Anton Yelchin
Spotlight By: Benjamin Lee
In the powerful new true-life drama Alpha Dog, underneath the star power of Justin Timberlake, Bruce Willis and Sharon Stone lies the youthful talent of Anton Yelchin, who plays the most important role in the movie.
Yelchin, who was born in Russia but immigrated at just 6 months to the US, was just 15 when he shot Alpha Dog, the real-life age of the boy involved in the true story. The film tells of the kidnap of Yelchin's character, renamed Zack, by a group of youths headed by a local drug dealer. Despite his young age, Yelchin had already been acting for 4 years, with small roles in ER and Along Came A Spider leading to a starring role opposite Anthony Hopkins in the ill-fated 2001 drama Hearts in Atlantis.
More TV work followed with Yelchin popping up in Taken, NYPD Blue, Without a Trace and Curb Your Enthusiasm before landing a recurring role in the acclaimed series Huff. But his new performance in Alpha Dog is going to bring him a recognition he will be unfamiliar with, his turn as the tragic central figure sure to haunt all those who see it. The vulnerable teen in the middle of an escalating series of criminal mishaps is a character that Yelchin felt more deeply.
'I read the script and I really cared about him' Yelchin tells, 'That's the frightening thing because you watch the film and you really sympathize with the character because of this horrible situation he's in.' The character is taken by a young drug dealer and his friends when the kid's brother fails to pay a debt. While being held hostage, he starts to enjoy the freedom away from home and the dangerous lifestyle he learns. 'It's not hard to sympathize with him because it's like being put in a toy store' he believes, 'It's all so new to him. Whenever we were shooting I just wanted to pull him out of the situation but for him it doesn't make any sense to leave this great situation.'
Being of the same age helped Yelchin to fully understand the character and what drove him. 'I know from personal experience that when you're that age you're really really easily influenced' he shares, 'It's an age where anything can push you in any direction so that's what happens to him. That's why I felt close to him. It's heartbreaking.'
One of the new experiences his character faces comes in the shape of two girls and a pool. Despite his young age and relative inexperience, Yelchin had no trouble with such an explicit scene. 'The pool scene was pretty comfortable' he admits, 'I can't say I prepared a lot for that scene. It was a little weird. There were people floating in the pool with us pulling focus and Nick back there saying 'Take off your headband with your right hand'. People trying to adjust their nipple covers or whatever.' But wouldn't any 15-tear-old boy relish the chance to frolic in a pool with two hot girls and get paid for it' 'I wasn't all pervy about it, getting excited' he reveals, 'It's lame because you gotta do what you gotta do. Personally I couldn't imagine enjoying it. I'd feel a little sick and uncomfortable with myself.'
Although Yelchin does admit in real-life his reaction would be very different. 'If that happened to me I'd be one happy dude!'
The most troubling scene in the film comes near the end and involves Yelchin's character being taken to a deserted area with two of the kidnappers, played by Justin Timberlake and Shawn Hatosy. It's a tough scene to watch and Yelchin admits that was what they were aiming for. 'I felt really responsible that day' he says, 'I felt if this scene isn't painful to watch and if it didn't hurt you when you saw it and if you didn't feel terrible then something was wrong.' Trying to imagine what the real-life situation was like was something that chilled Yelchin to the bone. 'I kept on trying to think what this kid was going through at that moment' he tells, 'It's really painful and terrible and awful to think about. It kills you when you're shooting it just to think about it'
The director of the film Nick Cassavetes was someone who was universally loved by all of the cast, Yelchin is no different. 'There's something about him that made me feel really comfortable' he shares. Cassavetes also made sure to interview all of the surviving members of the crime and Yelchin was disturbed by what was found out. 'What Nick told me is that when he went to interview the guy who Justin is based on is that what he said is that there was only one man at that time and that was the kid' he states, 'It's weird. I don't know how to take that.'
Yelchin is also quick to avoid the easy route of demonizing the youths involved in the crime. 'Everybody sort of assumes that these are awful people' he tells, 'But people like this are everywhere. It just got out of proportion. The potential for this is everywhere.'
After such a powerful role in such a dark film, Anton Yelchin is lightening up for his next movie, taking on the title role in the comedy Charlie Bartlett, with Robert Downey Jr and Hope Davis. All this and he's still not even allowed to drink in bars.
