Interview with Andy Garcia
Star of the film Smokin’
Aces.
Andy
Garcia isn’t bitter, but he’s an honest man and quite frankly, he’s a
little sick of playing the authority character. Initially, when he was
asked to play a part in Joe Carnahan’s new film Smokin’ Aces, the
actor thought it would as a hitman, not as another master of morals.
“I
actually asked Amanda (casting director Amanda Mackey) about playing
the hitman character that Nestor Carbonell plays. I said "What about
that part?" and Amanda said "No, Andy, Joe needs you to be the moral
authority of the film."”
Garcia, who has played similar parts in films like Desperate Measures, Jennifer Eight
and Internal
Affairs,
said he didn’t necessarily want to play the moral authoritarian - FBI
Deputy Director Stanley Locke - of the film. “I would have liked the
other part, but there are some things that the hitman does that in
retrospect I probably would not want to do, just because of my kids.
And Nestor is just great in the part.”
The actor says he
would’ve played any role in the film, to be honest, because it was the
chance to work with Carnahan that interested him – not so much the
thought of playing a hitman.
“I was a big fan of Joe's film, Narc,
so when you hear there's a script coming over from Joe Carnahan, you
know it's going to be interesting because he has such a fresh voice”,
says Garcia. “I actually talked to Ray Liotta, who is a good friend of
mine and he said great things about Joe. So, I met with Joe and told
him I dug Narc.
We spoke about the part and I said 'Sure, let's do it'.”
Though
he probably could’ve played the role of in his sleep, Garcia didn’t –
he worked to heck on getting the character down pat. “Naturally, in
research you pick up things. Often a role will open you up to something
that you are not used to. You learn from every experience in life. It's
another layer to your baggage.
“Each role has different needs and demands. Sometimes there's technical
demands. In the case of this part in Smokin' Aces,
Joe and I talked about giving him a tinge of being a veteran FBI guy
who has spent a lot of years in Virginia at the FBI headquarters. I
wanted to bring a bit of that flavor into his dialect. Every role has a
different attack, but ultimately you want to get inside the character
and find a sense of truth. This guy is a career FBI guy and to be
deputy director he has been doing it for a long time; he is a man
molded by the organization and committed to the oath of that
organization.
“I have friends who are in the FBI”, he continues.
“I talked to them about it, but you also get a sense from them just in
natural conversation. You kind of get their stance in life. Their
philosophies, behavioral conduct and traits. If you are around them, we
are all victims of our own environment and job description. That's the
fun of the acting challenge. You are searching for the acting details.”
Garcia
said it was a real boys-club on the film – it co-stars – but everyone
got along great. He especially got along with Ryan Reynolds.
“Ryan
is great. He's a terrific guy. I haven't seen his comedies, but just
because an actor is known for comedies does not mean he can't do drama.
It's important not to be pigeon-holed, which can happen. But, Ryan is a
sweetheart kind of a guy and did a beautiful job in the movie.”
Garcia
has received equal praise from his co-stars, many mentioning that it’s
amazing that he knows exactly where to stand in a scene. The camera
could be moving, but Garcia has this natural ability to be in the right
spot. “You know, Michael Douglas said that to me earlier in my career
when we did Black Rain.
I
don't know. Maybe it's just an instinct I have about staging. I guess
it's just an instinct. It's not like I'm constantly thinking 'Where's
the camera?' It's about having a healthy third eye, which is what I
used to study in theatre. Where that stems from, I don't know.”
Next up, Garcia will “record another album. The soundtrack to my film, The Lost City,
is coming out in January, it's a two CD set. I have a couple of scripts
I'm attached to for 2007. They're not financed yet, but I am getting
them off the ground. I want to direct again [too]”.
And though he’s starring in one of the most expensive films of
2007, Oceans
Thirteen,
he’s far from one of those actors that only signs on for pricey films
that entail well-paying gigs. “[I do] whatever stimulates me. If I am,
I jump in. Just because it's a big budget movie doesn't mean its bad.
The size of budgets does not alter my decision if
I should do it. If
there's a movie with a budget of only $1 million that I find
interesting, then I'll sign up, but it has to be in the hands of a
director who can do something with it.”
