Aaron Eckhart scared a generation of filmgoers with his misogynistic character in the seminal independent film In the Company of Men. Since then hes played such roles as the sympathetic biker in Erin Brockovich to a fast talking shyster in Paycheck. Now hes playing the be all end all of shysters; a tobacco lobbyist in Thank You For Smoking.
Nick Naylor is the chief spokesman for Big Tobacco. Confronted by health zealots out to ban tobacco and an opportunistic senator who wants to put poison labels on cigarette packs, Nick goes on a PR offensive, spinning away the dangers of cigarettes on TV talk shows and enlisting a Hollywood super-agent to promote smoking in movies.
Check out the official website for Thank You For Smoking
Daniel Robert Epstein: Did you ever smoke?
Aaron Eckhart: Yeah I did smoke for a few years but I gave it up like three and a half years ago. I was never in peril making this movie where I was freaking out in my trailer trying to find a cigarette.
DRE: How did you get involved with this movie?
AE: I was actually shooting in Canada and [director] Jason [Reitman] flew up and talked to me about doing the movie. I was already committed to something else but I read it and I said, Wow! Nobody else wants to do this? How come? I knew that I wanted to do this movie and that he was going to do a fantastic job. He did the screenplay adaptation and he just had a command of what he was going to do.
DRE: Your character could be a Neil Labute character except this time hes screwing over the whole country.
AE: [laughs] I think what this movie did as opposed to what Neil would do, is that Jason really grounded this movie with the father-son relationship. Im not sure that Neil would have done that or if he would have manipulated that relationship in another way. But this movie has heart which is important for a comedy because ultimately you have to laugh and walk out of this movie feeling good about yourself. Even though it is so politically incorrect I think it achieves that.
DRE: You must have been worried at one point that it might be misunderstood or misinterpreted.
AE: There were some things that were a little difficult to say and I had to double check with Jason. Id be like, Are you sure you want this in the movie? Thats where somebody like Neil or Jason is so special because if it doesnt carry over into the next scene, if it doesnt make you laugh and titillate you, youre dead. Youre just being all those things that they think a tobacco lobbyist is.
DRE: As an actor you have a forum to say whatever you want and know that it can go out there and it can be misinterpreted. Just a couple weeks ago we did an interview with Bruce Willis, where he came in and said some very harsh things about certain people and it seemed like he wanted everyone to go out there and print what he said. That seems to relate to this movie a lot.
AE: Yes and you have to be careful. With this movie, what I think it is and what the director thinks it is can be two different things. I personally think this movie is a comedy and I look at it only as a comedy. It was never a political movie for me. This was never about tobacco. It was about this character who really gets himself in these crazy situations and gets himself out. Thats fun to play as an actor. Now I hope that there is political talk about this movie because that means people are going to go see it.
DRE: How was working with JK Simmons?
AE: The guys solid as a rock. He was so funny and every line he says is perfect. JK walked in and boom, nailed it every time.
Sam Elliott was also fantastic. Who could be a better Marlboro man than Sam Elliott? We all couldnt believe it though when he said I smoke Kools.
DRE: The whole movie had a great cast.
AE: We got lucky and Im very happy about that. For example David Koechner who played the gun lobbyist was so great. I wasnt familiar with his work but he was unbelievable every single time. He added so much.
DRE: How did Jason tell you what he wanted?
AE: First of all on the set of Thank You For Smoking Jason was very calm, I think because he has been on sets all of his life because of his father [Ivan Reitman]. I fully expect Jason to become a major American director. We had to trust each other. I usually tell a director, I like it to be whispered in my ear or I like for you to come up to me and have our own private conversation. So he would do that.
DRE: What was it like working with Katie Holmes?
AE: Terrific. We were concerned about our sex scene and how it was going to fit into a comedy. We had serious discussions with Jason because neither Katie nor I wanted to get unclothed and have this huge sex scene. I dont think the script called for it and it didnt need it. That was probably my main concern about the script and Katie had the same concern. Jason said he was going to shoot us from across the room and we were going to be fully clothed. I think we laughed a lot while doing it. Katie and I became pretty good friends. It ended up being funny as opposed to scary.
DRE: In Thank You For Smoking your characters meets with a power broker [played by Rob Lowe] in Hollywood to get more cigarettes into movies. I know after Erin Brockovich you had a lot of heat on you. Did you ever meet with a Hollywood power broker like that?
AE: [laughs] Well I dont know if they go as far as wearing a kimono like Robs character did. But there are people out there that can make that happen. I feel like I am with an agency that can make that happen.
DRE: It seems like today with actors going back and forth from Hollywood movies to indies to theatre many of them dont want to be big giant stars.
AE: The X in that variable is the actor. I could have my next ten movies lined up and they could all be a certain sort, I would be made, and they would make more money off me. But actors have more power these days. The people around you can only advise. But the thing is, if you have a dip in your career or if you make a mistake, then they psychologically gain more power and they say, Look, this is what you have to go do. There are a lot of times you will listen to them and do what they say.
DRE: [laughs] Do you have ambitions to direct?
AE: I would like to sometime. I would really like to get great performances out of actors.
DRE: How was working with Brian De Palma on The Black Dahlia?
