He plays Zev Gutman, a Holocaust survivor suffering from dementia.
Zev is not an ideal assassin.
Because of his dementia, he forgets important details.
Is he the man who killed Zevs family in the camps?
Is Zev capable of of making that decision?
When you first read the script, what was your reaction?
That was the first reaction.
It was something different, and I love being different in everything I do.
I dont like being the same guy all the time.
So I jumped at that.
But otherwise, you are in every scene.
Yes, it was very difficult.
[Zev] cant drive a movie.
He has to be driven by the movie.
So much interior stuff going on.
But I must say, Atom was terrific.
He was a great help.
Well, I think every really good director is and should be actually.
He restores confidence, and I needed that for that strange role.
Its such an interior performance.
You have to look inward all the time.
And he is a prisoner and a victim of time and place and whatever is going on around him.
He is the victim.
He is not the perpetrator or the driver; he doesnt take control.
And especially because he has a short case of Alzheimers coming along.
This throw in of acting feels like the antithesis of stage acting.
I imagine you have to really trust the director to capture
Right that youre not going to go overboard.
Hes got to watch you like a hawk.
Thats why I was so grateful to Atom.
He was very good about that.
You won an Oscar forBeginners.
Did you feel a change in your career after that?
Yes of course, you feel it.
Because theres suddenly a huge amount of journalistic attention youre getting.
Thats when everything suddenly changed.
I was getting offers of more quality than I had before.
Of course, you’re able to just ask for more money and not be embarrassed.
Its a wonderful prize for that reason, but it wasnt hugely different then what was already happening.
You mentionedThe Insider,which leads me to something I wanted to ask you about.
I dont know if it was the roles or what.
I enjoyed playing it absolutely thoroughly.
Has acting become easier for lack of a better word for you now than it was 50 years ago?
Not so many things distract you.
And as one whos been at it for such a long time, its a profession I love.
I dont shed blood over it, like some actors who are so intense and theyre so worried.
I did that for awhile when I was young but then I soon got over it.
And what made me get over it was the fact that Ive done so much theater in my life.
And the theater drives it right out of you.
It makes you tough, it really does.
Im glad I balanced both, film and theater, all through my life, because its very necessary.
The 1950s when you were first doing theater witnessed an amazing explosion of acting talent.
And then the 70s had a second wave of actors that redefined the craft.
Currently, however, I feel likethe United States isnt doing the best job of finding new talent.
Any thoughts on this?
But I think its not just the United States.
I think its all over.
The audiences have changed.
They knew their theater backwards.
That meant something in the entertainment world.
So it was to me the leading part of our profession and has been for 2,000 years.
And of course, it wasnt their fault.
And that was a huge thing.
And its the parents fault for not encouraging that.
And its the ticket prices that are so high.
Everything tries to block the progression of great art.
Its such a fight to keep it restored and an act of service.
And also, our native playwrights are not as exciting and as extraordinary as they used to be.
There are a couple, of course, but language has been ignored, and thats a shame.
Im 42, but when people ask, I almost blurt out 31 for some reason.
Not because I want to lie.
But part of me still honestly thinks Im that age, just for a split second.
Is there an age in your head that pops in there when people ask?
[Laughs]
Does that ever happen to you?
Its stupid, but I feel like you do: I feel 31.
I feel 50 and Im 86.
[Getting old] doesnt worry me at all.
Oh, sh, take that mirror down.
Yes, lets cover all the mirrors.
Everyones talking about the Oscars right now, but the conversation is more about whowasntnominated than whowasnominated.
Any thoughts on how many people are pushing for the Academy to become a more diverse group?
Im old, but Im experienced, and I think I know whats good and what isnt.
But I think the average age [of the Academy voter] is too old.
And thats all I can say, because I dont presume to criticize my peers.
They also gave me my award [laughs], so I need to be grateful.
But I do think we need a mix.
Thats only natural, I think.
I think the average age is what: 50 or 60?
We need a few 40s.
Can I look forward to seeing you on the stage again?
Yes, I do it all the time.
So Im going to do a performance and perhaps put it on film for PBS in July.
I saw one other movie project in the works:The Kaisers Last Kiss.
We just finished making it in Brussels.
Its an interesting study in an older man who was an absolute ruler.
You cant get away from these Germans, can you?
[Laughs] No, I cant.
