Guy Pearce searches for a "Traitor"

Q&A: Guy Pearce
August 27, 2008

By PETERSON GONZAGA
Entertainment News Wire
HOLLYWOOD _ As a boy in Australia, Guy Pearce knew that he wanted to be an actor. He participated in various theater productions then segued into television after high school. His role as Mike Young in the widely popular Australian TV soap "Neighbours" gave him a taste of celebrity. But Pearce was more about his craft.

In the following years, he broke into the global film industry with roles in "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of The Desert," "L.A. Confidential" and "Memento."

In his new film, "Traitor," Pearce plays Roy Clayton, an FBI agent on the hunt for the leaders of an international terrorist group. His investigations point to former U.S. Special Operations officer Samir Horn (Don Cheadle). But as Clayton digs deeper, more questions than answers begin to emerge.



Entertainment News Wire: Director Jeffrey Nachmanoff said you're like a chameleon in the sense that you're able to immerse yourself in a role.

Guy Pearce: Well I think it's always about being inspired. Not every role requires you to physically change a lot, but I feel like I'm drawn to every role differently each time. Sometimes it's just because of a character trait. A character might be obnoxious, and I feel like his character is well written and it inspires you to become a certain way. It's less of a conscious thing on my part but more about being inspired by the writing.

ENW: With Roy, what drew you to him?

GP: I like the role and I liked the fact that he wasn't sort of a like a cliche FBI guy. I think what drew me was the story of the film, what Don (Cheadle) is experiencing as a character and the clever way it was written. I'm a big fan of Don.

ENW: As you mentioned, Roy is not a typical FBI agent. Would you say his character brings humanity to the film?

GP: Yeah. I think that the film sort of brings out the question of complexity. You can be a religious man, which is supposed to be compassionate and sensitive toward other people, and yet be an extremist like Samir can be. Or you can work for the American government and seem buttoned down and work by the book with no sense of individuality in there, and yet you've got someone like Roy Clayton who is something different from the typical FBI agent.

It sort of brings up the idea that we can't sort of define a person only by religion or by their job or by their culture. I think that's one of the interesting things I found about the film _ that in this world, individuality can sort of get lost.



ENW: Do you see that as a message in the film?

GP: I know a lot of films have messages but I don't think all films have to have a message. The message is different for each individual audience member watching the film. One person watching it might take something out of it differently than another person watching the film, because of the way they think. A film should just make you think.

ENW: Were you a teenage heartthrob in Australia?

GP: I was just one of a group of teenagers in a show that people liked.

ENW: You once said, "I don't want to be a celebrity. The little amount that I've had in the past _ it was fun going into it. But once you realize you're in, you realize you don't actually want to be in it anymore." Do you still feel that way?

GP: Yeah. I don't care for the celebrity part of it. It's very different for someone going up to you and saying, "Hey, man. Good work," than someone coming up and saying, "Oh, hey, my gosh! Can I have your autograph?" I'd rather have people come up to me and say, "I liked the film. The film worked for me. It really succeeded on this level." I think the celebrity side of things makes me feel anxious. I don't think I want to be that guy that everyone notices. I sort of cringe a little bit.

ENW: The E! Channel put you on their Top 20 list of the hottest men in 2002 and 2003. Did you know about that?

GP: I think I knew about that. I miss a lot of that stuff because I live in Australia so I don't hear about it.

ENW: So you don't have to worry about the paparazzi in Australia?

GP: I'm not that high on the radar. I lead a pretty quiet life.

ENW: And you're content with a quiet life, even though being in the limelight is part of your job?

GP: I just want to be comfortable in the world. It just feels out of balance to me. I've got a sister with an intellectual disability and I am very aware of the negative attention she sometimes gets or she used to get. I am also aware of the things she can't have in life. So, it doesn't feel right for me to be up on some pedestal when she can't be. I kind of believe that let's all just be equal. I get to work, and some people know who I am, and that helps me keep getting work, and that's OK. But I don't want to go, "Hey! Hi! Look at me!"

ENW: What's your biggest hope as an actor?

GP: I hope the next thing I read is going to be great. Someone said to me once, "What's the ideal character you want to play?" I'm like, "There isn't." I mean, there are great characters at any given time. There are a lot of people I can play.

ENW: Have you thought about writing a script?

GP: Yeah. I've thought about it. I sort of keep having different ideas or situations, so I jot them down. I write music. More of my writings go into songs.

ENW: Are you in a band?

GP: I sing with a friend's band. He has a sort of instrumental jazz-blues-funk band. I sing with him sometimes. I've got a little studio at home so I write stuff. It's something for me to do.

ENW: Have you thought about doing a musical?

GP: Well, I did a lot of musicals and theater when I was a kid. I'm going to do a play at home in January which actually has a lot of Split Enz songs that Tim Finn has written. It's called "Poor Boy." It's not really a musical, but it's a play with songs. I'm doing that with the Melbourne Theater Company in January.

ENW: Did you know Heath Ledger?

GP: I didn't know him personally. We shared the same agent in Sydney. I remember I cried and cried and cried for days. It was like my own brother had died. It just felt so surprising and wrong and sort of just unbelievable. It was so odd that he had died. I don't know why. He was so young and virile and got such a sense of great life about him. It just seems like a shock. For a week or two weeks, I'd burst into tears. I mean, I can be sad about people but it really affected me, his death. I just watched the Batman movie. Heath was just amazing and great in it.