He's had a long and distinctive career in showbiz, but up until his role as Bernie Rose, the ex-Hollywood producer/entrepreneur/cold-blooded killer in Drive, Albert Brooks was mostly known as the funny, smart, warm-hearted writer/director/star behind such projects as Defending Your Life, Modern Romance, Mother and The Muse.
While it might seem odd to think of the voice behind Russ Cargill in The Simpsons doing things like slicing and dicing anyone who gets in his way, it's all a part of the master plan
of filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn's critically acclaimed yet polarizing action drama. The good thing is, the real-life Brooks, who's being buzzed about as a potential Oscar nominee for the role, couldn't be a more pleasant or down-to-earth interview. No knives were brandished in our exclusive talk…just some thoughts on the making of Drive, some lessons learned from Taxi Driver and the state of modern Hollywood. Warning, though, if you haven't seen the movie, a few spoilers are also divulged in our discussion with Albert Brooks.
Fandango: Mr. Brooks, so what was it like making your first onscreen kill?
Brooks: Well, it's not very glamorous, especially with a director like Nicolas who likes to do 30 takes, so it gets bloody as you can imagine. It sort of gets weird because you've built your anger throughout the day and when you're stabbing someone over and over and over...it's not so much fun, you know? It's just disturbing, I have to say.
Fandango: Was the extreme nature of the character, though, something that drew you to the project? Or were there other things that made you want to take on this movie?
Brooks: It was one of the things that drew me to it, but you know, I was aware of Nicolas Refn's work, and I knew [how] he stylized violence. I liked the character, and I also liked that when the character did turn violent, it wasn't the standard 'shooting people with a gun' and the thing you've seen 100 times. This guy from the start...blades were his obsession, it was what he prided himself on, he collected them, and I liked that...it was different. But basically, I was familiar somewhat with Nicolas' work, and he's so stylized, and he had such a unique vision on how he wants to do this violence. I thought it would be interesting to see what we could do together.
Fandango: Was there a lot of improvisation, working with Nicolas, or would you stick mostly to what was in the script?
Brooks: We rehearsed for weeks...and that was the time to explore...but once we were on the set, we were ready to go, just because you don't have time to do it then. Improv doesn't really work out as well with the whole crew there.
Fandango: Was it more challenging for you approaching this kind of character than some of the more comedic characters you've played?
Brooks: Well, you know, with every character, if you're going to expose yourself, you've got to figure out every detail that you're going to play. So there's no character that you can just go put on his shirt and be fully prepared. I think everything is a challenge. It's all an assignment. In a Sidney Lumet movie, I played an 80-year-old, alcoholic doctor. Rick Baker did my makeup. I would show up at 2:30 in the morning and we wouldn't be ready until 8:00 am. And that was a big physical challenge. So, it's always a challenge, because you want to do it right. Sometimes, though, it does get more emotional than other times.
Fandango: You've often been not just the actor, but also the writer and the director. Do you find it easier to just be an actor, or does wearing all of those other hats stoke more of your creativity?
Brooks: Actually, wearing all of those hats is something I don't really enjoy. If you're wearing those other hats, sometimes it can wear on you...things like, the film's budget. If you're an actor and it begins to rain, and you're the director, you might be worrying, too, about how you need to get certain shots...it becomes like a math puzzle. The nice thing about acting is that when the weather changes, you can sit inside until they tell you what to do. That part I like.
Fandango: Do you have a preference, though, between writing, directing and acting, if you're able to do just one thing?
Brooks: You know, I became a director out of necessity. I was writing comedies, and I couldn't find anybody to deliver it correctly. I cast unusual people in my movies. Let's say I thought you were the best person to play my brother-in-law. Well, if no other director sees that, and everyone else wanted Matthew McConaughey, well then...you've got to direct. You can't get it done otherwise. The directing comes because it's servicing the writing. The acting is its own separate job altogether. I like just acting because I like concentrating on the part without concentrating on bringing the movie in on budget. But I wouldn't say that I have a 'favorite.' Actually, the best writing experience I've had in years was writing my book this past year. That was the most freeing experience because I wasn't tied to a budget.
Fandango: You mentioned Sidney Lumet. You've worked with a lot of great directors like Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver), James L. Brooks (Broadcast News) and Steven Soderbergh (Out of Sight). Any particularly important lessons you learned from them that informed your own filmmaking?
Brooks: When I worked with Scorsese, I had not made a movie before, so Taxi Driver was like a graduate school in filmmaking. I would come to the set on all of the days I wasn't working. I would just watch and watch and watch. I asked questions up the kazoo. I took advantage of being in a movie as an actor working with people at the very top of their game. You can always learn that way.
Fandango: You've been in the industry for decades now. What's the thing that you've seen that's most changed, and what advice would you give yourself if you were just now starting out in the business?
Brooks: What's most changed is that the business itself has become so world-wide and gigantic. And the advice that I would give if I were just starting today is to buy a cheap camera and start making a movie. You can do it for $400. If you want to be a writer, just write. There's no magic to it. Write s*@t. Don't be afraid of being bad. Just do it. And if you're lucky...it'll get good...and if it stays s*@#!y...then sell shoes.
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