CLIFF CURTIS:
How was it to work with this ensemble of actors? Do they all work in a different way?
Completely different. I didn't have any scenes with Gene Hackman and I’m very upset about that (laughing). All of my scenes were with John Cusack. The pleasure of working with John Cusack is that he constantly asks questions and so the process of what you’re doing stays alive. That’s very actor-y sort of stuff, but it means that nothing is set in stone and you’ve got to keep working it through.
Did the director allow you a lot of freedom?
We did a lot of improvisation, which sort of turned the scenes to mush, and we had to put them back together and hurry up and cut all the nonsense out and try and make sense out of it again.
So basically what's in the script is what ended up in the film?
Pretty much. I'm hoping not to be cut out too much this time. There are a lot of movie stars there and it’s like I’m sharing screen time with some pretty heavy hitters. I’d be pretty happy to say, "That's my foot over there next to Dustin Hoffman as he walks past and talks to Gene Hackman."
Were you familiar with the book prior to shooting this film?
No, I’m not familiar with the book at all.
What do you think of the fact that they changed the subject matter from the tobacco industry to guns?
Well I was in "The Insider," you see, and so when they heard they were putting me in "Runaway Jury," they knew they couldn’t have me in both of those movies. They had to change it to a gun scenario (laughing).
Did the success of "Whale Rider" help open some doors for you?
"Whale Rider" has done absolutely nothing for my career - but I’m very proud of it - so far, but there's still time (laughing). "Whale Rider's" helped me a lot in terms of being involved in films that I love. In a career, you have to pay the rent, you’ve got to learn your craft, you’ve got to do a lot of things in your career, and occasionally you get a little gem like "Whale Rider." It’s something that’s very personal and it’s so gratifying when it goes on to be successful.
Has the film industry changed a lot in New Zealand?
Between "Whale Rider" and "Lord of the Rings," it indicates an industry that is about to blossom. It's more of a film community than an industry down there. I think there are the two extremes: the independent art house movie that's done everything that anything like a movie like that can do, and the huge blockbuster trilogy. Between those two films, there’s nothing that New Zealand filmmakers can’t do.
Are you filming there right now?
Yes I am. I’m going back home to do a film called "Spooked" with New Zealand filmmaker, Geoff Murphy. I'm playing a journalist who can’t get my story out. You being a journalist, you might be able to relate to that - and not being able to get my story past the editors and the bosses because it undermines the security of our nation. [It's] interesting. New Zealand can become a little microcosm for the stories that can’t be told anywhere else. It’s really exciting.
ADDITIONAL "RUNAWAY JURY" PREMIERE INTERVIEWS:
John Cusack ('Nick Easter'), Rachel Weisz ('Marlee'), and Dustin Hoffman ('Wendell Rohr')
Bruce Davison ('Defense Attorney Cable')
Nora Dunn ('Stella Hullic')
