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Compiled by: Jack Foley
Q. You are quoted as saying, in the production notes, that
the idea of playing this character at first 'scared the hell out
of you'?
A. It did, it scared the hell out of me. I didn't really have
any sort of common ground with Malloy in my life; I didn't know
how to access that character, really. I mean, I didn't feel it
was close to me, or easily available to me, so it proved to be
really daunting. So, yes it did scare me.
Q. What I imagine interested you in the character, therefore,
is that, on the one hand, he comes across as being course and
vulgar, yet on the other hand, he's actually a very tender human
being...
A. That's kind of what was most interesting about him; on
the outside, partly just to survive in the job that he does, he
has to maintain a certain kind of armour, but inside of him is
a whole other person, who has longings, that are outside the realm
of his class, or social boundaries.
When I finally did ask Jane why she would cast me in this part,
she said because she was interested in my interior work, what
I would bring counter to what we would see on the page. That was
something we were always working on.
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Q. Did the moustache come with the character, or was it your
decision to grow it? And are you missing it now?
A. I don't know if you noticed, but I was hiding behind that
moustache. We had a big discussion about the moustache. I liked
it; it was a cop thing, it really is. One of the producers felt
that I didn't look leading man enough, so we were fighting about
that. They were going to make me shave my moustache.
But I liked having it.
Adds Jane: For me, having done some research, and seeing
just how many detectives had the moustaches, it felt right.
Q. Is there any difference in your perception of your career
now, as opposed to a few years back?
A. I guess the operative word is 'my'. It started to feel
a little out of control at one point, before I got ill, and I
didn't feel like I was actually in control of it anymore. Now,
I feel like the choices I've made are my choices; things that
I wanted to do. And I'm enjoying it a lot more than I ever have.
Q. What I thought was a really lovely moment in the film is
when Jennifer Jason Leigh's character asks Meg's character if
she was happy when she woke up? Are you happy when you wake up?
A. Yes, I am, because my son comes to bed about 6.30am, and
climbs into bed with me. So yeah, I'm generally happy when I wake
up.
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