Gael Garcia Bernal stars in The King |
It’s not always good to be the King. Hollywood.com sat down with star Gael Garcia Bernal, producer/writer Milo Addica and director/writer James Marsh to discuss their intense indie The King, a surreal tale about a young man searching for his identity, which leads him to a tragedy of biblical proportions.
Gael Garcia Bernal
Hollywood.com: How did you get involved with the project? Was your role written as a Latin character--and with you in mind?
Gael Garcia Bernal: They just called me. I was in the middle of doing The Motorcycle Diaries and they sent me the script which I loved. But no, it wasn’t written with me in mind, really. So it sort of redefined the movie because it automatically throws in stronger complexities. When you deal with people as they are, you don’t want to 'white wash' their identities.
HW: You play an American very well. Did you have a coach?
GB: Yeah, I worked with a voice coach who help me very much. It can become a burden and you can become very self conscious about it, but I wasn’t oppressive at all. It was pretty freeing... Even if you do another accent well, your natural one is always there. You are always carrying it. But in this case, I felt really open to jump around and be able to play with the language.
HW: But still, sometimes there were moments where your character had an 'otherworldly' quality, unlike the family he encounters.
GB: Well, definitely compared to the father and his family, who speak in a very specific Texas accent. Elvis is also from Texas, he just has a different accent. It’s surprising in Texas, the time I spent there making this film, how very non-hypocritical it is. It’s very straightforward. I like that. It’s very integrated. You go to a store and you’re speaking Spanish and English. There seems to be a relaxed sense of identity there, regardless of what f***ing flag is flying.
HW: This movie deals with the acute xenophobia in this country. What are your feelings about it?
GB: I think the level of paranoia is kind of immeasurable now because there are some absolute truths that you cannot talk back. They are being shielded or embraced by the flag or by the nation or even God. So its very difficult to start a constructive argument or discussion. I’ve heard from many people about the immigration marches. [The government] want to toughen the borders after 9/11 to protect from the terrorists coming here. But that doesn’t have anything to do with what they are talking about. They are talking about granting them rights as human beings and laborers. They don’t want to be citizens. They just want to have temporary work rights and go back to Mexico without risking their lives.
HW: From The King, it seems that the religious right are the ones who want to build this wall between Mexico and the U.S. ?
GB: Not all of them. I think the people who want to build this wall and keep these people on an illegal status, are the people who get the most benefit from it. The rich guys who own the farms, the corporations. [The King] deals with the question of territory as well. Why isn’t this kid [Elvis] allowed to be from where he was born? First of all, because his father doesn’t recognize him; his father being the only one in the equation who is from the United States. The mother is a prostitute, therefore she absolutely has no rights. And the fact she’s Mexican--even less rights. So the only way he can get an identity and acceptance, is by shedding blood for his country; and so he joins the Navy.
HW: Do you think the acts of violence your character commits in the movie are a result of him being in the armed services?
GB: It has to do with that, yeah... because of the lack of love he has received. He thinks he is in love with his [half] sister but he doesn’t know any better. Perhaps this is first time he feels close to anyone and that’s why he thinks he is in love. But maybe he is not. It’s very primal, innocent--a way to get inside the family and get close to his father. He doesn’t know any better, so he doesn’t know if he’s doing right or wrong. Oscar Wilde put it nicely, “Sometimes you kill the person you love.” Not only physically--but you destroy the love that you have.
HW: You like making 'journey' movies then?
GB: Yeah, it seems so, doesn’t it? I think films can portray what’s going on--not only with one person, but with what’s going on in the world. There’s always a journey to search for an identity. It’s happening with myself. It’s what happens when you’re young. It’s a question we all have.
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