Gabriel Macht

Interview By: Rocco Passafuime
RoccoPassafuime@TheCinemaSource.com

There's no telling when or who the next breakthrough Hollywood star may be, but Gabriel Macht has good of a chance as any. He had a brief taste of Hollywood stardom as a child in the film Why Would I Lie', which he did under the name Gabriel Swann.

In the years since that film, Macht has carved up plenty of roles in television and in film particularly, in films like A Love Song For Bobby Long, Because I Said So, and The Recruit. Now at the age of 36, he takes what may very well likely be the biggest role of his long career as the title character in graphic novel artist turned filmmaker Frank Miller's film adaptation of the 1940's comic strip The Spirit. However, Gabriel has his own view on what his undoubtedly major role in a major Hollywood comic book film adaptation means to him.

'Look, in many ways, every part that you get when you audition as an actor has the potential for breaking through,' Macht believes, 'And I feel like I got a bunch of those in my career, but honestly, this ones happens to have the biggest potential, I think, because I'm involved with Frank's vision of the film.'

'And, look, there's no greater opportunity out there for a younger actor than to play The Spirit, I think,' he continues, 'I had the best time working on the film, so, I don't know, hopefully, people will come and see it and we'll make a couple more.'

Like Miller's first film effort Sin City, The Spirit is an ultra-stylized film noir world. We asked Macht how she felt being a part of a pulpy comic book world like this one.

'I actually had did a graphic novel film a year prior to making this called Whiteout that's coming out next year, but I think tone is really important in this film,' Gabriel says, 'And I think this film is a great blend of what Eisner and Frank was able to create in that there's a bit of the Raymond Chandler gumshoe detective. And I think that if you are not honest in your approach to the material, it could get slapsticky and it could get shticky.'

'And we didn't go there, but there's a certain charm that's appealing to what I think what's up there on the screen that we were able to get,' he adds, 'And it is a little bit more extreme in the sense that it's a comic book movie unlike'like Batman this year, which was really sort of truthful in that approach, I think. This was a little bit more extreme, but very playful in the same breath.'

Gabriel was quick to add, however, that The Spirit is different and more complex from more run-of-the-mill comic book heroes like Superman and Batman.

'Well, he's a young cop, right, who's killed in the line of duty and brought back to life eight hours later, wanders the streets, and tries to figure out who he is and I guess he can do a few things other cops can't do,' he explains, 'It's tough because, yeah, he doesn't know who he is and he doesn't know why he's like that and he's asking those questions along the way. Yet, he does know who he is and so there is this complicated thing and he knows he's a young cop and he knows someone who likes to fight crime.'

'And I think the real essence of who he is this man who has an innate goodness and wants to return that goodness to the city,' Macht adds, 'And so, when he hears the city screaming, he wants to squash the evilness that exists and brings humanity back, so I think, deep down, he does know who he is, even though he's haunted by'what he may be, if that makes sense.'

One of the biggest pleasures, he says, of doing the film is getting to work alongside longtime fellow theater actor Dan Lauria, who plays Commissioner Dolan in the film. Macht reveals that the actor, best known for his role on the popular TV drama The Wonder Years, even babysat him during his child acting days.'

'Well, Dan's known me since I was five or six,' Gabriel says, 'It was pretty immediate. He and my father have been friends for a while and I grew up watching Dan also on television, so when you're so familiar with the people you grew up with, it was great give and take right away. We also both come from the theater and it was a very playful way to work.'