/ Bruce Almighty

by Anokhi Admin

Bruce Almighty

Jul 22, 2013

This Canadian thespian has Hollywood wrapped around his finger

Bruce Greenwood has used his suave and charm to accelerate his career in Hollywood over the last decade. Hailing from a small town in Alberta, Canada, Bruce has landed some pretty significant roles as of late so we wanted to know everything. How he's choosing roles, is he more like Captain Pike from Star Trek or Agent Jack McCready from Déjà Vu? What is it like working with everyone from Deepa Mehta to J.J. Abrams and starring alongside Will Smith and Philip Seymour Hoffman? What about his love for domestic projects and above all, how does he avoid that dreaded Hollywood fear of being typecast?

I've read that you started work in the coal mining trade, so what was life like before you moved to Los Angeles?
You do what you have to do to get by (laughs). I actually used to work as a coal miner to help pay for my other interests, which included theatre classes. It's odd because everyone wants to hear that it's part of this rag to riches story but it was simple. While most aspiring actors wait tables, I was headed underground, looking for gems.

You've worked with some great directors over the last 10 years and most recently with Bruce Beresford (who won an Academy Award for Driving Miss Daisy) on the film Mao's Last Dancer. What is working with him like?
Bruce and I worked on Double Jeopardy together which is where we began our friendship. He is an incredible talent and extremely honest with his work. If he doesn't like what you are doing he is painfully honest and that's what I like in a director. Someone who knows on the spot what is working and what is not working, not one who wants to fix it post. I've worked on films that are littered with special effects and ones that have nothing more than two people and a camera in a room and as long as the director knows his or her vision, I am comfortable working with them.

How are you going about choosing roles?
You know for a while, after I did films like 13 Days and I, Robot, I was being offered a lot of senior authoritative roles. And even though some of them were very interesting projects, I still had to be careful with what I was taking. Being typecast is a major concern in Hollywood and the other worry that comes with it is that if you say no to a director for one project, they may not call you for another. Word spreads fast in Hollywood. Also, I can only play the head of a company or evil CEO so often for my own sanity.

Mao's Last Dancer

We've touched on a few of the more popular films that you've worked on and since your repertoire is so big, I'd like you to tell me what you think of when I mention some of these titles.
Great, this is my life, perfect.

Atom Egoyan's Exotica

Playing guitar with the crew in between breaks. Watching a young Atom make a film that he was really passionate about with a team that was very cohesive. Some people don't realize he works with the exact same crew still.

Double Jeopardy

Kayaking in Deep Cove, British Columbia. Bruce (the director) decided to get Ashley Judd and I to know each other by sending us on a kayak ride by ourselves. It was one of those times I've never forgotten because it was such a unique way to meet a co-star. The movie was a fairly big commercial hit and for me it was a good opportunity to work on a very different film. It was the beginning of a strong friendship for Bruce and I.

I, Robot

I get asked about I, Robot a lot and I seem to answer this question the same every time. The main thing I remember about making the film is how impressed I was with the work ethic and energy of Will Smith. I didn't know what to expect when I realized I was working with him and frankly, I underestimated him. He is such a naturally gifted actor who loves when people around him are happy. That's a rare quality in Hollywood. You can fake it for a while if need be, but eventually it will come out that you are not the nice person you want people to believe. Will, on the other hand, has broken the mold in Hollywood and what you see is what you get. Working with him was a great experience.

Capote

Again, another actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who is one of the best in the business. Philip is an actor who absorbs every detail that the director is trying to put on the screen and makes it his mission to get it right. The movie was challenging on so many levels but the glue of the film was Philip and he took that challenge all the way to the Oscar bank and deserved it.

Déjà Vu

Well, naturally you can probably tell I will want to point out the brilliance of Denzel Washington but I what I think of when you mention that title is shooting in New Orleans post-Katrina. People don't realize that the film was in prep before Katrina hit and Jerry (Bruckheimer) and Tony (Scott) were considering moving the production to another location in order to salvage the production and the dates etc. Eventually they came to terms with how important the French Quarter of New Orleans was to the film and why the movie could be a much-needed boost to a city that needed it. But, other then working with another gifted team and cast, I'd have to say being in New Orleans at that significant junction was very memorable.

Star Trek

The circus-like atmosphere that is a J.J. Abrams movie. It really is something to witness in your life. It seems so chaotic at points and so intimate at others. One of the best experiences I've ever had.

Can You tell me the story of how you got the role in Star Trek?
I was in Toronto shooting another project and he gave me a call and offered me the role. I told him to send me the script and he laughed and said he couldn't unless he sent a security team with the script. So I flew to L.A. just to read it, and sure enough, I was in a room by myself with security outside and nothing else. I did take some notes, which were checked on the way out, but it was pretty intense for a simple reading.
Apparently he has had his stuff hacked and put on the net in the past.

This year, you have a few projects coming to the screen including a project that you worked on with Canadian writer Maninder Chana called Cell 213. Can you tell us a little about the film?
I shot it last year and I was very impressed with the script. It's not really a story that I can explain all of the layers to because it sort of takes place somewhere in between reality and fantasy, but not fantasy in a good way. It's about a guy who has made a deal with the devil, so to speak.

I've been reading a lot about Dinner for Schmucks starring Steve Carell (The Office) and Paul Rudd (I Love You, Man). What was it like working with comedy's current A-list?
(On) the first day of shooting I was on the floor laughing, almost crying, while shooting scenes with those guys. They are such naturals and have that rare gift of making every character seem like they could be the only ones to play the character. Of course, they get a lot more laughs than I do in the film. I play Paul Rudd's boss and a lot of my work is more understated, but I should get my laughs too, depending on what makes the final cut. I think the movie will do extremely well. It was also one of the first times I worked with actors who were allowed to improv as much as they were. I can now see where all these DVD extra features come from because there are some takes that had nothing to do with what was on paper and still were hilarious.

You were executive producer on Republic of Love with Deepa Mehta several years ago. Any aspirations to take on the producing role again?
You can spend years of your life and a lot of money developing projects and they may never see the light of day. I really have no desire to produce at this point because it's not as fulfilling to me. Republic was a great project to be a part of, however, I've had many projects I've been attached to as a producer that I am passionate about and went nowhere-which really sucks, but it is the reality. I am proud to see what Deepa has done though and we remain friends.

Is there a fundamental difference between working with Canadian filmmakers versus American filmmakers?
I think the Hollywood system is not as concerned with telling personal stories like Canadians are. There are a large amount of diverse stories in Canada and ?lmmakers to go with them. However, they don't yield nearly as much box office as they should. If I could import and export something I'd import the variety of stories from Canada and export the money that Hollywood makes at the box office.

Bruce Greenwood can next be seen in Dinner for Schmucks, which comes out this summer.

_{BY: KATIE RAJHANS / PUBLISHED: ENTERTAINMENT SPECIAL EDITION / JULY 2010}