Scary Craftsman

Don't say to Harrison Ford that he is an artist, he might run away. He is not an artist. He is a craftsman. One of those down-to-earth actors who likes carpentry after some busy nazi tank riding, temple looting or Ewok baby sitting. But when a plain craftsman like him plays the bad guy in some big Hollywood production, don't expect him to stalk just some ordinary midwest plain Jane. No. When he is bad, he bothers Michelle Pfeiffer. It's sometimes very good to be just an ordinary craftsman...

Mr Ford, did you enjoy playing the bad guy?

Harrison Ford: There comes a point where you've exhausted your opportunities playing good guys and a script comes along in which all the accrued impressions people have of you, of what you do, can be turned on its ear, and the dramatic potential of such a situation is very high. And this script came along, which I admired the construction of, and I had the opportunity to work with Michelle and Robert, both of them whose work I admire, so for me it was an exciting opportunity to play this character who is blatantly bad. He does bad things. But a lot of the character was understandable and the psychology for me was quite clear.

Do you believe in ghosts?

HF: I don't really believe in ghosts, but I think that the human mind has the capacity to create manifestations that people can literally believe; they see something caused by the subconscious brain, which is the case in this film, I think.

Robert Zemeckis: I don't disbelieve in ghosts, I haven't seen one yet.

Mr Zemeckis, what is it that draws you to that kind of stories dealing with mystery, the supernatural, science?

RZ: I think I'm drawn to these stories whether it be speculations on science or the supernatural, because I think that they lend themselves to the uses of cinema; we can explore them through the use of moving images, more spectacularly and more interestingly than we can through other media. And I think that it allows for a certain amount of cinematic spectacle and at the same time they can be used as metaphors for exploring some of our human truths.

Mrs Pfeiffer and Mr Ford, what is your definition of artistic cinema?

MP: I guess, to me, painting, photography and making movies are ways of looking at things from perspectives we haven't seen before. I think you have to try and just enjoy it and experience it for all of its festivity.

HF: I've always considered what I do to be a craft, a skill, and if there is art involved it is in the writing and direction of the film. So I consider myself privileged to work with artists but I think I consider myself a craftsman.

Mr Zemeckis, is the bath scene, although used in a different way, a homage to a film like Fatal Attraction?

RZ: It is pretty obvious that I made this film in the language of Alfred Hitchcock. He wrote the language for this type of film and obviously we were influenced very much by his genious and his work. But I did not use the bathtub as a homage to any particular film. It was not necessary in my mind, it was in the original screenplay. I think the reason why that became a motif in this type of movies is very obvious; it is the most vulnerable room in your house, and if your house starts to become a place where it is dangerous, possibly evil, the bathroom is the place where you are naked so that can become the most terrifying room in your house. Though the kitchen has more knives, the bathroom is scarier!

Mrs Pffeiffer and Mr Ford, did you have any actors in mind for this film whom you looked to for inspiration?

MP: I didn't really have any previous character in mind. I think that's always dangerous, I think it is always important to make things as contemporary as you can, and hence make things most accessible for the audiences. I think even when you're doing a period movie, I think it's always dangerous to act period. So you know I just really approached it in a very contemporary way and hopefully new and fresh way.

HF: I agree with Michelle. I don't reference other actors or other films when I make something, I try to find in the character those behaviours that will illuminate and give life to the story. So I don't use outside references at all.

MP: There is actually one actress that I did use for the swimming scene. I thought that Drew Barrymore in Scream portrayed fear in a way that I had never seen in an actress portrayed before. It was so exposed an raw... And I had never had to portray that level of fear before ever in my work. I also relied on Bob (Zemeckis), and sometimes his direction was like: (vehemently) "Now, you're really scared!!!" (laughs)

Mrs Pfeiffer, how far does this role dealing with betrayal echo your own life?

MP: I can't imagine anyone of my age who hasn't experienced betrayal. I am quite experienced on this level! (laughs) But you don't have to be a murderer in reality to play a murderer and that's part of the craft. I did talk to some psychiatrists to understand the dynamics in the character's mind, it was hard for me to grasp that somebody could completely submerge a memory of something happening. It took me some understanding.

Mr Ford, you rescued 2 women piloting your helicopter. In the moment, when you were actually doing that, were you thinking that you were in Indiana Jones in real life, and have you sold the movie rights to that part of your life story?

HF: It was a very undramatic event. It was something I was pleased to be able to do but it wasn't heroic in any sense and there was only one woman. And, yes, I have sold the rights to that story, and someone much younger and better looking will be playing the part.

Mrs Pfeiffer and Mr Ford, do you feel film festivals have become pressured over the last few years, with many demands on limited time, hard work, do you think twice before accepting and taking a plane to fly to a festival?

MP: Everybody involved with the movie seems to feel that it is important. And I love the movie and I want to support the movie. So I am here...

HF: I concur. I mean, it is a difficult couple of days, but it is only a couple of days and that obviously had great advantages for the film. I wish we had an opportunity to do something more than just speak about the film, but that is really impossible. But I'm glad to be here.

Robin Gatto