Gabriel Mann Interview

March 27, 2006 1:55 PM
by

After watching Gabriel Mann furiously litter the sidewalk with his furniture - and with Fairuza Balk - in Wim Wenders’ “Don’t Come Knocking,” the last thing I expect is for the actor to show up looking like a J-Crew advertisement.

OK, so the “Bourne Identity”/”Supremacy” co-star doesn’t have anger-management issues like his character, Earl, the latest in scribe Sam Shepard’s string of malcontented sons. He does share Earl’s passion for music – which his welcome appearance in “Josie and the Pussycats” may or may not evidence (did anyone actually see that, anyway?)

While filming “Knocking” in Butte, Montana, Mann adjusted to small-town life and befriended musician T-Bone Burnett.

Q: How did you get involved in “Don’t Come Knocking?”

GABRIEL: I was a disaffected teenager growing up in New Haven, and I used to rent obscure foreign films. I was a lot of fun (laughs). And Wim’s films always caught my eye. As I realized that I was going to do this nearly impossible thing, I had a short list of directors that satisfied my sensibility- which lies somewhere between “French Lieutenant’s Woman” and “Star Wars.” You figure it out.

Q: Was it hard to spend so much time in Montana?

GABRIEL: I really spent a lot of time driving around the streets and just trying to get lost. What would it feel like to be in this town for twenty-some odd years? I had a lot of mixed feelings about Butte. It’s just beautiful, but it’s so sad…you stick a camera on it and it’s Edward Hopper. It was living the boulevard of broken dreams.

Q: Are people who watch the film surprised that you’re such a nice guy?

GABRIEL: Yes, and my response is “it’s acting my dear Watson!” I mean, my god. But as kind or as open as anyone is, if you peel back the curtain there’s that much darkness as well. And people always say, “but you were just so mad.” Look closer. He’s mad but he’s got tears in his eyes.

Q: Even in the scene where he trashes the apartment?

GABRIEL: That was hard, physically and emotionally. It was one take. We finished doing all our shots in that location, and Wim said, “OK, now you’re going to trash it.” The bruises are real. But man, I get to trash a room, don’t we all think about doing that? You should do it once, make sure it’s not your own place, do it at somebody else’s…

Q: That was your rock star moment?

GABRIEL: It was, it was my Led Zeppelin, Stones in the seventies…it’s amazingly freeing and I felt ten pounds lighter when I finished the film than when I walked into it.

Q: Can you talk about working with T-Bone Burtnett?

GABRIEL: I started working with T-Bone long before I arrived in Montana. The way he saw these songs being performed, that became my first insight into Earl. In working with T-Bone I was able to find this place of silent singing. So I figured if he had anything that was poetic, that was intelligent, it was his music.

Q: Do you sing?

GABRIEL: In the shower.

Q: What’s next for you?

GABRIEL: I’m doing a romantic comedy called “Love and Mary” and I’m playing twins. I’ve gravitated towards such dark material that I thought, “I’ve got to try this romantic comedy thing.” And boy it feels good- the headaches stopped, the throat got better! There hasn’t been a day that I’m not laughing like a psychotic.

“Don’t Come Knocking” was released in New York and L.A. on March 17th.