Writer/producer/director Jonathan Demme used one of his all-time favorite films, "Charade," as a jumping off point for "The Truth About Charlie." Radically changing the relationships and personalities of the original film's lead characters, Demme's version takes the original "Charade" storyline in an entirely different direction.
"'Charade' was a huge hit that has pretty much become an enduring classic. It's a terrific story with rich characters and settings. I love the way it combines mystery and suspense with relationships and humor. I asked Stanley Donen ['Charade's' director/producer] how he would feel about 'Charade' being remade and I was thrilled when he gave me his blessing," said Demme.
Demme was impressed with Mark Wahlberg's work in "Boogie Nights" and "Three Kings," and was confident the actor was capable of filling the role of Joshua Peters, loosely based on the role Cary Grant portrayed in the original film. Demme recalls, "I told him to forget Cary Grant. I considered having that tattooed on my forehead, because we would be going 180 degrees from there. I referred to Mark as the 'anti-Cary Grant.'"
In this interview, Mark Wahlberg discusses his role in "The Truth About Charlie," the misunderstanding surrounding his appearance on "Letterman," and inevitable comparisons to the legendary Cary Grant:
MARK WAHLBERG (Joshua Peters)
Had you seen "Charade" prior to being attached to this film?
Not before I talked to Jonathan [Demme] about doing this.
What did you think about filling Cary Grant's shoes?
It was never about that. It was never about, "We wanna do this, you know, I think you're the new Cary Grant." [Jonathan Demme] thought I was the right guy for the part, to bring something different and interesting to the role, so I said, "Sure." I wasn't a huge fan of the original. I thought this is a beautiful film and I wasn't a huge fan of the script. I was a huge fan of Jonathan Demme, so I said, "I'll work with this guy in whatever role. I'll play the guy on the bus who doesn't say anything. I think it would be a learning experience for me." That's kind of the journey that I'm on - will be on for the next couple of years - just to try to work with talented filmmakers, especially writer-directors who have very specific visions and allow me to start with their vision and learn a lot in the process. So, when I venture off on my own, I will have worked with some of the best filmmakers in the business.
How did you prepare for this role?
I said, "Jonathan, what do you want me to do? How do you want me to say it? French or English? And say 'Action.'" While I was working on "Planet of the Apes" I had the luxury of studying French for a couple of months before I got there [to Paris]. The day I wrapped "Planet of the Apes," I was in Hawaii and an hour after I wrapped, I was on a plane to France. I got off the plane, I went directly to the set, said "Hi" to Jonathan and went to a wardrobe fitting. The next day, I was shooting.
I certainly wouldn't have felt comfortable doing that if it wasn't with a guy like Jonathan, because I do like to take a lot of time to prepare. But I knew that he had very specific ideas and I'm very flexible when it comes to that. I'll know my lines, and I'll have my take on the scene so if he wants to see something, I've got a couple of different ideas, and I've got an approach to it. I'm open-minded to just doing whatever - throwing stuff away [and] adding stuff. That's always kind of helped me. I've seen a lot of actors who have a very specific idea, especially a lot of technical actors, people who have trained a lot. They come in with something and if it doesn't work, they have a problem shaking that and doing something different. It's certainly something I learned early on and realized that I didn't want to find myself in that position. There's a certain amount of preparation and homework, you've gotta know your s**t, but at the same time, you have to be able to let all of that go and to be versatile.
There seems to be some misunderstanding about what was said on "The Late Show with David Letterman." Did you say you were going to be playing Cary Grant?
No - I mean, yeah. They asked me, "You're playing this part that Cary Grant played?" I said, 'Well, no, Jonathan thought I was the right guy for the part, so I was playing the part." I didn't say I was playing Cary Grant. No, I did not.
Jonathan Demme seems to think you said you were playing Cary Grant.
It was a mistake. What happens when you're on "David Letterman," or talk shows like that, is they want [you] to tell funny little stories about stuff that happened and hopefully, if you're lucky, you get to show a clip. But they want to know like when your mom threw your favorite blankie out or something. So you're kind of dealing with that, and they ask you a question. He brought up the ending of the movie, and I'm just trying to get to the clip, so I'm just trying to say whatever and get on to the next subject. Jonathan wasn't very happy about that. He wrote me a four-page letter, which I don't think was a good idea because you don't put things in writing. The one thing I learned, even as a 13-year-old hoodlum on the street, I know you don't write s**t down. Now I have this letter and probably the next time I go on "Letterman," I'm going to read it. It's not flattering because it says, "Had I wanted to do the Cary Grant thing, there's so many other actors I could have cast instead of you." But it is what it is. Take it up with Dave, man.
How do you respond to the inevitable comparison to Cary Grant?
I have no response to that. Jonathan cast me in this movie, obviously, to do the complete opposite of Cary Grant because he was the guy in the original. People have to understand what we were trying to accomplish, which was do the complete opposite. People can do, say, or think whatever they want. I just decided to do it because Jonathan thought I was the right guy for the part, and I wanted to work with him.
