Justin Kirk
Spotlight By: Benjamin Lee
For those who watch TV with an avid eye, Justin Kirk is a face that most will recognize.
The acclaimed 37-year-old actor started out his career on the short-lived but much-loved 1999 sitcom Jack & Jill, which also launched Studio 60 stars Amanda Peet and Sarah Paulson. He squeezed in a small role in CSI before starring in the award-winning Angels in America, which brought him a new fanbase. Roles in Without a Trace and Everwood then led to a recurring character in the hit Showtime comedy Weeds.
His big screen career has been less well-known with a role opposite Colin Farrell in Ask the Dust being his biggest to date. This month we see him in the independent offering Puccini For Beginners, a subversive take on the traditional romantic comedy. The film sees Kirk in the center of an unusual love triangle. He's dating Gretchen Mol but is cheating on her with Elizabeth Reaser. Oh and the two women are also sleeping with each other as well. Is it really that easy for women to switch sides'
'Apparently there's this study that claims all women are bisexual and all men who say they're bisexual are gay' he laughs, 'It was probably done by a bunch of horny frat boys.' The role was one which Kirk was immediately drawn to, even if it took a surprisingly long time to get the job. 'I met with Maria [Maggenti], we had some coffee and maybe an egg' he recalls, 'Then a year later I got the call.'
The film is shot exclusively in New York City, a rarity in a time when Vancouver doubles up as a cheaper alternative. 'It's the best place to work' he admits, 'Whenever I get a job it seems to almost always be shooting in New York. New York City feels like one big studio lot.' One of the film's bonuses is the wide variety of on-set locations they manage to use. Considering the fact the film had a small budget, it's quite a feat.
But Kirk claims that small budgets are all he is used to. 'The majority of movies that I've done have been independent films' he confesses, 'I do a television show called Weeds which sometimes feels like an independent film.'
The upside of working predominantly in the independent sphere is the ability to go to Sundance, something Kirk enjoys. Although he admits he's never quite sure if he can trust people's reactions. 'Well everyone's always nice to your face so I couldn't really tell you if they liked it or not' he jokes, 'My experience is everyone loved it! The truth is one of the fun things about Sundance is when you're in competition they screen the movie like 4 or 5 times. One of the screenings is in this huge theater with like 2000 people so you can get a great response.' And the response to Puccini for Beginners' 'People responded well - they were laughing.'
What Sundance is also known for is it's party scene, although Kirk admits he didn't get to see too much of it. 'I had two movies showing so I didn't get to do much partying' he shares, 'It's fun though. Los Angeles is set upon this poor little town but I don't know if I'd go there without a movie.'
When it comes to his TV career, Kirk remembers his early days on Jack & Jill fondly. 'I moved to Los Angeles to do that' he remembers, 'I was living in New York so I was totally wide-eyed, working on a Warner Brothers lot. I learned a great deal.' Now working on Weeds he enjoys the heavy workload. 'We do one episode a week' he informs, 'It's a one camera show so it's like doing a little movie every week.'
When it comes to a show such as Weeds, a comedy which revolves around a housewife who makes her money by selling marijuana to her neighbors, Kirk admits that the target audience is a given. 'We certainly have a built-in demographic because of the subject matter' he tells, 'But the subject matter only gives you a starting point. I think the reason our show is good is that the writing comes up with storylines and characters that you want to follow. It's certainly not a story about getting high. I mean we have some of that but it's mainly a show about the characters.'
Justin Kirk couldn't compliment the show enough - the writing, the acting, the characters - but then he does confess something at the end of all the superlatives. 'I mean I'd say that if I wasn't on it but then if I wasn't on it, it wouldn't be nearly as good.'