AE: I loved working with him. Brian is a real pro. Brian knew what he wanted. He was working with professionals so he showed up and expected us to be ready and we were. Thats the way I like to make movies.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
Nick Naylor is the chief spokesman for Big Tobacco. Confronted by health zealots out to ban tobacco and an opportunistic senator who wants to put poison labels on cigarette packs, Nick goes on a PR offensive, spinning away the dangers of cigarettes on TV talk shows and enlisting a Hollywood super-agent to promote smoking in movies.
Check out the official website for Thank You For Smoking
Daniel Robert Epstein: Did you ever smoke?
Aaron Eckhart: Yeah I did smoke for a few years but I gave it up like three and a half years ago. I was never in peril making this movie where I was freaking out in my trailer trying to find a cigarette.
DRE: How did you get involved with this movie?
AE: I was actually shooting in Canada and [director] Jason [Reitman] flew up and talked to me about doing the movie. I was already committed to something else but I read it and I said, Wow! Nobody else wants to do this? How come? I knew that I wanted to do this movie and that he was going to do a fantastic job. He did the screenplay adaptation and he just had a command of what he was going to do.
DRE: Your character could be a Neil Labute character except this time hes screwing over the whole country.
AE: [laughs] I think what this movie did as opposed to what Neil would do, is that Jason really grounded this movie with the father-son relationship. Im not sure that Neil would have done that or if he would have manipulated that relationship in another way. But this movie has heart which is important for a comedy because ultimately you have to laugh and walk out of this movie feeling good about yourself. Even though it is so politically incorrect I think it achieves that.
DRE: You must have been worried at one point that it might be misunderstood or misinterpreted.
AE: There were some things that were a little difficult to say and I had to double check with Jason. Id be like, Are you sure you want this in the movie? Thats where somebody like Neil or Jason is so special because if it doesnt carry over into the next scene, if it doesnt make you laugh and titillate you, youre dead. Youre just being all those things that they think a tobacco lobbyist is.
DRE: As an actor you have a forum to say whatever you want and know that it can go out there and it can be misinterpreted. Just a couple weeks ago we did an interview with Bruce Willis, where he came in and said some very harsh things about certain people and it seemed like he wanted everyone to go out there and print what he said. That seems to relate to this movie a lot.
AE: Yes and you have to be careful. With this movie, what I think it is and what the director thinks it is can be two different things. I personally think this movie is a comedy and I look at it only as a comedy. It was never a political movie for me. This was never about tobacco. It was about this character who really gets himself in these crazy situations and gets himself out. Thats fun to play as an actor. Now I hope that there is political talk about this movie because that means people are going to go see it.
DRE: How was working with JK Simmons?
AE: The guys solid as a rock. He was so funny and every line he says is perfect. JK walked in and boom, nailed it every time.
Sam Elliott was also fantastic. Who could be a better Marlboro man than Sam Elliott? We all couldnt believe it though when he said I smoke Kools.
DRE: The whole movie had a great cast.
AE: We got lucky and Im very happy about that. For example David Koechner who played the gun lobbyist was so great. I wasnt familiar with his work but he was unbelievable every single time. He added so much.
DRE: How did Jason tell you what he wanted?
AE: First of all on the set of Thank You For Smoking Jason was very calm, I think because he has been on sets all of his life because of his father [Ivan Reitman]. I fully expect Jason to become a major American director. We had to trust each other. I usually tell a director, I like it to be whispered in my ear or I like for you to come up to me and have our own private conversation. So he would do that.
DRE: What was it like working with Katie Holmes?
AE: Terrific. We were concerned about our sex scene and how it was going to fit into a comedy. We had serious discussions with Jason because neither Katie nor I wanted to get unclothed and have this huge sex scene. I dont think the script called for it and it didnt need it. That was probably my main concern about the script and Katie had the same concern. Jason said he was going to shoot us from across the room and we were going to be fully clothed. I think we laughed a lot while doing it. Katie and I became pretty good friends. It ended up being funny as opposed to scary.
DRE: In Thank You For Smoking your characters meets with a power broker [played by Rob Lowe] in Hollywood to get more cigarettes into movies. I know after Erin Brockovich you had a lot of heat on you. Did you ever meet with a Hollywood power broker like that?
AE: [laughs] Well I dont know if they go as far as wearing a kimono like Robs character did. But there are people out there that can make that happen. I feel like I am with an agency that can make that happen.
DRE: It seems like today with actors going back and forth from Hollywood movies to indies to theatre many of them dont want to be big giant stars.
AE: The X in that variable is the actor. I could have my next ten movies lined up and they could all be a certain sort, I would be made, and they would make more money off me. But actors have more power these days. The people around you can only advise. But the thing is, if you have a dip in your career or if you make a mistake, then they psychologically gain more power and they say, Look, this is what you have to go do. There are a lot of times you will listen to them and do what they say.
DRE: [laughs] Do you have ambitions to direct?
AE: I would like to sometime. I would really like to get great performances out of actors.
DRE: How was working with Brian De Palma on The Black Dahlia?
AE: I loved working with him. Brian is a real pro. Brian knew what he wanted. He was working with professionals so he showed up and expected us to be ready and we were. Thats the way I like to make movies.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
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*Let me give you a little business tip. The word is ASK, not "axe." ASK. *