Clive Owen stars as the father of a 14 year old high school athlete who falls victim to a sexual predator in the gripping drama, Trust. The film is a passion project of writer/director David Schwimmer who, as part of his volunteer work as a board member of the Rape Foundation in Southern California, has had the opportunity to talk with families whose lives have been directly impacted by sexual predators. And among the people Schwimmer has spoken to over the years, one father's story stood out. That story, about an online predator, was the catalyst behind Schwimmer's decision to create a film about the dangers of allowing strangers into our lives via the internet.
Schwimmer spent seven years finessing the story with co-writer Andy Bellin who, it turns out, had Owen in mind as the father while he was working on the script. Owen has two daughters and was drawn to the film's subject matter, with his involvement helping to, according to producer Tom Hodges, open doors and get the independent film made.
The MPAA slapped an R-rating on Trust, however the audience who can most benefit from this film is in fact the audience that MPAA doesn't want to see this movie. Director Schwimmer sought to have the rating reversed, but the MPAA - which is much more lenient on violence in films than it is on sex or sexuality - refused to budge. Owen sides with Schwimmer in the battle over the film's rating, and believes this is just the sort of film which should be seen by teenagers.
In our exclusive interview in support of the Millennium Entertainment production, Owen talked about the appeal of Trust and how working on the film started a dialogue within his own family about the use of the internet.
Exclusive Interview with Clive Owen
David was so personally involved in the story. Was that important for a film like this to have someone at the helm - and as a writer - so connected to the subject matter?
Clive Owen: "I think for a project like this I probably wouldn't have done the film if it hadn't been this kind of passion project for him because I don't think I'd want to do a film where somebody had just come up with this idea. With this type of film, this comes out of somebody who has witnessed an awful lot and has been involved in this world and has seen a lot of these people. And that's why I think the script felt very truthful, because it had come from a lot of real experiences."
What affect did the short shooting schedule of just 29 days have on your work on Trust?
Clive Owen: "It didn't hurt. Yeah, it just made the whole thing very intense. You know, we had to be very concentrated and the schedule had to be worked out very well. It kind of helped in a way because it made the whole experience sort of tight and intense."
When you're playing a character who has to display such a sheer level of frustration, does the shorter schedule help?
Clive Owen: "Not really, no. I think on a film like this you just sort of immerse yourself in it. That's kind of just the world you're inhabiting and you just do that until you've finished it, really. Whether it takes six weeks or 12 weeks, you do what you can. But, yeah, it was certainly a very demanding part."
Was it a role that was difficult to set aside at the end of each day?
Clive Owen: "It's weird because when people say that I always think of actors staying in character at night and everything, and I've never really approached it like that. You're concentrating very hard each day. You've fully immersed yourself in something that's not very nice and you have to concentrate. Yes, it's demanding because of that, you know? But if you're trying to do a film like this and you're trying to give it some emotional honesty, then it means you've got to go to a pretty dark place day after day. That's true."
You've done such a variety of films; you don't stick with any genre. Is there more of a connection on a project like this where the subject matter is so true to life?
Clive Owen: "It's definitely not the same for any film. The good thing with this film is that having met people who had been through similar experiences - parents who had been through similar experiences where something terrible had happened to their daughter - you realize that that kind of pain is so deep. And in our story, a lot of the film takes place just after that event and there's no easy scene because every scene has to be infused with that kind of pain and frustration and anger, because it's all so fresh. I spoke to people who something like this had happened to their daughter six years before, and within seconds of starting to talk about it they were weeping. It's kind of that painful. And that's the hard thing is that to do it justice, you've got to be in that place. There's no easy scene. There's no scene you can just go in and not treat very seriously."
I'm sure it was extremely difficult for these parents to discuss these traumatic events, but were there specific bits of information you got from them that you didn't get from the script or even from talking to David Schwimmer about it?
Clive Owen: "It was really the combination of upset and anger, really, the awfulness that somebody can do that to one of your children and the pain, you know? So it's a kind of that you're torn between wanting to just do everything and be as loving as possible, and also there's a lot of anger involved that somebody did this to your child."
Did the fathers express the same type of guilt over the fact they couldn't protect their daughters as your character exhibits in the film?
Clive Owen: "Very, very much. Both that kind of guilt but also the anger. Fantasies of turning up with a gun and shooting the person. Yeah, it's very extremely well researched, the script. It's a passion project for David. He's attached to this Rape Center in LA and he comes from hearing and witnessing people's real experiences. The film was very thoroughly researched. It was triple-checked. Like, 'Is this emotionally true? Is this how parents do react after an incident like this?' So it was all taken from real experience. It wasn't somebody's good idea for film."
