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Paul Newman
Interview By: Andrea Tuccillo
If Hollywood was one big car race then Paul Newman would be miles ahead of the pack. He is a winner in every sense of the word: from the classic movies that made him an icon (The Hustler, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and The Sting, just to name a few), to his devotion to philanthropic causes (his Newman's Own products, The Hole in the Wall Gang camp for sick children), to those famous piercing blue eyes (okay, that's a purely superficial attribute, but it had to be mentioned!).
With the new Pixar animated movie Cars, a whole new generation will get to experience the legend that is Paul Newman, even if it is in the form of a 1951 Hudson Hornet. Newman shares his gravelly voice with the character Doc Hudson, a gruff yet wise old car who teaches a thing or two to a young, cocky racecar voiced by Owen Wilson.
Paul Newman shows that even at the age of 81, his engine is still going strong. Although he has hinted at retirement, he concedes that if a movie inspires him enough he will certainly place those baby blues in front of a camera for one more role.
'Well I don't think I could play a marathoner right now,' he jokes. 'I think it would have to be either a wonderful character in a wonderful film or some kind of character that was acceptable in a film with some social content.'
But for now he is perfectly content playing a four-wheeled classic. Newman has definitely had a lot of experience with racing, perhaps one of the reasons why he decided to participate in a movie set purely in a cars' world. It is a combination of his two passions'racing and acting'although Newman believes there are distinct differences between the two.
'I'm a very competitive person,' he states. 'I always have been. And it's hard to be competitive about something as amorphous as acting. But you can be competitive on the track because the rules are very simple and the declaration of a winner is very concise. I would say if there are any similarities at all, it's you're ability not to lose concentration, you always keep concentration.'
It's this focus and drive that have always seemed to keep Newman on the right track (no pun intended). Newman describes a kind of rare success in car racing that seems to parallel his work in film: a combination of the right outside ingredients and some good old-fashioned luck.
'The first thing, you've got to have the right kind of equipment,' Newman explains. 'There are a lot of drivers who can carry a car. It doesn't happen very often, very successfully. I think it takes a certain amount of sensible bravery. It's no good to be brave and keep crashing. And luck.'
A talent like Newman's does not come around very often. In fact, it may never be duplicated. And that's fine by Newman because he dislikes sequels anyway.
'I think Hollywood is in love with the sequel,' he says. 'If it has been a success in one form then just jazz it up and shoot it out again. I think it's unfortunate.'
The one time he felt a revisiting was warranted was in the 1986 film The Color of Money, of course, where he reprised his role as pool hustler Fast Eddie Felson from 1961's The Hustler. It was the role that won him his long-overdue Oscar.
'The only character I felt was worth investigating was Fast Eddie Felson,' Newman explains. 'In The Hustler he won the match but he lost his livelihood. I thought it would be interesting to find out what Fast Eddie Felson would be doing 25 years later. And he was doing exactly what I figured he'd be doing. Selling used cars.'
It all comes back to cars, doesn't it' As opposed to sequels and the like, Cars was a completely original and invigorating experience for Newman. He was in awe of the extraordinary special effects and the meticulous dedication of the animators, as well as director John Lasseter. He even half-jokes that Doc Hudson may be his most personal character yet! And as the movie tells the tale of cars along Route 66, Newman had his own road-trip story to share, drawing upon a memory of driving cross-country with his wife of almost 50 years actress Joanne Woodward.
'We started up north and then we drove to Las Vegas and it said all you can eat for a buck and a quarter,' he reminisces. 'And we went into these casinos and the spreads were extraordinary. I mean fresh shrimp and lobster. I'm talking 1951. The table laid out like you've never seen before. We had a lovely meal and then Joanne put a 160 bucks in the slot machine and I lost about 400 dollars playing blackjack so the meal was not really a buck and a quarter.'
Paul Newman has enough experiences to last a lifetime, but there is still a lot of road ahead. Only time will tell what Newman's next project will be. But one thing he won't be pushing for is a Best Voice category at the Oscars.
'It's too late for me to make a difference,' he cracks.
For the time being, he is keeping all other possibilities open.
'I don't seem to be living up to my timetables,' he says. 'I may have one more movie in me. I'm not sure what it's going to be now. [Robert] Redford and I are working on something but it's not by any means a slam dunk. We're working on the script very hard.'
When asked for the motto he lives by, Newman barely hesitates before letting that classic wit shine.
'It is useless to put on the brakes when you're upside down,' he imparts.
Those are words of wisdom for anyone'or any car.
