out of limited release).
Coupled with his busy schedule is the fact that he's seven months into his debut as a director with "My Horrible Year" (no, it's not his biopic or documentary!). That's a monumental task within itself. Directing is usually a 24/7 proposition, and he's co-starring in the film to boot.
Needless to say, wanting to talk about a film he made in 1999, shows, well, his "Passion" for "Ayn Rand."
"This is a special project not just because of the political content, but because of script and (star) Helen Mirren ? she's one of the best actresses living today," Stoltz told me. "I just sort of threw myself at her feet and she very graciously let me. She was just a joy to work with. It was just a wonderful project all the way through."
And controversial. Set over a 32-year period, "Ayn Rand" tells the story of the controversial novelist?philosopher's (Mirren) longtime affair with her "intellectual heir," Nathaniel Branden (Stoltz), a psychology scholar 25 years her junior. But the age difference isn't as much a factor as the circumstances that surround it. The affair occurs over a 15 year period with the strained consent of their spouses (Peter Fonda and Julie Delphy), who are both spellbound by Rand's mystifying presence.
Rand, who passed away in 1981, was the acclaimed author of such best selling books as "The Fountainhead" and "Atlas Shrugged." In the context of his character, Stoltz's Branden was drawn to Rand to discuss her philosophy of objectivism as it relates to his studies in psychology. But Stoltz admitted to me with sparkling candor that in real life, he couldn't be any farther removed from the motivation that made Branden tick.
But that's where his natural skill comes in.
"Look, I'm an actor, I don't profess to understand much of anything," Stoltz said, laughing. "But it's interesting to read about objectivism, the people behind it and what they thought was important."
But that's not to say working on the film didn't affect him in any way. He came out of the film with a greater understanding of who Rand was, and, unlike the detractors of her day, was not frightened by the power of her philosophies and the charismatic demeanor that drove people to follow her. Stoltz used the main plot point of the film -- the consent of Rand and Nathaniel's spouses to their love affair -- to explain.
"I guess it could be frightening, but I found it very American in that one of the principles of objectivism is that you do what makes you happy," Stoltz said. "You are not beholden to society, community or your family ? you come first. It embraces selfishness. To me, that's a very American quality."
As for his own experiences, Stoltz's first exposure to Rand came just after high school. "I had read Ayn Rand's work in college, which I think is a perfect time to read her because you're setting off on your own, breaking away from your parents and creating your own world. You need to be sort of selfish and thoughtless," he mused.
But what about now? Did the film about inner-thoughts possibly influence him in real life?
"I'm never really sure how much a character or researching a role or exploring aspects of a part actually sinks in and influences my life," wondered Stoltz aloud. "I'm not really aware enough to really spot changes in my own behavior. That's probably a better question for people around me.
"But it did certainly made me think and explore, and that's one great thing about being an actor. You get to do the kind of research into something that you might not necessarily have been drawn to."
However, Stoltz noted that he legally couldn't talk to the real-life Branden to prepare for the role. Coincidentally, the novel that the movie is based on, also titled "The Passion of Ayn Rand," was written by Branden's now ex-wife, Barbara.
Drawn from a cult favorite comic book called "Dark Town," the film stars Brendan Fraser as a cartoonist on the brink of big success with his "Monkeybone" cartoons, and he is about to propose to the woman of his dreams (Bridget Fonda). But a freak accident puts him in a coma and he finds himself drawn into the dark and twisted world of "Downtown" - a place that thrives on nightmares. He has just 12 hours to steal an exit pass from Death (Whoopi Goldberg) and return to his old life. However, his own creation, Monkeybone, steals his body and has no intention of letting it go.
The visual aspects of the film are phenomenal, as we would expect from Selick. It is a combination of stop-motion animation, puppetry and animation creating a nightmare world reminiscent of Salvador Dali and Federico Fellini.
I felt, however that Fraser was woefully miscast. This role really needed the talents of a natural physical comedian like Jim Carrey. Fraser's solid frame looked ridiculous as he tried to swing from the rafters and mug maliciously. I wanted to like "Monkeybone" because of its visual imagination, but unfortunately this monkey's tale wore out much too quickly. --Debra Scott
Also New (Preview)
'3000 Miles To Graceland' (R)
Catch up with Tim Lammers on these recent @ The Movies interviews:
New In Theaters
'Monkeybone' (PG-13)
"Monkeybone" is a dream and a nightmare of a movie. This wild ride from Henry Selick, the warped genius behind "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "James and the Giant Peach," is long on visual imagination, but short on satisfying storylines.
Crime is king in "3000 Miles To Graceland," a Vegas heist thriller where Kurt Russell, Kevin Costner, Christian Slater, Bokeem Woodbine and David Arquette use their garb as Elvis impersonators to infiltrate a casino for a robbery. Of course, being an Elvis impersonator isn't that big a deal in Las Vegas, but being that it's Elvis convention week, the job is just too tempting. Courteney Cox, Howie Long, Jon Lovitz and Ice-T co-star.
