Rhys Ifans portrays 'Puff' in director Michel Gondry's bizarre romantic comedy, "Human Nature." Casting the part of the wild man raised by an insane father who believes himself to be an ape was a daunting task. Gondry and Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Charlie Kaufman ("Being John Malkovich") saw dozens of actors before Rhys Ifans auditioned for the intriguing role. Gondry recalls that Ifans totally understood the character's complexities and immediately blew them (Gondry and Kaufman) away. Charlie Kaufman adds, "Rhys had to go from one end of the spectrum to the other, and do it convincingly. He's got a charm about him that makes all of it really work."
RHYS IFANS (Puff)
What attracted you to this film?
I'd read the script and I was a big fan of Charlie's [Kaufman] writing since "Being John Malkovich." I thought it was fresh air to see this - especially happening in Hollywood - to see something so original and inspiring. Then when I heard that Michel Gondry was directing, I thought this was a marriage made in an upside-down Heaven. I auditioned [for the part]. I just went in and howled a bit, scratched my balls, and got the part.
How did you learn to get so comfortable performing sans clothing?
You just do. I guess the most frightening thing in the world is walking on stage. The first time you walk on stage you are as naked as you ever will be, whether you are fully clothed or not. It's kind of liberating after the first couple of days. This wasn't nudity of the sexual natural at all. It's just an honest, human state.
Was being naked the most challenging part of this role?
No, not being naked. The most challenging part was not making Puff just an exercise in physical comedy by giving him a human heart. Giving him real fears and needs and making what on the page could look like Benny Hill, making him someone that you really felt for. Giving him a poetry, if you like.
Where did you learn physical comedy?
I guess I'm 6'2" and malnourished.
Were there any comedians that inspired you?
As a child, my all-time favorites were Laurel and Hardy. But no, not really. I think with Puff, I just looked at children more than apes. Children are innately funny. They are sort of clumsy in a graceful way. I think that 'gracefully clumsy' is the essence of physical comedy.
The character goes through multiple transitions. How did you develop the arc for this character?
In many ways they're archetypes, each of these characters. There's the child, there's the pompous adult, there's the lover - these are all archetypes. You've only got to look at the masks supplied for all these things. It's something that you learn in the theatre and it's something we learn in society.
What version of Puff was the most fun to play - the articulate one or the untamed version?
I kind of like the interim between the two. I like the hyperspace between the feral and the educated. I liked the relapses, that was the interesting area. That's the area we all live in, I think.
How was it to work with Tim Robbins and Patricia Arquette?
This [film], in particular, takes a certain kind of actor to want to commit to a project like this, however exciting it looks on the page. It's quite a long journey from the page to the actual physical [performance] of it. It was a small cast and it was really an intensely pleasurable experience. I've been a fan of Tim's and Patricia's work for years. I've really liked their choices as actors.
Was it particularly brave of Patricia?
Oh yeah, particularly Patricia. It was easy for me, that's why I'm so modest about my nudity because for Patricia, it must have been a hell of a task.
Did you discuss your role with Charlie Kaufman a lot?
No, not really. We just talked with Michel. Charlie, myself and Michel sort of agreed on what Puff was. It was the doing of it that was my department, the filming of it was Michel's and the writing of it was Charlie's. It was like a three-pronged attack.
Did you grow your beard out like Puff's?
No, that was all stuck on. I'm growing this beard now for a film that I'm doing in Australia in a few weeks time. But unfortunately with "Human Nature," because of the nature of the story, you see Puff in so many different states, that I can't grow a beard in an afternoon. That was all stuck on and that's a real pain in the butt.
What film will you be working on in Australia?
It's a film that follows the story of a man who works in a cement factory in Sydney. He lives this humdrum, gray, urban existence and he discovers that his wife is about to have an affair with a good-looking sports commentator. So one afternoon on a whim, he buys 25 weather balloons, inflates them, and ties them to his deck chair and disappears into the stratosphere. The story follows what happens to him after that. Jeff Balsmeyer is directing it. He was a storyboarder for the Coen Brothers and Martin Scorsese. It's his first feature.
Why did you become an actor?
I joined the Youth Theatre when I was 14. I guess when you live in Wales, speaking Welsh, there's kind of tradition of getting up - it's kind of noble to get up and tell a story. Acting is just sort of an extension of that. Also, living in a small town without a lot to do, it's good for the old imagination.
Do you miss doing theater?
Yes, I haven't done theater for about five years now. I miss it, but it doesn't keep me up at night. I'd love to go back and do some but it's such a huge commitment - theater - you know, time and everything. It's really a case of finding the right thing and the right director. I will wear the tights again one day, hopefully.
Was it intimidating working with Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts in "Notting Hill?"
It was comfortable from the beginning. I was far from being intimidated; I was exhilarated and very excited to work with two such actors who are so adept at that genre. There was just an air of generosity from the moment I took my trousers off.