Was it a challenge to play a character who is constantly teasing and tantalizing the audience and Thandie Newton?
Yeah, it was a lot of fun but it's a fine line to walk, too, because I always wanted to push the darker side. But, you have to kind of please the audience in a way and make them want to see the characters get together. It was really Jonathan's job to monitor that. I was willing to go darker because I want to do that.
You play a lot of quiet types. Is this quiet act part of your natural charm?
I have my moments, but yeah, for the most part I'm pretty quiet. It's usually like two hours of the day when I explode, then run out of gas. I think that's just who I am, laid back, but I have my moments, definitely. It's usually if I have a drink or two.
What do you do in those moments?
Nowadays? Not much. A lot of bark but not much bite, you know. I'm not trying to impress the wrong people any more. When I was young, I was a knucklehead; I did a lot of stupid things. I've just kind of grown up [and] things kind of slowed down. The only thing that I'm bummed out about is the fact that my metabolism has slowed down. I put on 45 pounds to do this project that didn't happen, and I had to lose it all for this thing I'm doing now. It wasn't as easy as it used to be.
Which project isn't going forward?
It was this thing called "Pride And Glory," this cop drama that I was going to do last January. About a month before we were about to shoot, it fell apart. It's something that hopefully I'm still going to be able to do because it's a fantastic piece of material. I get to let loose and play a bad guy, which I haven't done since "Fear."
Does this mean if you do the role, you have to put on 40 pounds again?
I will probably have to do that. It's going to be easier this time around. It was actually fun. For the first two weeks, it was fun. I was eating everything in sight, but then you realize you have to wake up at two in the morning. You had dinner at 10 and then you had to get up at 2 and eat a couple of In 'N Out burgers, and you're still full from dinner. Then you had to wake up at six and eat a stack of pancakes, which were a mountain high. It was rough. And then for it to fall apart, that was tough to swallow, considering I still hadn't swallowed the last meal.
What project are you working on now?
It's not a remake; it's loosely based on the film, "The Italian Job." [It's with] Edward Norton, Donald Sutherland and Charlize Theron. It's a great piece of material and a great spin on a great movie. A young director, somebody who has similar taste in material.
Will it have a cliffhanger ending?
Yes. Not the same cliff but something similar. The movie starts out in Venice, and then we go to Philadelphia and end up in Los Angeles. We're in the Alps for a little while.
Was doing a remake of "Charade" tougher than doing a remake of "Planet of the Apes?"
Physically, yes. I didn't feel any pressure in either situation. It was two interesting filmmakers. Tim Burton, here's a guy who has done some incredible work, somebody I never thought I'd really have an opportunity to work with. He asked me to do it. I wasn't a big fan of the original. I was well aware of the fact that Heston ran around in a loincloth for 90 percent of the film, which I didn't want to do, but I was willing to do because I hadn't read the script yet. But again, it was just about working with him. If it was "Planet of the Apes" or "Planet of the Grapes," I didn't care. It was like, "I'm gonna go in there and learn something."
Everything to me, in a perfect world, would be reality-based, something that I have some sort of connection with or I could find some sort of connection with. Something that's completely different from anything I've done and something that people wouldn't expect. It's all things that would be hard to find. There are some interesting movies being made, but for the most part, some are crap. Those are the movies that people are going to see and that's what people are making.
Are you signed for the sequel to "Planet of the Apes?"
Yeah, but I have a clause in there that says only if we have the right director.
What does that mean?
We'll see. If Tim [Burton] does it again, I'm in. But if they get some kid who just did the new Missy Elliot video, I don't know.
Would you ever return to music?
No. I joke around a lot. I did stuff below the radar for some of the films that I've made - "Big Hit," "Renaissance Man" and "Fear." But no, I kind of joke around. My record company has approached me to do another record. Things are going good on this front, they're like, "Hey, you know, Will Smith's record was a big hit last year." I love music, but no, I have no interest. I get embarrassed going on MTV to promote a film. It's just low. Thank God kids are getting so much smarter.
Did you originally see music as a way to transition to acting?
No, I never wanted to act. When I became successful in the music world, people were approaching me to act, but it was like play the white rapper in "Sister Act 2." I had such a hard time, obviously, because of the connection with my brother and "New Kids on the Block." I was having a hard time being looked at for who I really was anyway. So to go and act, I thought, would only confuse the issue more. But then I realized I couldn't make the records that I wanted to make.
I met Penny Marshall and Danny DeVito who thought that I could really do this thing. They didn't want me to play a rapper. They were going to allow me to do something completely different. At that point, I knew I was going to have to wait six years to get out of my contract and I couldn't record until then anyway. I said, "Why not? Let's give it a shot." After that experience, I thought, "This is all I want to do. If in seven years I'm in a position where I can make another record, great. I'll make the kind of record I want." But when that day came around, I had no real interest in doing it. I thought it would take away from all the work that I had done.
