[IMG:L]In the company of Neil Labute, and co-stars Sam Jackson and Kerry Washington, stage-trained, buzz actor-on-the-rise Patrick Wilson (Little Children, Hard Candy)–drawn to edgier roles that most young thesps would shy away from–portrays a man in arrested development, having a (white) male crisis where race and masculinity erupt, unseating the everydayness of his warm (interracial) marriage that vexes their neighbor to no end.
Enter financially stretched couple Chris (Wilson) and Lisa (Washington), who move into their decked-out start-up home in the affluent cul-de-sac of Lakeview Terarce. But their predatorial police next door neighbor, Abel, (Jackson) is not having it–and it all begins to tumble from there.
With a resume that includes playing: a young sexually ambiguous Mormon, an accused pedofile, and a philandering stay-at-home dad, Wilson is that guy who, a decade from now, will have folks arguing, “No, that, was best role.” Certainly they’ll remember this one as a standout.
Read hunky Patrick Wilson‘s EXCLUSIVE on Hollywood.com on his intense new thiller that probes rage and alienation from all sides of the color spectrum.
[PAGEBREAK]
Hollywood.com: In terms of your own background, were you exposed to racism that either dealt with black on white or white on black ill will?
Patrick Wilson: Not real-l-l-ly. I grew up in the South so that sort of lays out some sense of heritage I guess. I mean, my dad was a TV anchor. I mean I grew up in a predominantly white area, but I don’t think that was out of any grand plan. My parents came from very, very humble beginnings so we never moved into a fancy neighborhood. If anything, people would come over and say, “Why don’t you move into a fancier neighborhood.” My parents never talked about money or class or any of that. The majority of my school was white. I grew up in a very Southern Episcopalian family and a very open church…so I never really [was around that stuff in a sense].
[PAGEBREAK]
Hollywood.com: I’m curious about your openness in taking on roles that most actors would shy away from?
Patrick Wilson: I usually try to keep my own personal feelings off the table but I think you can probably look at the work that I do; there are some pretty out there characters and not so far out–that’s sort of like me anyway…I may go out on a whim. I am attracted to sort of the fallen hero. I’ve never done a movie that dealt with racism on any level. I don’t think this is a race movie but it completely interested me like, “This will be fun. Let’s see what the fallout on this is?”
[PAGEBREAK]
Hollywood: I can understand what an attraction it would be for an actor to work with provocateur-director Neil LaBute.
Patrick Wilson: Yeah, to work with Neil and to work with Sam (Jackson) and Kerry (Washington). Reading those scenes and going toe-to-toe with Sam, I mean, that’s the stuff you dream about and latch onto, being such a fan of his. I love those moments, I really do. One of the first scenes I really did on film, even though it was a mini-series, was Angels in America. I was working opposite Al Pacino and Meryl Streep…to sort of jump in and go toe-to-toe with those people it gave me a different view…I get the excitement! It’s not really a nervousness or intimidation from actors like Sam, or really huge movie stars…I sort of relish that. I love the opportunity to play.
[PAGEBREAK]
Hollywood.com: There’s such a focus on masculinity about this movie, scene after scene, can you talk about that?
Patrick Wilson: Yeah, I sort of love that. I mean, I love that these men really are not going about things the right way, either of them. Obviously Sam [as Abel] is very active in his pursuit to kick us out. It takes a while for Chris; I think he feels emasculated–he doesn’t feel like he can do anything. He feels completely helpless. It’s not until you get to the bar scene with me and Sam [Abel], and he seems to have a human understanding of him and what he does, but it’s understood that I’d never like him. It doesn’t mean what I applaud what he [Abel] did or even sympathize but I can understand.
[PAGEBREAK]
Hollywood.com: Her acting is full of surprise and unpredictability; can you talk about working with your dazzling onscreen wife, Kerry Washington?
Patrick Wilson: She’s great. Her laugh…if you close your eyes you can hear it…it’s that loud! [Laughs] We really had a great time. We really wanted to set up this couple and show how much they got along, and what their relationship was like, and how much fun that they had because that could give it somewhere to go. The thing is we’d all sit around and try to figure out the scenes, they were very well written, we’d talk about it before and [about] what feels right. She’s a very, very, very smart actress. I would just reflect on her choices. I just felt that comfortable which was great. She was very giving actress.
[PAGEBREAK]
Hollywood.com You have such a great rapport as a ‘married couple’ in this–and it feels like you fit well together which is important when there’s so much talk about race–what do you think Chris does for Rachel and Rachel for Chris?
Patrick Wilson: I think they have a lot of common ground. I think they’re a good couple. I think the interracial marriage is not an issue to them and we tried to point that out … [Speaking for his character] It’s like when you first start dating back in college and some of your friends didn’t like me. It’s like, “Aren’t we over this? Isn’t everybody over this?” That was sort of the struggle [they have], but it wasn’t just that. That’s one thing that really frustrates Chris is when her [Lisa’s] father pulls that card, and then when Lisa, talking about Abel says, “You don’t know him.” And then it dawns on Chris, “Why [pauses] I don’t know him like you do, is because I’m white?” It was like, “God, has it come to this?” It’s interesting because a lot of people want to agree with it or disagree with it and say, “That’s completely false” or say, “Wow. That’s spot on.” I think you can have whatever reaction you want but for these people it’s real. He all of a sudden feels like an outsider in his own marriage because of this guy [Abel]? I love that! It’s very complicated and very frustrating.
[PAGEBREAK]
Hollywood.com: So what’s up next along this year for you?
Patrick Wilson: I’m doing All My Sons [on Broadway with Katie Holmes] right now, which is just an awesome, awesome play. If he [Arthur Miller] hadn’t written Death of a Salesman I think people would think this one was his greatest play … The amazing relevance of it right now is sadly astounding. I’m doing that, and another movie that comes out at the end of October called Passengers with Anne Hathaway. I’m doing a little indie movie called Barry Munday. It’s a quirky little comedy. It’s really, really, really funny. Hopefully that will be out next spring around the same time as the big superhero movie Watchmen. [Smiles] So, that’s my career for the moment.
