He was a real surprise as the "Bear Jew." I couldn't believe he was the same guy.
--- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, "ravenadal" <ravena...@...> wrote: > > http://ochel.notlong.com > > Working Both Sides of the Camera > > By Michael O'Sullivan > Washington Post Staff Writer > Friday, August 21, 2009 > > Don't make the mistake of calling Eli Roth's role in "Inglourious Basterds," > the new World War II-era drama from Quentin Tarantino, small. > > Roth's character of Sgt. Donny Donowitz, one of an elite, all-Jewish unit led > by Brad Pitt that terrorizes and kills Nazis, is a meaty one, even if it's > not the largest in the film. Known for his unorthodox weapon of choice -- a > baseball bat -- Donny goes on a memorable killing spree at the climax of the > film, a climax that's so over-the-top, so off-the-wall that it's safe to say > that few will need to consult Wikipedia to verify that history really didn't > turn out that way. > > In other words, typical Tarantino. > > "There is no small role in a Tarantino film," says Roth, who spoke by phone > about the movie. "I wouldn't call Floyd in 'True Romance' a small role. I > wouldn't call Christopher Walken's role in 'Pulp Fiction' a small role. There > are good roles and bad roles. And Tarantino writes great roles." > > It's a part Roth says he auditioned for with a cameo in Tarantino's 2007 > "Death Proof." According to the 37-year-old actor (who's better known as the > director of the gory horror films "Cabin Fever," Hostel" and "Hostel II"), > Roth's acting made a lasting impression on his director. "We were doing one > or two takes, and it was not taken very seriously, as it was grindhouse. It > was just supposed to be having fun. But [Tarantino] said, 'You nailed it.' He > goes, 'You nailed my dialogue. I can always cut to you, every take, every > time. You got it perfect.' " > > This time around, Roth wanted to knock it out of the park. When he saw just > how prominent the part of Donowitz was in the "Basterds" script, he was > floored. "I was, like, 'Jesus! This is one of the main guys. He's in every > scene with Brad Pitt -- nearly every scene. He's his right-hand man.' I said, > 'Look, if I'm going to do this, I've got to bring my A game. If Quentin has > faith in me that I can do it, I have to push myself harder than I ever have. > I have to be like Robert De Niro or something." > > And how. > > Roth bulked up for the part, putting on nearly 40 pounds of muscle, he says. > He also spent time in his native Boston, interviewing Jewish veterans of > World War II. "You've got to look in this guy's eyes," Roth says of Donowitz, > "and see all the pain and the anger and the fury he's carrying around with > him." > > But his real role model isn't a thespian like De Niro. Rather, Roth looks for > inspiration from Ben Stiller, who has built a career not just around acting, > but also writing, directing and producing. All Roth's hard work on this film > -- he also directed the black-and-white film-within-a film that is a lynchpin > of the "Basterds" plot -- will only pay off when people start seeing him as > someone who can do it all, both in front of and behind the camera. "I talked > to Quentin about that," Roth says, recalling what his friend and mentor told > him. He said Tarantino said: " 'Now you have permission to write great parts > for yourself, and no one's going to give you [expletive] about it. . . . > Because you've proven you can go toe to toe with the best, and you've held > your own against Brad Pitt.' " > > If Roth is still a little touchy about his acting chops, he gets even more > defensive when asked about being pigeonholed as the chief purveyor -- maybe > even the inventor -- of the film genre known as "torture porn," through the > three features he has directed and the raft of violent copycat films that > have followed. > > "It's not that I set out to make that genre," he says, sighing, "but that's > what people call it. And people rip me off. Look, imitation is the highest > form of flattery, and if people are ripping you off, it means you did > something right." As further evidence, Roth cites the fact that French critic > Jean-Francois Raugier of the newspaper Le Monde identified "Hostel" as the > best American movie of 2006. His work is also the subject of college courses, > Roth notes, and academic dissertations about the "subtext" of the > blood-drenched films. > > When told just how funny that sounds, though, Roth really let's loose. > > "I don't know why that's funny," he says, growing agitated. "Why is it > surprising? It's surprising because people that use the term 'torture porn' > think that they're stupid movies. And the people that watch them and actually > think about them, and think about what they're about, and analyze them > realize that they're much smarter and much more subversive than most people > give them credit for. So it's only funny to you because you've never thought > about them that way." > > Okay, okay. Maybe Roth really does have a career as an actor ahead of him. > For a minute there, he was starting to sound just like Joe Pesci in > "Goodfellas." > > View all comments that have been posted about this article. >
