First time feature film director/writer Vadim Perelman began casting “House of Sand and Fog” by starting with the character of Behrani. Looking back, Perelman recalls the only actor he ever considered for the role was Sir Ben Kingsley. “Ben was meant to play the role of Behrani; no one else could have even come close. Ben is the center, the rock of the movie. He is a great man as well as a brilliant actor…intuitive and wonderfully generous.”
Do you thrive on intense dramatic issues?
You know it was mother’s milk to me – not that I had a traumatic childhood, but when I was 22 I had the great fortune to audition for Trevor Nunn. By the time I was 23, I was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. That company is as good as it sounds. It is a magnificent company whose central mandate is to bring Shakespeare to as many people as possible with great performances, sometimes in modern dress, sometimes experimental My “Hamlet” was in modern dress in ’75. The text remaining sacred, unchanged, but the approach to it making it utterly relevant and modern. Now from 1967 through to 1979, on and off, I was with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theater, and the Royal Court. It therefore left me somewhat addicted to epic drama, to say the least. That’s why, perhaps, I have an appetite for characters like Itzhak Stern in “Schindler’s List,” Don Logan in “Sexy Beast,” this wonderful character, Behrani, whose role was an Arabian Colonel who served his king.
How tough is it to decide to do fun movies like “Species” and “What Planet Are You From”?
And lately “Thunderbirds.” When I was in the Royal Shakespeare Company, I did performances like Frank Ford in “Merry Wives of Windsor” I played some great comedic roles in these plays. I have a massive appetite for comedy, as well as drama and tragedy. Out of the four films I’ve just finished back to back, two are comedy performances. I hope people laugh, but they’re intended to be comedy performances. It’s light and shade; it’s balance. If I’m fortunate enough to have a choice, then I try to keep things balanced just for my own growth.
You mentioned Shakespeare and “House of Sand and Fog” has a Shakespearean tone. Do you feel this movie has something in common with Shakespeare?
Ron [Eldard] and I talked a lot during the film - I did many wonderful scenes with Ron – and off the set, it’s not that we’re having life-changing profoundly important conversations, but Shakespeare was bounced around. It was in and out of the conversation, very much so. I think the first conversation I had when I met Vadim [Perelman], and then later on I met the rest of the wonderful cast including the great Jennifer [Connelly], and we had a read-through at the table. I don’t remember when it was first mentioned, but it was very similar to what you are saying. Greek Tragedy was mentioned and everyone had their own strong response to the use of that phrase. I think that, rather than Shakespeare, I think that was the glue that held us all together. Not that every day we said, “Right, we’re making Greek Tragedy today.” But it was just a sort of unspoken conspiracy between us that we knew.
For example, if Behrani left Persia in a chariot, with his family holding on to the chariot and his three favorite horses, and crossed the mountains and found a beautiful abandoned house and lived in there and then a beautiful witch said, “This is my house.” You could have set this story 2,500 years ago and it would be the same screenplay. Exactly the same. And a soldier falls in love with a beautiful witch and says, “I will fight to get your house back.” You know? It’s like an ancient myth. I think because we appreciated the fact that it could be an ancient myth. We were not dependent upon modern points, too many contemporary points of reference, but were more in touch with the ancientness of a father’s love for his son. The ancientness of a daughter’s grief that she has to leave her father’s house. It’s like the Old Testament. The more we were in touch with that, the more it gave us courage on the set. It simply gave us courage to go into the very dark areas.
PAGE 2: Not Getting Pigeonholed, the Flow Between Actors, and the Persian Culture
ADDITIONAL “HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG” INTERVIEWS:
Writer/Director Vadim Perelman, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Jennifer Connelly and Ron Eldard
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
"House of Sand and Fog” Photo Gallery
"House of Sand and Fog” Trailer, Credits, and Movie News