As a parent, was it a difficult project for you to say yes to, given the subject matter?
Clive Owen: "I found it upsetting and I think it's an important subject to be talking about to our children, how they use the internet and how they relate to each other. So I felt it was very topical and something that I felt, you know, we should be looking at and addressing and thinking about."
Has it affected the way you talk to your own children about the internet?
Clive Owen: "In a strange way just through doing the film, literally, because my girls will ask, 'What's your film about, dad?,' and I have to tell them. In some ways that opens up that conversation that there are dangers out there on the internet. You have to be careful. The best thing the film can do is just keep the conversation open. It's impossible, I think, these days to fully regulate the way our kids use this kind of medium because nowadays most kids' phones can access everything on the internet. You can't be breathing down their necks every minute of every day. But what you can do is be very clear about the dangers and make sure that they're aware. I think first and foremost you make sure that they don't respond or relate to somebody that they don't know. That's one of the key things, I think."
I understand why the MPAA gave it an R rating, but this is a film that needs to be shown to teenagers.
Clive Owen: "That's it, exactly. I mean David and the producers tried to appeal the rating purely for that reason because, you know, it's a responsible film. It's not a gratuitous film. It's done in a very responsible way and, yes, it's tough but I don't think it's a bad thing for teenagers to see this film."
"They told me that it got the rating and they were going to appeal and they put forth the case, but unfortunately it didn't go through."
Is Trust a film you'd let your oldest daughter see in theaters?
Clive Owen: "I would, actually. Yes, I would. I think, as I say, I'd be less inclined if I thought it was in any way gratuitous or sensationalized, but it's not. Yes, it's tough but it's not irresponsible."
What's David Schwimmer like as a director?
Clive Owen: "It's always great to be directed by an actor because they understand the process, especially on a film like this where you've got to go some tough places. Because they understand the process so well and they are very sensitive and careful about giving you the environment to get to those places, in that way he was great to work with."
Given that it was a story so close to David's heart, were you able to change anything to fit what you learned in the research into your character?
Clive Owen: "I would do the same on any film I was in. If things didn't quite ring true or there was an emotional beat I didn't quite buy, I would add that. But the script was in pretty good shape and you could tell the people had checked it out. It was because it had come from real experiences that I think it was in such good shape."
I loved the chemistry among the actors who played your family. Did you and Catherine Keener immediately connect?
Clive Owen: "Yes. I'd wanted to work with her for a long time. I was thrilled when she came on board and said she'd do it. That was great. And I was hugely impressed by Liana [Liberato] - I think she gives a stunning performance. She kind of holds the film together and she has some very crucial scenes that are very hard to pull off. And for a girl of her age, she's got such intelligence and maturity. It wasn't like acting with a child where you've got to be careful. She was really accomplished and fine and deft, and I actually just thoroughly enjoyed working with her."
There are a lot very emotionally difficult, heart-wrenching scenes between the two of you. Did those scenes involve a lot of takes?
Clive Owen: "They definitely weren't easy to get. You had to work at them, and sometimes it would take a bit of time. It wasn't easy; it was hard work."
What lesson above everything else would you want your daughter and other teenagers to take from the film?
Clive Owen: "I think to know that, yes, of course everybody now uses the internet and they use the internet a lot, but just to know some of the dangers, really. I think the key thing is to never be relating or responding to anyone you don't know. Any relationship you have with the internet or through the internet with people, you must know them. And, I mean, it's strange because in my girls' school the police have been there a number of times to talk about the dangers of the internet. There's a concern there because they obviously think it's worth spending the money on that manpower going into the schools, which means there must be a problem out there that they're addressing. And that's obviously a worry. But just to know that there are dangers out there and you do have to be alert and to be careful, and what appears to be a sort of safe way of communicating - i.e. you're sitting at home just typing into a keypad - can have dangers."
When we were younger, we actually went out and met people face-to-face. That's not always the case today with the people teenagers call their 'friends' online. The internet and social media outlets have changed the way teens interact, and it's actually pretty scary.
Clive Owen: "I think that very strongly. I think you can see and smell and learn an awful lot by actually being with other people and seeing them. This way of communicating is very different from when we were children. We used to go out and play; we didn't sit in a bedroom tapping into a keypad for hours on end. And the thing is, the kids think they're being really social. Actually they're sitting on their own with a computer in front of them, but they feel it's hugely social because they're all responding to each other. But it's not real in a way - it's kind of detached."
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Trust hits theaters on April 1, 2011.
