Brian Cranston: “I'm glad to be just employed”
His latest role as Brian Cranston in the biographical drama Trumbo is likely to make him even more famous, despite his humble desire to be just a employed actor.In this film, Cranston portrays Dalton Trumbo, a successful screenwriter who was added to the Hollywood Blacklist due to suspicions of links with the Communist Party. We see the life of the protagonist before the appearance of the so-called Hollywood Ten, then the meeting of the Commission on Investigation of Anti-American Activities, which banned Trumbo and nine other prominent cultural figures from working in their professional field. For his role in the film about the struggle for his calling and for the right to take a well-deserved place in the history of cinema, Brian earned his first career nomination for Oscar .  You had to study the Blacklist situation for a long time before filming? I didn't really know much about it. Only that Trumbo was in the Hollywood Top 10 and that he was a communist. He was in jail, but I had no idea how long. I knew that Dalton wrote the script for "Spartacus" and "The Brave", and nothing else. Basically, you were no better informed than most ... Subsequently, I found out how deeply these events affected the lives of people. The commission judged, made a decision and executed the punishment alone, which was fundamentally contrary to the Constitution. They threatened people with jail time if they used the First Amendment and did not answer questions about membership in the Communist Party. But this is everyone's personal business! The question itself is anti-American: how to condemn someone for their chosen religion. The commission exceeded its mandate, and innocent people went to jail. Those were the darkest times in American history. The topic is very serious, the film turned out to be something of a warning, but, of course, in an entertaining way ... Not that we presented everything in a new light, but our story is about scriptwriters, and they are very interesting, witty and creative people.  The film accurately conveys the consequences of what happened to an individual, on a personal and professional level. Did you talk a lot about this with the director? A lot is putting it mildly. Frankly speaking, our story is about the achievement of a set goal, and not about a person or a sacrifice that he made. This is a story about family and friends who have to go into hardship. This is what should first of all affect the feelings of the audience, appeal to their humanity. And our picture definitely copes with this task. We see how those events affected specific people, their environment and society as a whole. Then this kind of situation could only increase the fear of how easy it is to violate the rights of citizens. If the right to use the First Amendment is not exercised, it may be forgotten and lost. In this case, the citizens must unite and declare that this number will not work! Your joint scenes with Michael Stulbarg as Edward J. Robinson were especially revealing and informative in terms of personal and professional threats ... Michael is a gifted actor, but still a very kind and sweet person. I love working with him. He grasped the very essence of his hero. Michael had a lot of empathy for Edward and was upset about his character's actions, but he still understood. This is a big deal. Of course, screenwriter John McNamara has made an invaluable contribution to this process. The whole story has shown us how best friends can part because of the fear of real and perceived threats. I hope the younger generation will never find themselves in a similar situation. They will simply think: “Has it really happened?” And they will continue to live. But those were real events. Of course, the film itself has a certain theatricality inherent in cinema, but it does not change the positions of Hedda Hopper, John Wayne and Dalton Trumbo .  What was your relationship with Helen Mirren? Helen is an amazing actress and a very interesting personality. She is really supremely talented, but she does not act like a queen, does not pretend to be a star. She is a wonderful person. Diane Lane also starred as Dalton 's wife and she was charming. We needed an actress who would embody a beautiful, but at the same time, a supportive comrade-in-arms, carrying love and fun. One that can take care of the kids, because Dalton really didn't have time for that. And the viewer understands this through his daughter's birthday scene? .. Through many similar things. There was also a scene where Dalton notices that everyone is playing ping-pong, and is touched, as if he sees his happy family in a picture. For a moment in his head flashes: “Perhaps I should join them? But no, a typewriter is waiting for me ... ”. And he goes back to work.  Does this support the idea that great people in biographical films may not have the human qualities that we expect from them? This selection shows who Dalton Trumbo was. We see a lot of this these days in biopics like Steve Jobs or Trumbo , it doesn't matter. In fact, all these characters are ordinary people. They can act like heroes and still be moody or quarrelsome. These are not mutually exclusive qualities. In my opinion, it's more honest. Are films like Trumbo supposed to convey important historical facts? They don't have to be history or social studies. For the audience, it's more of entertainment. People investing in a movie want to recoup their money and make a profit. And there is nothing wrong with that. Our goal was to create an honest entertainment movie based on incredible facts that caused a wide public response.  Your resume is replete with vivid and diverse roles. Have you ever worried that it will put pressure on you? No, but I always kept it in my head. When Malcolm in the Spotlight ended, I turned down two offers to star in pilots of comedy about silly dads. I was not interested, I already played this ... You once said that you were happy to be just a employed actor. Is that enough for you now? I still consider this fact to be my highest professional achievement. I started acting at 25 and never stopped acting to support my family the whole time. The rest is just tinsel.  Source: Indiewire The Topic of Article: Brian Cranston: “I'm glad to be just employed”. |
