Director Clint Eastwood had his choice of actors to fill the key roles. As soon as word got out that the film was getting ready to go into production, actors were calling Eastwood expressing interest in the project. “I don’t think I could have found a better actor for any of the parts in this film,” said Eastwood. “Sean, Tim, Kevin, Laurence [Fishburne], Laura [Linney], and Marcia [Gay Harden] are all simply outstanding. I had no doubts about the talent of this cast.”
In this interview, actor/director/musician Kevin Bacon talks about Clint Eastwood’s style of directing, working in Boston, and other upcoming projects:
The novelist said he felt the character of Sean was 'boring.'How do you make a character like this interesting?
That's funny, I can't believe he thought the character was boring. The thing about that character is that he's not a guy that talks about his feelings too much. What you have to try to do is have the feeling be there underneath and between the words. Really, most of the talking that I do in the film is about the case. Me and Laurence Fishburne are kind of like the guides for the audience in terms of what's going on, who's the suspect, and what's happening. But at the same time, I think he's got a tremendous amount of sadness and his life is falling apart. He's living alone, he's kind of living on an island.
Had you read the novel?
No. I specifically did not read it because I was afraid I would get too emotionally attached to it. It's a gig I'd been wanting for so many years that I was kind of like protecting myself, so I read the novel after I read the screenplay. Of course, it proved to be a great research tool.
When you say it was a gig you always wanted, do you mean working with Clint Eastwood?
Yes. I'd been wanting to work with him for years. I'd told him that when “Space Cowboys” came out. He went on to do “Blood Work” after “Space Cowboys” came out, so it was at least three years before “Mystic River” came together.
I understand Clint Eastwood’s process is quite different. Did it live up to your expectations?
Yes. It's different, it's very fat-free. You show up and he expects you to be ready to go. He casts you for a part and that call that he makes is his vote of confidence that you are the actor he wants. You will play the part, and you do the homework on your own. Normally you go up at least a couple of weeks for a movie like this [for] rehearsals and camera tests. I called the producer and he said, “We start shooting on Monday, so if you want to come in Sunday night, that's fine.” I said, "You're kidding." He said, "Yeah, some of the other guys are up here, but . . ." I said, “Okay.”
I did it all myself, I did all the dialect work. I did all my character work completely by myself. I'll tell you, after so many years it's embarrassing to admit that I don't honestly know how much I want to be directed. I used to think when I was a kid that the director was someone who came in and made you better and brought out this amazing performance. A good director creates an environment, which gives the actor the encouragement to fly. [Clint Eastwood] keeps a very, very friendly, quiet, stress-free set. The days are short. He does one or two takes. I do better on the first three takes; I just do. I've done my [preparation] and I'm ready to do it. I won't be better at 20 takes.
Page 2: Filming in Boston, Taking Direction from Eastwood, and Working on "In the Cut"
