Film Courage: So we know that being on set is not just acting, it’s navigating personalities
and politics and hierarchies.
How do you earn the respect of a fellow actor?
Clifton Collins, Jr., Actor: Do the work, do the work, do the work.
And it’s funny because you’ll do certain projects with an Ed Harris and then on this
film [A CROOKED SOMEBODY] but I already won Ed’s respect with this film and on WESTWORLD.
And so I called a few friends that had worked with him to find out a little background on
him.
And I studied really hard to learn my lines, I studied really hard to learn his lines just
in case he says “What’s my line?”
And I could be like “I think you say….maybe?”
You never know how someone is going to take it.
You have to navigate.
So I navigate and he goes “Oh?
Thanks partner.”
So I did that and then I slammed the scene where my wife goes and then he came
running over to me pointing at me and he was like “Yes!
Yes!
Yes!”
Pointing and frothing and he frickin’ kicks me in my shin real hard and he goes “That’s
how you do it!”
And then when he walked away I go “I hope that’s going to leave a mark.
Look what Ed Harris did to me because I did a good job!”
It’s pretty rad.
It’s pretty awesome.
So that’s how I got his respect.
Film Courage: But I’m sure…like you said you have to navigate.
Clifton: You’ve got to navigate, Sam Jackson I was dying to get his respect.
He’s definitely a great mentor only second to my grandfather.
But this man knows everybody’s, he knows everybody’s lines.
He knows when the camera moved and on what line and where he did what.
He knows everything.
It’s really amazing.
So in rehearsals…he was teaching me a lessons, we’ve had this conversation before, he’s
got these monologues at the end of the film that are actually much bigger than what ended
up in the film.
And in rehearsals Kevin Reynolds is like “Hey, you guys ready to do this scene?”
And Sam looks up and says “Yeah, man, let’s do it?”
And he throws the scenes on the floor.
Sam threw them out and he doesn’t need them (he’s got the big speeches anyway).
So then I’m holding my gun and he looks up at me with tears (he can get tears from
this eye and this eye by the way.
He can make this cry right now, he can hold them, I can’t do that.
But he can so when I saw him holding the tears he literally put the pedal to the medal.
And I thought “Oh, my God.
I don’t know if I can ever be that good?”
So I just remember racing home and delving as deeply as I could just to get any respect
from him.
He’s a tough love kind of guy, so you’ve got to really, really earn it.
Film Courage: Some times those kind of people are easier to trust.
In an industry where…you want to be professional but tough love people are easier to trust
because you know where they’re coming from.
Clifton: I talk to him quite often…I honestly really didn’t know, I think this came…I
lost my father…I was at my father’s funeral two days before the climax of the movie, we
shot the movie in sequence so I was really emotional…It was a rather suicidal-type
of scenario.
We’d done the rehearsal and they asked me if I minded doing my coverage first instead
of Samuel because I was obviously dealing with some heavy life issues.
They all supported me tremendously and I think it was then that I had the courage to ask
“Well, what’s Sam think about the work I’m doing anyway?”
“Sure they can do coverage on me first, I’m fine with that.
Is Sam cool with that?
Is that what Sam wants?
Because I’ll do whatever Sam wants.”
And they were like “Yeah, he’s totally fine with it.”
Because that’s when I asked them because Samuel himself didn’t tell me, he was holding
it close to the chest.
He’s really dope, I mean I love him so…
Film Courage: It’s interesting because sometimes you’re at a point where certain things are
going on and if everything falls apart, it’s okay (we were having this conversation driving
over here and I’m stealing your words) but as long as you’re staying true to yourself
and some amazing things can happen because you’re at this point where you’re not
really about pleasing somebody, you’re all about doing what’s right in the moment and
sometimes some really amazing things can happen.
Clifton: That’s a good way to live.
Because as true as we think we’re being with ourselves we can always be a little truer,
seeking a depth of authenticity if you will.
I’ve just been on this crazy journey lately of my work and the demands of trying to do
better work has pushed me to lose sleep and study harder and faster and just go longer
and so it’s interesting because if you pay attention to the signs in those moments and
do what’s right and what speaks to your integrity, I can always rest well with whatever
happens.
I’m not feeling bad, I’m feeling good about the decisions that I make and that’s
a good feeling.