De Bankolé on LoC
Jonathan Monina of the NY Entertainment Industry Examiner has posted an interview he's done with Isaach De Bankolé, who plays the lead character in The Limits of Control:
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JM: So tell me a little bit about the film and your character. What is it about?
IDB:
It is the story of a mysterious loner, a stranger in the process of
completing a criminal job. His activities remain meticulously outside
the law. He trusts no one, and his objectives are not initially
divulged.
JM: Do you prefer to play the hero or the villain? Why?
IDB:
I really don’t have a preference. I’m just looking for a good and
exciting story with a multi-dimensional character to portray, have
something to chew on, whether it’s a good guy or a bad guy doesn’t
matter. Although, like a comedian who has fun imitating people, it can
be more interesting to try immersing yourself into the soul and mind of
a character who, at a first glance, seems distance away from who you
think you really are; and it could be somehow more gratifying when you
succeed.
JM: I know you’ve worked with Jim Jarmusch before on Coffee and Cigarettes, Ghost Dog, and Night on Earth. Did he have you in mind for this part when he wrote the script?
IDB:
Jim, most of the time, has actors in mind when he writes. The only
difference with this one is that he had in mind both me and a location-
the tower in Madrid.
JM: What is he like as a director?
IDB:
He is a very detailed person, like a designer of “Haute Couture”, can
be a kind of a control-freak, but is also well aware of his own
limitation. He is the sweetest director I ever worked with, funny,
smart, sensitive. He makes you feel good, important, and unique. As a
human being, you learn tremendously by his side. He is an angel.
JM:
Before you came to the States, you were starring in lots of films in
France. Can you describe the transition of going from playing the lead
role of a film in one country, to playing side characters in a whole
new environment?
IDB:
The transition from France to the United States has never been easy,
but almost nothing in life is. During the last 8 years (1990-1998)
that I was living in Paris before moving to New York, though I was
active, I didn’t work in any French movies, or with a French director.
I was working mostly with foreign directors. I was full of energy and
ambition, and in France I wasn’t getting any exciting film projects. I
felt like I was dying slowly, which was unbearable, so I started to do
some writing. And like a plant, which needs water and sunlight to
grow, I had no other choice but to leave France if I had to keep my
dreams, and stay alive. Being in love with a woman who was living in
New York then helped me smooth things a bit… I always feel grateful to
be asked to play any part, as long as it is in a good story. There may
be side actors, but I don’t think there are side characters per say. I
think a great performance has nothing to do with the length, but the
presence of the performer, his ability to captivate the audience, the
power of his imagination; that is, I believe, what matters.
JM: Your recent success in Miami Vice, Casino Royale, and 24
is helping you really make a name for yourself in the States. Do you
think this new role will put you on the map with mainstream American
audiences?
IDB: I think with The Limits of Control
we did the movie we wanted to do. Beyond the tremendous amount of work
it took, at different levels, every person involved did put a certain
dose of his soul in the making of it. My hope is that each of them will
be proud of the result, and gain from it. So, if this role puts me on
the map with mainstream American audiences as you say, it’s fine; and
if not, life goes on…
JM: As it's becoming
harder to raise funding for projects, I'm sure it is being more and
more difficult to find work. How has the recession affected your
career?
IDB: On a personal level, the recession has caused some investors to pull out from Andrew Dosunmu's Mother George, a film project I was supposed to star in, and which was scheduled to shoot at the end of 2008.
JM:
With illegal copies of movies becoming available online at a rapid
pace, revenue is being taken away from the films that really need
it. As an actor, how do you feel about the high rate of film piracy?
IDB:
I feel bad about illegal films online, and it impacts the whole
industry, but what can I do? How do you know on the internet if a movie
is illegal or not? It's not like bootleg DVD, when you know and decide
to buy it or not... So, I don't know, it may be an oversight of the
regulatory body, which should be given more power for better
regulation...
